ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the existence of co-production at an organisational level and examines the shift from intra-organisational to inter-organisational relationships that has developed within the New Public Governance narrative of public service reform. It focuses on the relationships between organisations across sectors and emphasises, in particular, the role played by third sector organisations within such relationships. Within this discussion, third sector organisations are described as mediators with the potential capacity to articulate the needs of those they represent. The chapter argues that third sector organisations can take two roles in co-production: they can contribute to service delivery (co-management) or to both the delivery and planning of services (co-governance). Once again, the service management literature is drawn on to understand how such inter-organisational relationships might be better managed by focusing on the trust that exists between those employees working across organisational boundaries.
