Virtual Balancing: How Digital Environments Influence the Participation and Efficiency of Cross-Sector Partnerships

Abstract

Cross-sector partnerships (XSP) that address complex societal issues tend to struggle to achieve a substantial impact. To attain successful collaboration, the way in which these XSPs balance participation and efficiency in collaborative practice is vital. While it is commonly examined in a face-to-face environment, this study investigates the practice in a digital context. Based on observations of virtual meetings in an XSP on climate change mitigation, a multimodal discourse analysis presents how affordances of communicative channels influenced the relationship of participation and efficiency, with consequences of increased centralization, virtual methods of governance and difficulties of dealing with complexity.

Keywords:

• Collaboration
• efficiency
• media
• participation
• tension

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Acknowledgments

This study was made possible by financial support from the Climate Council of Jönköping County, a non-profit XSP that also served as a case for analysis. No financial interest is connected to the results of the study and the analysis was conducted without any influence from the funder.

Correction Statement

This article has been corrected with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

Notes

1. For transparency, it should be acknowledged that I, prior to this research project, had a role as secretary in one of the working groups of this XSP for two years. Due to this background, that working group was not chosen for analysis. Potential bias aside, this pre-understanding enhanced my ability to follow and interpret what was discussed in the XSP, which was helpful in the analytical process.

2. The material is part of a larger data set of textual documents and e-mail conversations which, although not the focus of analysis, provided valuable contextual knowledge of discussions for this study.

3. Which corresponded to 73 pages of transcription, single spaced, 10-pt font.

Additional information

Funding

The work was supported by the Jönköping University [Not applicable]; The Climate Council of Jönköping County.

Notes on contributors

Otto Hedenmo

Otto Hedenmo is a doctoral candidate in media and communication at Jönköping University. In his doctoral project he investigates the relationship between media and agency in interorganizational communication, with the case of climate change mitigation as empirical focus.