In common practice the term collaboration serves as a handy label to mark and acknowledge working relationships between individuals, departments, or organizations. However, collaboration as a working relationship actually lies on a continuum of inter-organizational models: immuring, networking, coordinating, cooperating, collaborating, and integrating. Each of these models has identifiable attributes and requires specific capacities and inter-institutional supports. This handout serves as a discussion and planning tool for leaders of projects that involve multiple entities and is especially relevant for higher education consortia.
For more background on this tool, please refer to the white paper People, Tools, and Processes that Build Collaborative Capacity.