LIFE CYCLES OF COLLABORATION IN HIGHER EDUCATION: CHALLENGES AND SOLUTIONS

Abstract

The purpose of this literature review was to explore the phases in the lifecycle of collaboration in higher educa

tion and give a deeper understanding of collaboration process. The collaboration life cycle gives a mental model

of the process of collaboration based on the temporal sequencing of the phases that most collaborations go

through. These phases may not always occur chronologically, but they can reflect on, and envision what hap

pens within collaboration over time. The literature review followed established methods for literature review

and was guided by a model that identifies systemic phases of collaboration which are not necessarily sequential.

The review was restricted to articles published between 2006 and 2013. Published quantitative and qualitative

primary studies, evaluation research, systematic and other types of reviews, as well as descriptive accounts

without an explicit research design, were included if they addressed the phases of the life cycle which build to

collaboration. The review revealed that no phase in collaboration life cycle can take place with absolute exclu

sion of the others; hence, to address the challenges and solutions in the phases, a general approach was used.