Organizations often join forces to share funding and expertise in tackling today’s toughest social problems, such as homelessness. However, what happens to such collaborations when one of the partners is also the main funder? A new Rutgers study found that this unequal distribution of resources can ultimately impede the group's progress.

"Collaboration is often described as a way to share resources and ideas, but we noticed that the money side of things often overshadows everything else," said lead author and SC&I Associate Professor of Communication Dajung (DJ) Woo.  "We set out to explore how this kind of 'resource dependency' shapes communication, relationships, and outcomes in a collaboration."

The study, "When resource dependency discourse dominates interorganizational collaboration: a case study of a statewide effort to end homelessness" was written by Woo and SC&I alumna Tsu Yi Chien MCM'25, and published in 2025 in the Journal of Applied Communication Research.  The article received the Top Paper Award from the Applied Communication Division of the National Communication Association (NCA) in 2025.

Woo clarified that the problem is not the funding itself, but the rigid rules and power imbalances that sometimes come with it.

Woo said they found "when funding dominates the collaboration, it creates a vicious cycle. Participants focus heavily on securing money, which leads to bureaucratic procedures and formal communication, and weakens genuine trust and shared ownership. Instead of building a common vision, members often align with the funding agency’s goals and vision even if they don’t fully agree with them, due to the pressure to remain eligible for future funding and demonstrate compliance. As a result, collaborators may meet reporting requirements but struggle to make a meaningful impact or gain a sense of purpose from the experience."

Woo clarified that the problem is not the funding itself, but the rigid rules and power imbalances that sometimes come with it. These "can leave groups feeling constrained and unable to feel genuinely engaged in the work. By naming this 'vicious cycle of vertical resource dependency,' our study gives leaders and policymakers language and tools to spot these patterns early and strengthen partnerships, so they are more balanced and sustainable."

To conduct the study, Woo and Chien carried out an in-depth case study of a statewide collaboration to end homelessness (the collaboration was not in New Jersey).

"We reviewed public documents, strategic plans, and meeting minutes, and we interviewed 23 people from federal, state, and local organizations who were involved in the effort," said Woo. "Using qualitative analysis, we traced how participants described the collaboration across its entire life cycle, from beginning to end, and developed a model that explains how resource dependency shaped their experiences and outcomes."

Refuting the "Resource Dependency Theory," which emphasizes external resources as motivators for collaboration, the vicious cycle model Woo and Chien developed shows how the lead agency's financial control hindered the collaborating group's ability to communicate openly and build a shared sense of identity, purpose, and mutual responsibility. 

The vicious cycle model Woo and Chien developed shows how the lead agency's financial control hindered the collaborating group's ability to communicate openly and build a shared sense of identity, purpose, and mutual responsibility. 

The model provides practical ways for collaborators to identify ways resource distribution could be impacting their interdependence and leading them to resource dependency. For example, Woo said, "One of the clearest entry points for using the model is evaluating how formality, such as reliance on prescribed funding requirements or reporting mechanisms, affects participant engagement. Collaborators can ask: ‘Are our current structures supporting meaningful exchange, or merely reproducing compliance?’ If formality is limiting, facilitators might consider incorporating unstructured spaces for informal dialogue periodically, which will allow for emergent forms of leadership and relationship building." 

She added that the model also "invites ongoing, collaborative reflection" throughout the life of a partnership. Toward the end of a collaboration, the model encourages groups to prepare for the conclusion of funding and plan for sustainability beyond it.

"Integrating the vicious cycle model can help individuals identify communicative patterns that reinforce vertical dependency, stall participation, and limit collaborative action," Woo said.

Learn more about the Communication Department at the Rutgers School of Communication and Information on the website. 

Image: Courtesy of Dajung (DJ) Woo