It is important to make a start. Manageable collaborations strike a balance between breadth and depth of membership. Diversity means that both providers and consumers of services are represented. Collaborating groups are cautioned not to create new bureaucracies. Instead, structures should be designed to facilitate information exchange, decision making, and resource allocation.
Good communication is a key to building trust.
Winer and Ray describe collaboration as a journey in which travelers encounter and acknowledge diverse customs, use of language, preferred ways of working, and types of power. Collaborative partners should have a shared vision of what they are trying to achieve, with agreed-upon mission, objectives, and strategies. Their purpose should be unique, that is, overlapping but not duplicating the mission of individual organizations. A shared vision builds trust and commitment. It should reflect responsiveness to the community and the big picture of which the collaboration is a part.