Abstract :
Working with publics and organisations at the community level has become increasingly important for government and non-governmental organisations, although little is known about how to foster development of these relationships. Through the case study of an exemplar relationship between a national organisation and a community-based organisation, organisation-public relationship theory is expanded upon to explore relationship cultivation strategies in an interorganisational setting. Methods within the case study include in-depth interviews with organisational members, participant observation, and analysis of documentation. Cultivation strategies of networking, sharing of tasks, and access emerged most strongly. Additionally, themes of customer service and attentiveness emerged as new cultivation strategies. Two existing theoretical strategies, positivity and conflict resolution, were not stressed by organisational members. This study has implications for fostering relationship development with other organisations at the community level, especially in health and social contexts.
