Use and Affordances of ICTs in Interorganizational Collaboration: An Exploratory Study of ICTs in Nonprofit Partnerships

Abstract

Interorganizational collaboration relies on the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs). However, previous ICT research often takes place within a single organization, lacking insight into how ICTs sustain interorganizational structures. This study examined both the product categories and functional uses of ICTs for interorganizational collaboration, drawing from surveys among a random sample of 181 human services nonprofit organizations in the United States. Results showed that email, teleconference, and shared repositories (e.g., Dropbox) were most popular product types. Content analysis revealed that ICTs were used for coordination, information sharing, relational communication, and client management and ICT utilities varied based on collaboration types. Analyses also indicated that collaboration type, as opposed to organizational attributes (e.g., organizational capacity, resources, size), was related to the frequency of ICT use in nonprofit collaboration. Theoretical contributions to the study of ICTs, interorganizational collaboration, and management communication are discussed.