Life Cycle Dynamics and Developmental Processes in Collaborative Partnerships: Examples from Four Watersheds in the U.S.

Collaborative governance ebbs and flows. Partnerships become dormant or extinct, only to resurface with new members, and names, forms, or boundaries. This paper uses a systematic qualitative analysis of data from 4 watershed governance efforts in the United States––Delaware Inland Bays, Narragansett Bay, Tampa Bay, and Tillamook Bay. The study’s objective is to develop theory grounded in these data by examining the developmental trajectories associated with collaborative partnerships. The paper begins by summarizing a four-stage life-cycle model. Each stage identifies a cluster of developmental challenges related to sustaining the health and useful life of a collaborative partnership. The paper identifies 31 partnerships across the four watersheds that were self- or externally-initiated. They experienced many different developmental trajectories. Some remained relatively healthy for a considerable period while others declined quite rapidly. Some partnerships had reorientations involving minor and rapid changes to the partnership structure. Some involved recreations with more profound shifts in core values and purposes. Some partnerships lasted for a considerable period while others ended when their work was done. Healthy partnerships also ended prematurely while unhealthy partnerships endured for a considerable period after their useful life ended. The paper concludes with a discussion of the implications for theory and practice.