Expanding the Universe of Multi‐Organizational Arrangements: Contingent Coordination and the Deepwater Horizon Transportation Challenges

Abstract

Highly flexible in nature, “contingent coordination” may be an ideal response mechanism for many of today's increasingly complex problems. However, the existing literature lacks a conceptual discussion regarding factors that contribute to its success or failure, as well as an empirical application of the theory. When the Deepwater Horizon offshore drilling unit exploded in April 2010, it resulted in the largest response effort in American history, involving personnel representing numerous organizations stretching from the southern coast of Louisiana through the panhandle of Florida. This article explores five underlying themes of contingent coordination, and applies those themes to the Deepwater Horizon incident response. We find that contingent coordination holds promise as a means to address transient, complex problems.