Public-Private Cooperation and Hybrid Organizations

This article examines the nature and role of hybrid organizations (those which are part public, part private) as coordinating mechanisms that facilitate public sector and private sector interaction. The study examines 250 public, private, and hybrid R&D organizations to determine their structural, environmental, and behavioral differences. Environmental and behavioral differences are found to be significant and consequential in terms of the usefulness of hybrids as coordinating mechanisms.