Society is indeed a complex system of interdependencies that we describe as different sectors—public, private, and nonprofit. As we live our lives, we are generally oblivious to the different sectors. We may, for example, have a notion that the government is somehow involved with trash collection, even though a private company collects it from our homes and takes the trash to wherever it goes. Yet we are mostly oblivious about how this simple service, which we take for granted, is managed and influenced by the different sectors: local, state, and federal governments; private haulers; public and private disposal providers; nonprofit environmental organizations; and others.

Nothing is simple. No aspect of modern society is the domain of any single sector. None.

Governing Cross-Sector Collaboration addresses the reality of today’s interconnected society. The delineation of the different collaborative approaches in this book is illustrative, not definitive. As the authors write, the five “choices” they discuss “can be viewed as evolutionary.” The authors do not claim “that these five options cover all possibilities”; they represent basic models. Thus, readers are encouraged to assess the different approaches critically and explore variations. Contracting, partnering, and networking will converge in unique and, it is hoped, creatively effective ways from one community to another. This book provides the valuable foundation on which creative cross-sector problem solving can occur.

While the book is targeted to public administration, it should be read across all disciplines, and not just the obvious ones of business administration and nonprofit management. Engineering, planning, health care, law, and a host of other professions are all part of and affected by our connected society. The leadership skills discussed in Governing Cross-Sector Collaboration are also not just for senior managers. Professionals at all levels of organizations are required to generate support from others, lead outside their formal roles, understand the wider system, and build trust—the four essential leadership skills that the authors discuss. In fact, collaboration occurs meaningfully and effectively only when people at all levels of our organizations understand, value, and nurture working together across organizational boundaries.

Consider my own field of city management. Local government does not exist solely for the purpose of providing services that cannot be efficiently or profitably provided by the private sector. Local governments serve a larger purpose. While the vision statements of cities vary, they essentially come down to the vision of creating great places where people can live, work, and play. Such places offer economic opportunity, excellent education, and safe and healthy environments. These societal characteristics cannot be provided by a single sector working in isolation. Can business in isolation provide economic opportunity? Can the board of education in isolation ensure that all students succeed? Can the police department in isolation make neighborhoods safe? And into what silo could community health possibly be placed?

It is not enough to be a good manager of the services that one’s organization provides. Organizational leaders across all sectors must be concerned with the boundary-spanning activities discussed in Governing Cross-Sector Collaboration. Not only must leaders themselves see the wider system, we must proactively work to help others see the wider system and the ways in which our futures are all inextricably connected.

Jed Kee confronted these issues early in his career as a public practitioner and has studied them extensively over the years as an academic. The result is a book that is not abstract but of practical utility. Kee’s perspective is also guided by his deep sense of shared responsibility for the public good. John Forrer brings a global business perspective to the project, and Eric Boyer brings the perspective of the current generation on public administration. The result is a book with actionable principles, illustrated by numerous examples from the field.

James Schwartz of the Arlington County Fire and Rescue Department was the incident commander for the initial response to the terrorist attack on the Pentagon on 9/11. He notes that in relation to emergency responses, people often ask, “Who is in charge?” Jim says that this is the wrong question. The real question is, “Who is in charge of what?” This is true for all that we do as a society. No one is or can be in charge of society or any major piece of it. Each sector and each organization has a role and a responsibility to the whole. Achieving effectiveness—livable communities where people can thrive and pursue their hopes and dreams—ultimately depends on the extent to which organizations can collaborate across sectors with a shared understanding of our connected relationships and connected future. Governing Cross-Sector Collaboration helps move us toward this goal.

Charlotte, North Carolina

May 2014