Date of Award

5-2011

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Specialization

Communication and Leadership

School or Department

School of Leadership Studies

First Advisor

Dr. John Caputo

Second Advisor

Dr. Alexa Dare

Abstract

Homelessness is a persistent and pervasive issue in the United States. The complexity of the problem has produced federal policies that make collaboration a requirement for homeless advocacy organizations to receive federal funding. In turn, cities, towns, and other entities have created partnerships in order to receive funding as well as combine resources and share information to help reduce if not remedy the homeless problem in their areas. This thesis explores how communication and leadership affect collaboration in a partnership. The study is grounded in the theories of dialogical ethics and transformational leadership to examine two collaborative partnerships serving the homeless in Northern California. This exploratory study is based on previous studies that measured the behaviors, activities, and outcomes of collaboration. This research conducted surveys and telephone interviews during the third week of March 2011. The findings indicated that communication is important to leadership and that both are critical to effective collaboration. Moreover, there is a dialogical ethic inherent in the transformational leader who can positively affect collaboration. Further study is needed to measure with more confidence the perceptions of communication and leadership in a partnership.

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