Published in Transnational Associations, 1977, 9, pp. 352-359.

A proposal for encounters between practitioners, social scientists and spe-cialists (incorporating the summary of a preliminary meeting in Montreal, 18-2018-2018-2018-2018-20November 1976. 1976. 1976. 1976. 1976. 1976. to assess the feasibility of such a project).

Previously published in International Associations 26, 1974, 3, pp. 170-173.

Contribution to a seminar discussion of the Union of International Associations (Milan, May 1972) on new styles of organization management appropriate to the more complex social environment of the future. Published in International Associations, 24, 1972, 1, pp. 18-24.

Paper presented to a panel on 'Cumulation in international relations; transnational relations' at the 20th annual convention of the International Studies Association, Toronto, March 1979. Printed in Transnational Associations, 1979, 6, pp. 259-265

Part I: The role of the "potential association"

Printed in: International Associations, 1971, 3, 99 148-152

The fragmentation, suspicion, duplication, un- necessary competition for limited resources and conscious or unconscious opposition to change and new patterns of activity which Is Increasingly characteristic of inter-organizational relations, suggests the need for a new type of social entity.

First appeared in International Associations / Associations Internationales, XXIII, 1, 1971, pp. 13-26

The four groups of paragraphs below have the following significance:

1. Relationships between INGO and IGO, particularly the UN system

To facilitate understanding, comments on these relationships, between international nongovernmental and intergovernmental organizations are made for each intergovernmental agency, and in each case in terms of :

a) the views of INGOs b) the views of the Agency Secrétariat c) the views of the Member States

ECOSOC

(a) Views of INGOs

With regard to the revision of the consultative status arrangement in 1968

Sections of this Article (accessed via the links on the right)

• Organizational forms in response to complexity
• Summary of the Crises in International Relationships at the International Level (1972)
• Inter-organizational relationships: in search of a new style (1973)
• Principles of Transnational Action: an attempt at a set of guidelines (1973)
• Universal Declaration of the Rights of Human Organization: an experimental extension of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1971)

Introduction

As the following quotations make very clear, there is now a widespread recognition our institutions are unable to respond adequately in the face of the increasing complexity of their environment, particularly since they are handicapped by the attitudes and consequences of their own traditional approaches to such stresses :

These papers arise from an ongoing concern with the problems hindering effective organizational action, especially within the international community of organizations. The papers cover the period from the early 1970s in which "networking" emerged as a favoured alternative to conventional approaches to organization. It is not surprising therefore that in 1976 the United Nations University designed its own structure on the basis of a world-wide network of research institutes.