Why is coalition building important

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Subscriber sign in You could not be signed in, please check and try again. Thompson also used the term, "inner circle" to describe the select few within an organization whose connections provide them with influence.

Their role in coalition building is often one of leadership, but they seldom act alone in achieving goals. Their power is enhanced as the coalition strives to achieve a group goal; thus, the individual and coalition feed off each other. Carrying Thompson's point one step further, interdependency in an organization creates a greater likelihood for the formation of a coalition or coalitions.

A third phase of coalition scholarship was generated with the introduction of political science and social psychology methods and studies to organizational behavior. This led to the current divergent use of the term, and research from several disciplines points to how individual efforts at influence become the basis for coalition building.

The application of different schools of research on coalitions led to more thorough study into the formation and operation of coalitions in the organization. In addition, game theory proponents contribute to understanding of the role of coalitions and their formation. More recently, research into coalitions has moved away from the organizational environment to the political arena where coalitions have an impact on business.

Periodical literature is highlighted with articles on how coalitions influence international business and economics, the health care industry, diversity and integration issues, foreign trade, the insurance market, and community activism. In the area of organizational behavior, research centers on the role of coalitions in organizational change, or how groups with seemingly dichotomous interests merge to exercise power on business strategy and decision making within an organization undergoing significant administrative and structural change.

In their seminal article on coalition research, William Stephenson, Jone Pearce, and Lyman Porter of the University of California at Irvine state that the study of coalitions has yet to produce any new way of understanding organizational processes. Considering the wide array of research from psychology, political science, game theory, sociology, and organizational behavior, their conclusion still begs an adequate answer.

We can come to an understanding of the conditions necessary for the formation of a coalition, how they are built, how they exercise power and influence, and how they survive or disband, yet the question of the role of the coalition in organizational behavior remains unanswered and fertile for the researcher so inclined to look further for questions and answers.

Revised by Wendy H. Johns, Gary. New York: HarperCollins, March, James G. A Behavioral Theory of the Firm.

Murnigham, John Keith, and Daniel J. Max H. Bazerman, Roy J. Lewicki, and Blair H. Greenwich: JAI Press, Pfeffer, Jeffrey. New York: Oxford University Press, Roberts, Joan M. Simon, Herbert A. New York: Wiley, Stephenson, William B. Pearce, and Lyman W. Thompson, James D. New York: McGraw-Hill, Toggle navigation.

Photo by: Yuri Arcurs. Boyd Childress Revised by Wendy H. Other articles you might like:. User Contributions:. Comment about this article, ask questions, or add new information about this topic: Name:. E-mail: Show my email publicly. Human Verification:. Public Comment: characters. The strength of a coalition is in its unity. Work together with other organizations to develop a strategy that makes sense for everyone. The tactics you choose should be ones that all the organizations can endorse.

If not, the tactics should be taken by individual organizations independent of the coalition. Be strategic. Building coalitions in and of themselves requires a good strategy. Which organizations you ask, who asks them, and what order to ask them are all questions to figure out. To ensure consistency, send the same representative to each coalition meeting.

This helps meetings run more smoothly. These individuals should also be decision-making members of the organizations they represent. Formalize your coalition.