Competitive Exclusion Principle and the Partnership Conundrum: What ecology can teach us about solving conflicts and working together Sarah Low Philadelphia Field Station US Forest Service Northern Research Station
Objectives Think differently about partnerships by applying management principles and ecological terms to inter-organizational dynamics Focus on the role of competition in partnership success Look at some examples of successful partnerships Think about niches in light of our own partnerships
Photo: Illinois Extension Photo: Leslie J. Mehrhoff, University of Connecticut, IPANE, http://invasives.eeb.uconn.edu/ipane/
Partnerships are important to us. I can t reiterate that enough. We couldn t do this alone. That said, we don t like to compete for things like purchasing land. Anonymous, said at a project tour
Hypothetical Tree Planting Example Municipality is responsible for street trees Community group wants to plant street trees Philanthropic organization wants to fund the planting of trees
Competitive Exclusion Principle If two non-interbreeding populations occupy the same ecological niche and occupy the same geographic territory then one will eventually displace the other (Hardin, Science 1960)
Competitive Forces Competition for Profit - rivalry among existing competitors
Competitive Forces Potential Entrants - threat of new entrants
Competitive Forces Customers bargaining power of buyers
Competitive Forces Suppliers - bargaining power of suppliers
Competitive Forces Substitute Products - threat of substitute products or services
Competitive Forces Competition for Profit - rivalry among existing competitors Potential Entrants - threat of new entrants Customers - bargaining power of buyers Suppliers - bargaining power of suppliers Substitute Products - threat of substitute products or services Michael Porter The Five Competitive Forces That Shape Strategy
The most successful companies are those that expand the industry profit pool in ways that allow them to share disproportionately in the benefits. Michael Porter The Five Competitive Forces That Shape Strategy
Blah, blah, blah, business management jargon, blah, blah, blah
Let s Reframe Competition What forces of competition exist in the world of urban forestry?
Let s Reframe Competition Grants Donations Volunteers New organizations with inspiring missions (or new spins on old ideas) Influence
Let s Reframe Competition Possible Translation: The most effective non-profit organizations are those that expand the available resources in ways that advance the mission.
Resource Partitioning Competing species shift to occupy different niches
Resource Partitioning
thinking comprehensively about an industry s structure can uncover opportunities: differences in customers, suppliers, substitutes, potential entrants, and rivals that become the basis for distinct strategies yielding superior performance. (Porter)
Why work together? Sometimes. Because you have to (the grant agreement told us to) Limited resources available for everyone Everyone having trouble getting funding Lots of work to do And mostly to advance the mission
FRAME Collaborative Research Forest Fragmentation and Managed Ecosystems
PhillyTreeMap Example
Collaborative Trail Design Partnership Example
What to Communicate Clarify decision rights Ensure information flows where it s needed Communicate a clear sense of everyone s respective roles and responsibilities The Secrets to Successful Strategy Execution Neilson et al, 2008
Keys to Building Trust Reciprocity Face-to-Face Communication Derived from Elinor Ostrom (2003)
Things to keep in mind: Know your own interests and say it out loud Develop relationships with partners before the grant announcement Find ways to partition the resources
Group Work What is your niche? How are you unique? Different missions, different audiences, different geography? What do you each bring to this table? What potential competition might exist between you? How can you partition the niche so that you can all benefit? Can you be better together? Should you be partnering with the groups at the table?
Advice from Cesar Chavez "We cannot seek achievement for ourselves and forget about progress and prosperity for our community...our ambitions must be broad enough to include the aspirations and needs of others, for their sakes and for our own."
References Neilson et al. The Secrets to Successful Strategy Execution in Harvard Business Review, 2008 Michael Porter. The Five Competitive Forces That Shape Strategy in Harvard Business Review, 2008 Elinor Ostrom Toward a Behavioral Theory Linking Trust, Reciprocity, and Reputation in Trust and Reciprocity, 2003 Vince D Amico, et al. FRAME. US Forest Service and the University of Delaware
Questions? Sarah Low, Coordinator of the Philadelphia Field Station, USDA Forest Service Northern Research Station sclow@fs.fed.us