Theories of Organizational Change III: Interorganizational Relations (IOR) Theory

IOR focuses on how organizations work together. It is a relatively new field and has the potential to provide insights on the effective use of interorganizational arrangements such as community coalitions. Most of the work in this area has focused on the determinants or predictors of interorganizational relations and satisfaction in coalitions. For example, how does an organization make the decision to join a collaborative relationship with another organization and form a coalition? An analysis of costs and benefits is often essential. In recent years, there are also growing interests on factors contributing to IOR maintenance and development.

Critiques of the IOR theory

First, current IOR theory does not pay enough attention to different types of IOR. Second, existing models are inconsistent about the number of stages through which IOR develops. Third, contextual factor influencing IOR in public health have not been carefully studied. Finally, definition of IOR outcomes is not clear.