Agencies Use Interagency Collaborative Mechanisms to Meet a Range Of Purposes

Federal agencies have used a variety of mechanisms to implement  interagency collaborative efforts, such as the President appointing a  coordinator, agencies co-locating within one facility, or establishing  interagency task forces. Mechanisms Are Frequently Used In Combination to Address Complex Issues

Additionally, in many cases, agencies use more than one mechanism to  address an issue. For example, climate change is a complex, crosscutting  issue, which involves many collaborative mechanisms. As we reported in  2011, these mechanisms include entities within the Executive Office of  the President and interagency groups throughout government, including  task forces and working groups. There are Many Issues to Consider When Collaborating

Although the mechanisms we list in figure 2 differ in complexity and  scope, they all benefit from certain key features, which raise issues to  consider when implementing these mechanisms. Outcomes and Accountability

Have short-term and long-term outcomes been clearly defined? Bridging Organizational Cultures

What are the missions and organizational cultures of the participating  agencies? Have participating agencies agreed on common terminology and  definitions? Clarity of Roles and Responsibilities

Have participating agencies clarified the roles and responsibilities of  the participants? Participants

Have all relevant participants been included? Experts said that it is helpful when the participants in a  collaborative mechanism have full knowledge of the relevant resources in  their agency; the ability to commit these resources and make decisions  on behalf of the agency; the ability to regularly attend all activities of the  collaborative mechanism; and the knowledge, skills, and abilities to  contribute to the outcomes of the collaborative effort. Written Guidance and Agreements

If appropriate, have the participating agencies documented their  agreement regarding how they will be collaborating? Have participating agencies developed ways to continually update or  monitor written agreements? Appendix I: Scope and Methodology

To identify mechanisms that the federal government uses to lead and  implement interagency collaboration as well as issues to consider when  implementing these mechanisms we conducted a literature review of  academic work, interviewed a number of experts in governmental  collaboration, and analyzed a sample of our prior work. In order to reduce the size of the sample, we selected  reports that met two or more of the following criteria: discussed collaboration between more than one federal department,  included a mechanism for collaboration, and provided an in-depth discussion of the collaborative mechanism. Is there a way to track and monitor progress toward the short-term  and long-term outcomes? If leadership will be shared between one or more agencies, have roles  and responsibilities been clearly identified and agreed upon? How will leadership be sustained over the long-term? Resources

How will the collaborative mechanism be funded?
Why GAO Did This Study

Many of the meaningful results that the federal government seeks to achievesuch as those related to protecting food and agriculture, providing homeland security, and ensuring a well-trained and educated workforcerequire the coordinated efforts of more than one federal agency and often more than one sector and level of government. Both Congress and the executive branch have recognized the need for improved collaboration across the federal government. The Government Performance and Results Act of 1993 (GPRA) Modernization Act of 2010 establishes a new framework aimed at taking a more crosscutting and integrated approach to focusing on results and improving government performance. Effective implementation of the act could play an important role in facilitating future actions to reduce duplication, overlap, and fragmentation.
GAO was asked to identify the mechanisms that the federal government uses to lead and implement interagency collaboration, as well as issues to consider when implementing these mechanisms. To examine these topics, GAO conducted a literature review on interagency collaborative mechanisms, interviewed 13 academic and practitioner experts in the field of collaboration, and reviewed their work. GAO also conducted a detailed analysis of 45 GAO reports, published between 2005 and 2012. GAO selected reports that contained in-depth discussions of collaborative mechanisms and covered a broad range of issues.

What GAO Found

Federal agencies have used a variety of mechanisms to implement interagency collaborative efforts, such as the President appointing a coordinator, agencies co-locating within one facility, or establishing interagency task forces. These mechanisms can be used to address a range of purposes including policy development; program implementation; oversight and monitoring; information sharing and communication; and building organizational capacity, such as staffing and training. Frequently, agencies use more than one mechanism to address an issue. For example, climate change is a complex, crosscutting issue, which involves many collaborative mechanisms in the Executive Office of the President and interagency groups throughout government.
Although collaborative mechanisms differ in complexity and scope, they all benefit from certain key features, which raise issues to consider when implementing these mechanisms. For example:
Outcomes and Accountability: Have short-term and long-term outcomes been clearly defined? Is there a way to track and monitor their progress?
Bridging Organizational Cultures: What are the missions and organizational cultures of the participating agencies? Have agencies agreed on common terminology and definitions?
Leadership: How will leadership be sustained over the long-term? If leadership is shared, have roles and responsibilities been clearly identified and agreed upon?
Clarity of Roles and Responsibilities: Have participating agencies clarified roles and responsibilities?
Participants: Have all relevant participants been included? Do they have the ability to commit resources for their agency?
Resources: How will the collaborative mechanism be funded and staffed? Have online collaboration tools been developed?
Written Guidance and Agreements: If appropriate, have participating agencies documented their agreement regarding how they will be collaborating? Have they developed ways to continually update and monitor these agreements?