Collaboration theory consists of analytical frameworks for understanding the collaborative process and its outcomes derived through various forms of research and reflection.

Although there is currently no widely accepted general theory of collaboration, there are many theoretical approaches to collaborative practice that have been developed within a wide variety of disciplines.

Collaboration Theories Edit

• General
  • Mark Elliott's PhD dissertation includes a generalized framework for collaboration, as well as collective activity in general. This framework is marked by the distinction between coordination, cooperation and collaboration, with each activity being dependent upon the previous while addressing increased levels of complexity. These principles are outline on this diagram. For a more broad treatment, see the chapter on collaboration: http://mark-elliott.net/view/Dissertation/CollaborationDissertation
• Education
• IT
  • The Participatory Challenge, by Trebor Scholz: an essay 'about participation in online collaborations and the potentials of extreme sharing networks in the unregulated commons.'
  • Useful list of Collaborative Software and Experts from Cognexus.org -- http://www.cognexus.org/id27.htm
• Science
• Management
  • Employing a Cognitive Theory of Collaboration to Guide Team Process and Tool Selection
  • Utilizing Collaboration Theory to Evaluate Strategic Alliances

Reviews of books on Collaboration Edit

Democracy is Possible, Here’s How People Harness their Collective Wisdom and Power to Construct the Future in Co-Laboratories of Democracy -- http://danshaw.com/democracy.html

Locating Consensus for Democracy: A Ten-Year U.S. Experiment Public Interest Polling -- http://danshaw.com/polling.html

Model of Social Transformation That Actually Explains How & Why a Few Social Movements Succeed While Most Fail: Research into the nature of events involving two forces... -- http://danshaw.com/9-stage-model.php