Performance results may be most visible in the longer-term. The benefits may occur five years sooner than initially planned, but still be in the future and difficult to measure in the near term. Clear and measurable benefits result from collaboration . Three field offices have projected long-term cost avoidances. Backlogs of work have been eliminated, accelerating cleanup schedules at a fourth field office.
Success travels by word of mouth' .
Field advocates play an influential role in encouraging colleagues to try collaboration. For example, one field office with success in collaborative decision-making relayed this success to another field office, which in turn considered collaborative processes as a possible approach. A neutral party facilitator or team-builder is helpful for the creation or enhancement of collaborative relationships in the field. Trained neutral parties appear to be necessary to help begin a collaborative process and often can help alleviate past conflict. Funding for neutral parties by an external source has further encouraged the field to try collaborative processes.