What is Coalition Building?
A coalition is a temporary alliance or partnering of groups in order to achieve a common purpose or to engage in joint activity.[1] Coalition building is the process by which parties (individuals, organizations, or nations) come together to form a coalition. Forming coalitions with other groups of similar values, interests, and goals allows members to combine their resources and become more powerful than when they each acted alone.[2]
Why is Coalition Building Important?
The "ability to build coalitions is a basic skill for those who wish to attain and maintain power and influence."[3] Through coalitions, weaker parties to a conflict can increase their power. Coalition building is the "primary mechanism through which disempowered parties can develop their power base and thereby better defend their interests."[4] Coalitions may be built around any issue and at any scale of society, from neighborhood issues to international conflict.
The formation of a coalition can shift the balance of power in a conflict situation and alter the future course of the conflict. People who pool their resources and work together are generally more powerful and more able to advance their interests, than those who do not. Coalition members may be able to resist certain threats or even begin to make counter threats. Generally, low-power groups are much more successful in defending their interests against the dominant group if they work together as a coalition. This is certainly more effective than fighting among themselves and/or fighting the dominant group alone.[5]
Environmental groups in the United States have long understood the power of coalitions. Rather than taking on powerful industries on their own, leading environmental groups have often formed coalitions to challenge big business in the ballot box, at the legislature, and in the courts. They have succeeded in getting environmental candidates elected, and strong environmental protection laws passed. Without having many environmental groups working together, industry would have had a much stronger hand in the fight over environmental protection in the U.S.
How Do You Build a Successful Coalition?
Building a successful coalition involves a series of steps. The early steps center on the recognition of compatible interests. Sometimes this happens naturally. Other times potential coalition members must be persuaded that forming a coalition would be to their benefit. To do this one needs to demonstrate
- that your goals are similar and compatible,
- that working together will enhance both groups' abilities to reach their goals, and
- that the benefits of coalescing will be greater than the costs.
This third point can be demonstrated in either of two ways: incentives can be offered to make the benefits of joining the coalition high, or sanctions can be threatened, making the costs of not joining even higher. For example, the United States offered a variety of financial aid and political benefits to countries that joined its coalition against Iraq in 2003; it also threatened negative repercussions for those who failed to join, and much worse for those who sided with Saddam Hussein. Another method that can make joining the coalition appealing is to eliminate alternatives to the coalition. Once most of one's allies or associates have joined a coalition, it is awkward...perhaps dangerous not to join oneself. Although people and organizations often prefer non-action to making a risky decision, if they find themselves choosing between getting on board a growing coalition or being left behind, getting on board is often more attractive.[6]
Lastly, coalition builders may use precedence as a means of social influence. For example, in making decisions, people (or countries) generally want to remain consistent with prior commitments. That means that nations can pressure their allies to act with them in new endeavors. Failing to do so, it can be argued, would hurt their "long-standing alliance." This strategy is not always successful, especially if the self-interest of the other group seems to be harmed by the proposed action. (France, for instance, was not willing to join the U.S. coalition against Iraq in 2003, despite a long-term alliance between France and the U.S.)
What are the Benefits of Coalitions?
The benefits of coalition building go beyond increased power in relation to the opposition. Coalition building may also strengthen the members internally, enabling them to be more effective in other arenas. Some other key advantages to coalition building include[7]:
- A coalition of organizations can win on more fronts than a single organization working alone and increase the potential for success.
- A coalition can bring more expertise and resources to bear on complex issues, where the technical or personnel resources of any one organization would not be sufficient.
- A coalition can develop new leaders. As experienced group leaders step forward to lead the coalition, openings are created for new leaders in the individual groups. The new, emerging leadership strengthens the groups and the coalition.
- A coalition will increase the impact of each organization's effort. Involvement in a coalition means there are more people who have a better understanding of your issues and more people advocating for your side.
- A coalition will increase available resources. Not only will physical and financial resources be increased, but each group will gain access to the contacts, connections, and relationships established by other groups.
- A coalition may raise its members' public profiles by broadening the range of groups involved in a conflict. The activities of a coalition are likely to receive more media attention than those of any individual organization.
- A coalition can build a lasting base for change. Once groups unite, each group's vision of change broadens and it becomes more difficult for opposition groups to disregard the coalition's efforts as dismissible or as special interests.
- A successful coalition is made up of people who have never worked together before. Coming from diverse backgrounds and different viewpoints, they have to figure out how to respect each other's differences and get something big accomplished. They have to figure out how each group and its representatives can make their different but valuable contributions to the overall strategy for change (See consensus building). This helps avoid duplication of efforts and improve communication among key players.
Disadvantages of Working in Coalition[8]
- Member groups can get distracted from other work. If that happens, non-coalition efforts may become less effective and the organization may be weakened overall.
- A coalition may only be as strong as its weakest link. Each member organization will have different levels of resources and experience as well as different internal problems. Organizations that provide a lot of resources and leadership may get frustrated with other members' shortcomings.
- To keep a coalition together, it is often necessary to cater to one side more than another, especially when negotiating tactics. If a member prefers high-profile confrontational tactics, they might dislike subdued tactics, thinking they are not exciting enough to mobilize support. At the same time, the low profile, conciliatory members might be alarmed by the confrontation advocates, fearing they will escalate the conflict and make eventual victory more difficult to obtain.
- The democratic principle of one group-one vote may not always be acceptable to members with a lot of power and resources. The coalition must carefully define the relationships between powerful and less-powerful groups.
- Individual organizations may not get credit for their contributions to a coalition. Members that contribute a lot may think they did not receive enough credit.
The Bottom Line
Deciding whether to join a coalition is both a rational and an emotional decision. Rationally, one must consider whether one's effectiveness and one's ability to attain one's own goals would be enhanced or harmed by participation in a coalition. Emotionally, one must consider whether one likes the other people or groups, and whether cooperating with them would be easy, or more trouble than it is worth. Usually when two people, groups, or organizations' goals are compatible, forming a coalition is to both groups' benefit. But organizational styles, cultures, and relationships must be considered as well before any choices are made.
[1] Douglas H. Yarn, The Dictionary of Conflict Resolution. (San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers, 1991), 81.
[2] "Coalition Building" (Boulder, CO: Conflict Research Consortium, 1998, accessed on January 30, 2003); available from http://www.colorado.edu/conflict/peace/problem/coalition.htm; Internet.
[3] Michael Watkins and Susan Rosegrant. "Building Coalitions." In Breakthrough International Negotiation: How Great Negotiators Transformed the World's Toughest Post-Cold War Conflicts. (San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers, 2001), 211.
[4] "Coalition Building," op.cit
[5] Michael Watkins and Susan Rosegrant, op. cit
[6] Ibid, 218-219.
[7] Florida Office of Collegiate Volunteerism, Coalition Building Guide. (1991, accessed 1 July 2003) available from http://www.tzd.state.mn.us/gettingstarted.html; Internet.
[8] Ibid.
Use the following to cite this article:
Spangler, Brad. "Coalition Building." Beyond Intractability. Eds. Guy Burgess and Heidi Burgess. Conflict Research Consortium, University of Colorado, Boulder. Posted: June 2003 <http://www.beyondintractability.org/essay/coalition_building/>.
Sources of Additional, In-depth Information on this Topic
Additional Explanations of the Underlying Concepts:
Online (Web) Sources
Forsythe, Janice. A Guide to Coalition Building. Cypress Consulting.
Available at: http://www.cypresscon.com/coalition.html.
This guide offers clear descriptions of what coalitions are, their advanatages and disadvantages, and how to go about building them.
"Coalition Building." ,
Available at: http://www.colorado.edu/conflict/peace/problem/coalition.htm.
People can build their power base and their ability to pursue (or resist) force-based strategies by building coalitions with people with complementary interests. Members of these coalitions promise to help each other advance their interests and defend themselves from external force-based strategies. This site offers a condensed explanation of what coalition building is and what it entails.
Wadud, Eric. "Coalition Building: Starting a Coalition." ,
Available at: http://www.glsen.org/binary-data/GLSEN_ATTACHMENTS/file/92-1.pdf.
This is a short field guide on how to start a coalition. The guide explains what a coalition is, what they can be useful for, as well as outlining the basic steps necessary to build an effective coalition.
Offline (Print) Sources
Yarn, Douglas H. "Definition of Coalition Building ." In Dictionary of Conflict Resolution. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, September 1, 1999. Pages: 81.
This page of the Dictionary of Conflict Resolution provides a definiton of coalition building.
Lewicki, Roy J., David Saunders and John Minton. "Multiparty Negotiations: Coalitions and Groups." In Negotiation, 3rd Edition. Burr Ridge, IL: Irwin-McGraw Hill, 1999. Pages: 315-335.
This chapter of Negotiation examines the ways in which multiparty negotiations tend to play out. One aspect of the chapter focuses on how parties ally into coalitions in order to achieve their own individual objectives. That section includes several different definitions of coalition, a look at various types of coalitions, research findings on the dynamics of coalition formation and successful coalitions, as well as practical advice on how to form coalitions. Click here for more info.
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Examples Illustrating this Topic:
Online (Web) Sources
Chenier, Jacqueline, Tahnee Robertson and Stephen Sherwood. Copan, Honduras: Collaboration for Identity, Equity, and Sustainability. International Development Research Centre.
Available at: http://www.idrc.ca/en/ev-27983-201-1-DO_TOPIC.html.
A long history of oppression, exploitation and injustice have led to a life of poverty, conflict and violence for the Chorti people of Cop?n, Honduras. Population pressures and environmental degradation, have only amplified the prospect of a grim future for most of Cop?n's people. In 1997, following the assassination of indigenous leader C?ndido Amador, the Chortis marched on Tegucigalpa where they conducted a hunger strike to publicize their cause. In response to national and international pressure, the Honduran president intervened and decreed the use of public resources for the allocation of several thousand hectares of land to the Chortis. However, this was only a first step toward effective social change and progress in Cop?n. Community-based natural resource management (CBNRM) efforts initially focused on strengthening the position of the Chortis. After less than 1 year, as a result of participatory processes, disputes have been diffused, and the Chortis are better organized and equipped to advocate their interests in local and national forums. Although there is much room for improvement, this case demonstrates the potential value of CBNRM projects.
"Collective Security--Summary." International Online Training Program on Intractable Conflict ,
Available at: http://www.colorado.edu/conflict/peace/treatment/collsec.htm.
This page discusses the international coalition building strategy of collective security. Collective security involves building a coalition of nations that agree not to attack each other and to help one another defend their nations against attack, if such a situation occurs. NATO is one of the prime examples of a collective security agreement.
Dibb, Paul. The Future of International Coalitions: How Useful? How Manageable?. Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).
Available at: http://www.twq.com/02spring/dibb.pdf.
This paper discusses the future of international coalitions, considering major changes in the international political scene after the September 11th, 2001 terrorist attacks on the U.S. The author examines the NATO-based international coalition to fight terrorism and questions whether it will hold together over time.
The National Coalition Building Institute (NCBI).
Available at: http://www.ncbi.org/.
The National Coalition Building Institute, NCBI, offers a unique prejudice reduction methodology, based on years of development, which has been taught to thousands of leaders worldwide. NCBI-trained leaders work together in multicultural teams and empower others to eliminate the harmful effects of institutionalized discrimination, enabling groups from diverse backgrounds to work together toward shared goals.
Grant-Thomas, Andrew and Jennifer Morrison Taw. "U.S. Support for Regional Complex Contingency Operations: Lessons from ECOMOG." Studies in Conflict and Terrorism ,
Available at: Click here for more info.
This paper examines the intervention in Liberia (1990-1997) by the Economic Community of West Africa's Monitoring Group (ECOMOG) for insights into the potential for effective regional, coalitional, peace operations. The factors that determined the coalition's political and military viability are examined, and broader implications are drawn for future regional coalitions.
Offline (Print) Sources
Watkins, Michael, Susan Rosegrant and Shimon Peres. "Building Coalitions." In Breakthrough International Negotiation: How Great Negotiators Transformed the World's Toughest Post-Cold War Conflicts. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers, 2001. Pages: 211-227.
This chapter of Breakthrough International Negotiation outlines key strategies for building effective coalitions. The principles laid out in the chapter may be applied in any situation, from international conflict to local-level organizing. The primary example used to support the theoretical argument here, is the process employed in building the international coalition that forced Iraqi forces to retreat from Kuwait in the first Persian Gulf war. Click here for more info.
Coalitions and Political Movements: The Lessons of the Nuclear Freeze. Boulder, CO: Lynne Rienner Publishers, 1997.
"Incorporating a new, coalitional theory of political and social movements, the authors explore the successes and failures of the freeze campaign in its attempts to influence legislation, treaties, and public opinion about nuclear weapons."
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Audiovisual Materials on this Topic:
Offline (Print) Sources
The Ribbon. Directed and/or Produced by: Gavshon, Harriet. First Run Icarus Films. 1987.
This documentary illuminates how black and white women during South African apartheid, united in nonviolent protest against the unjust and inequitable policies of the country. Click here for more info.
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Teaching Materials on this Topic:
Offline (Print) Sources
Kaye, Gillian and Tom Wolff. From the Ground Up!: A Workbook on Coalition Building & Community Development. Amherst, MA: AHEC/Community Partners, June 1, 1997.
This book describes the tools necessary to effectively foster the creation of healthy communities. The work offers conceptual frameworks as well as real-world examples and practice exercises for understanding and learning the keys to coalition building.
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