Samverkansproblem
Samverkansproblem is a term used in Swedish organizational theory and public administration to describe difficulties in achieving effective collaboration among two or more actors when joint action is required but incentives, information, or capabilities are not aligned. The problem arises in interorganizational settings such as government agencies, municipalities, firms, NGOs, or cross-sector partnerships, where actions by one actor affect others but control and payoff structures differ.
Causes include misaligned incentives, information asymmetry, differences in goals or time horizons, institutional boundaries, power imbalances,
Manifestations include delays, duplications, incomplete implementations, conflicting standards, hold-ups, or suboptimal outcomes despite potential gains.
Examples include municipal cross-border services, public-private partnerships, disaster response coordination, or supply chain integration.
Addressing samverkansproblem often involves establishing joint governance structures, formal agreements, shared information platforms, common standards, and
See also: coordination problem, interorganizational collaboration, governance.