IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/kap/jbuset/v183y2023i1d10.1007_s10551-022-05064-7.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Negotiating Meaning Systems in Multi-stakeholder Partnerships Addressing Grand Challenges: Homelessness in Western Canada

Author

Listed:
  • Sarah Easter

    (Abilene Christian University)

  • Matt Murphy

    (University of Victoria)

  • Mary Yoko Brannen

    (San Jose State University)

Abstract

While multi-stakeholder partnerships are emerging as an increasingly popular approach to address grand challenges, they are not well studied or understood. Such partnerships are rife with difficulties arising from the fact that actors in the partnership have different understandings of the grand challenge based on meaning systems which have distinct and often opposing assumptions, values, and practices. Each partnership actor brings with them their individual values as well as the values and work practices of their home organization’s culture, alongside the wider meaning systems present within the sectoral spaces in which each organization is situated—public, private, or nonprofit. Yet, there is little understanding of how actors in multi-stakeholder partnerships negotiate multi-level meaning systems to reach partnership goals. In this 16-month ethnographic study, we take up a negotiated culture perspective to holistically examine the negotiation of multi-level meaning related to a focal grand challenge in a multi-stakeholder partnership established to end homelessness in Western Canada. Based on our findings, we contribute a process model to explain the ongoing negotiation of multi-level meanings in multi-stakeholder partnerships working to address grand challenges.

Suggested Citation

  • Sarah Easter & Matt Murphy & Mary Yoko Brannen, 2023. "Negotiating Meaning Systems in Multi-stakeholder Partnerships Addressing Grand Challenges: Homelessness in Western Canada," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 183(1), pages 31-52, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:jbuset:v:183:y:2023:i:1:d:10.1007_s10551-022-05064-7
    DOI: 10.1007/s10551-022-05064-7
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s10551-022-05064-7
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s10551-022-05064-7?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. de Bakker, Frank G.A. & Rasche, Andreas & Ponte, Stefano, 2019. "Multi-Stakeholder Initiatives on Sustainability: A Cross-Disciplinary Review and Research Agenda for Business Ethics," Business Ethics Quarterly, Cambridge University Press, vol. 29(3), pages 343-383, July.
    2. Mary Vayaliparampil & Frank Page & Eric Wolterstorff, 2021. "The Missing Ingredient for Successful Multi-Stakeholder Partnerships: Cooperative Capacity," Societies, MDPI, vol. 11(2), pages 1-30, April.
    3. Amelia Clarke & Andrew Crane, 2018. "Cross-Sector Partnerships for Systemic Change: Systematized Literature Review and Agenda for Further Research," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 150(2), pages 303-313, June.
    4. Nigel D. Caldwell & Jens K. Roehrich & Gerard George, 2017. "Social Value Creation and Relational Coordination in Public-Private Collaborations," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 54(6), pages 906-928, September.
    5. Elisa Villani & Luciano Greco & Nelson Phillips, 2017. "Understanding Value Creation in Public-Private Partnerships: A Comparative Case Study," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 54(6), pages 876-905, September.
    6. Alex Gillett & Kim Loader & Bob Doherty & Jonathan M. Scott, 2019. "An Examination of Tensions in a Hybrid Collaboration: A Longitudinal Study of an Empty Homes Project," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 157(4), pages 949-967, July.
    7. Matthew Murphy & François Perrot & Miguel Rivera-Santos, 2012. "New perspectives on learning and innovation in cross-sector collaborations," Post-Print hal-02313075, HAL.
    8. Rivera-Santos, Miguel & Rufín, Carlos & Kolk, Ans, 2012. "Bridging the institutional divide: Partnerships in subsistence markets," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 65(12), pages 1721-1727.
    9. Kolk, Ans & van Tulder, Rob & Kostwinder, Esther, 2008. "Business and partnerships for development," European Management Journal, Elsevier, vol. 26(4), pages 262-273, August.
    10. Elizabeth J. Klitsie & Shahzad Ansari & Henk W. Volberda, 2018. "Maintenance of Cross-Sector Partnerships: The Role of Frames in Sustained Collaboration," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 150(2), pages 401-423, June.
    11. Domenico Dentoni & Verena Bitzer & Greetje Schouten, 2018. "Harnessing Wicked Problems in Multi-stakeholder Partnerships," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 150(2), pages 333-356, June.
    12. Noriko Yagi & Jill Kleinberg, 2011. "Boundary work: An interpretive ethnographic perspective on negotiating and leveraging cross-cultural identity," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 42(5), pages 629-653, June.
    13. Edwin Rühli & Sybille Sachs & Ruth Schmitt & Thomas Schneider, 2017. "Innovation in Multistakeholder Settings: The Case of a Wicked Issue in Health Care," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 143(2), pages 289-305, June.
    14. Mary Yoko Brannen & Mark F Peterson, 2009. "Merging without alienating: interventions promoting cross-cultural organizational integration and their limitations," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 40(3), pages 468-489, April.
    15. Miguel Rivera-Santos & Carlos Rufin & Ans Kolk, 2012. "Bridging the institutional divide : Partnerships in subsistence markets," Post-Print hal-02313074, HAL.
    16. Rob Tulder & Nienke Keen, 2018. "Capturing Collaborative Challenges: Designing Complexity-Sensitive Theories of Change for Cross-Sector Partnerships," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 150(2), pages 315-332, June.
    17. Murphy, Matthew & Perrot, Francois & Rivera-Santos, Miguel, 2012. "New perspectives on learning and innovation in cross-sector collaborations," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 65(12), pages 1700-1709.
    18. Nicolas Dahan & Jonathan P. Doh & Jennifer Oetzel & Michael Yaziji, 2010. "Corporate-NGO Collaboration: Co-creating New Business Models for Developing Markets," Post-Print hal-00565517, HAL.
    19. Marlene Le Ber & Oana Branzei, 2010. "Value Frame Fusion in Cross Sector Interactions," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 94(1), pages 163-195, July.
    20. Stephan Manning & Daniel Roessler, 2014. "The Formation of Cross-Sector Development Partnerships: How Bridging Agents Shape Project Agendas and Longer-Term Alliances," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 123(3), pages 527-547, September.
    21. Fiona Moore, 2011. "Holistic ethnography: Studying the impact of multiple national identities on post-acquisition organizations," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 42(5), pages 654-671, June.
    22. Angel Saz-Carranza & Francisco Longo, 2012. "Managing Competing Institutional Logics in Public--Private Joint Ventures," Public Management Review, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 14(3), pages 331-357, March.
    23. Powell, E. Erin & Hamann, Ralph & Bitzer, Verena & Baker, Ted, 2018. "Bringing the elephant into the room? Enacting conflict in collective prosocial organizing," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 33(5), pages 623-642.
    24. Bertrand V. Quélin & Ilze Kivleniece & Sergio Lazzarini, 2017. "Public-Private Collaboration, Hybridity and Social Value: Towards New Theoretical Perspectives," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 54(6), pages 763-792, September.
    25. Julia Roloff, 2008. "Learning from Multi-Stakeholder Networks: Issue-Focussed Stakeholder Management," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 82(1), pages 233-250, September.
    26. Adriane MacDonald & Amelia Clarke & Lei Huang, 2019. "Multi-stakeholder Partnerships for Sustainability: Designing Decision-Making Processes for Partnership Capacity," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 160(2), pages 409-426, December.
    27. Caterina Tantalo & Richard L. Priem, 2016. "Value creation through stakeholder synergy," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 37(2), pages 314-329, February.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Tran Thi Van Trang & Mai Ngoc Khuong, 2023. "The role of risk factors, partner compatibility, organizational creativity and co-creation value on firm performance: evidence from SMEs in Vietnam," Zbornik radova Ekonomskog fakulteta u Rijeci/Proceedings of Rijeka Faculty of Economics, University of Rijeka, Faculty of Economics and Business, vol. 41(2), pages 449-475.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Özgü Karakulak & Lea Stadtler, 2022. "Working with Complexity in the Context of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals: A Case Study of Global Health Partnerships," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 180(4), pages 997-1018, November.
    2. Watson, Rosina & Wilson, Hugh N. & Macdonald, Emma K., 2020. "Business-nonprofit engagement in sustainability-oriented innovation: What works for whom and why?," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 119(C), pages 87-98.
    3. Juelin Yin & Dima Jamali, 2021. "Collide or Collaborate: The Interplay of Competing Logics and Institutional Work in Cross-Sector Social Partnerships," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 169(4), pages 673-694, April.
    4. Tulin Dzhengiz, 2020. "A Literature Review of Inter-Organizational Sustainability Learning," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(12), pages 1-52, June.
    5. Christiana Weber & Helen Haugh & Markus Göbel & Hannes Leonardy, 2022. "Pathways to Lasting Cross-Sector Social Collaboration: A Configurational Study," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 177(3), pages 613-639, May.
    6. Domenico Dentoni & Verena Bitzer & Stefano Pascucci, 2016. "Cross-Sector Partnerships and the Co-creation of Dynamic Capabilities for Stakeholder Orientation," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 135(1), pages 35-53, April.
    7. Daniel Arenas & Pablo Sanchez & Matthew Murphy, 2013. "Different Paths to Collaboration Between Businesses and Civil Society and the Role of Third Parties," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 115(4), pages 723-739, July.
    8. Schoneveld, George C., 2022. "Transforming food systems through inclusive agribusiness," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 158(C).
    9. M. Hassan Awad, 2023. "Place and the Structuring of Cross-Sector Partnerships: The Moral and Material Conflicts Over Healthcare and Homelessness," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 184(4), pages 933-955, May.
    10. Stefan Gold & Ilma Nur Chowdhury & Fahian Anisul Huq & Kristin Heinemann, 2020. "Social business collaboration at the bottom of the pyramid: The case of orchestration," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 29(1), pages 262-275, January.
    11. Manon Eikelenboom & Thomas B. Long, 2023. "Breaking the Cycle of Marginalization: How to Involve Local Communities in Multi-stakeholder Initiatives?," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 186(1), pages 31-62, August.
    12. Stephan Manning & Daniel Roessler, 2014. "The Formation of Cross-Sector Development Partnerships: How Bridging Agents Shape Project Agendas and Longer-Term Alliances," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 123(3), pages 527-547, September.
    13. Lea Stadtler & Luk N. Wassenhove, 2023. "Between Intensity and Diversity: Leveraging the Role of Place in Cross-Sector Partnerships," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 184(4), pages 773-791, May.
    14. Theresa Gehringer, 2020. "Corporate Foundations as Partnership Brokers in Supporting the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(18), pages 1-24, September.
    15. Aurélien Décamps & Oihab Allal-Chérif & Anne Gombault, 2021. "Fostering Knowledge of the Sustainable Development Goals in Universities: The Case of Sulitest," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(23), pages 1-17, November.
    16. Claudia Savarese & Benjamin Huybrechts & Marek Hudon, 2021. "The Influence of Interorganizational Collaboration on Logic Conciliation and Tensions Within Hybrid Organizations: Insights from Social Enterprise–Corporate Collaborations," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 173(4), pages 709-721, November.
    17. Sanzo-Pérez, María José & Álvarez-González, Luis I., 2022. "Partnerships between Spanish social enterprises and nonprofits: A rich hybridity-based setting for social innovation," Technovation, Elsevier, vol. 110(C).
    18. Wendy Phillips & Elizabeth A. Alexander & Hazel Lee, 2019. "Going It Alone Won’t Work! The Relational Imperative for Social Innovation in Social Enterprises," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 156(2), pages 315-331, May.
    19. Hazem S Kassem & Salim Bagadeem & Bader Alhafi Alotaibi & Mohammed Aljuaid, 2021. "Are partnerships in nonprofit organizations being governed for sustainability? A partnering life cycle assessment," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 16(3), pages 1-25, March.
    20. Özgü Karakulak & Thomas B. Lawrence, 2024. "Social-Symbolic Work in the Construction of Social Problems: Constructing Gender Inequality in Turkish Social Partnerships," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 192(3), pages 461-486, July.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:kap:jbuset:v:183:y:2023:i:1:d:10.1007_s10551-022-05064-7. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.