Key problems of interorganizational collaborations: A multi-level and temporal analysis

Abstract Researchers analyze interorganizational problems one at a time, at one level of analysis, and a specific point in time. Yet, interorganizational problems certainly appear in groups of interrelated problems that are nested across multiple levels of analysis and evolve over time. Moreover, analyzing problems independently hinders the ability to assess their relative importance. This study establishes key problems of interorganizational collaboration and highlights their timing. A multiple-case study was realized in the tourism industry. Twenty-eight semi-structured interviews, post-interview surveys, and secondary data allowed us to determine eight key interorganizational problems (interpersonal problems, lack of familiarity, cultural differences, roles and responsibilities problems, toxic work climate, inequity feeling, inappropriate governance, and passivity when problems arise). By using a multi-level and temporal analytical framework, our study contributes to the IOR literature in four ways: confirming problem nesting across levels of analysis, demonstrating greater problem diversity, highlighting relational problem dominance, and demonstrating lifecycle problem evolution.