ABSTRACT
This chapter traces vertical authority in interorganizational collaboration by discussing the role of institutional texts and convening and oversight organizations. The chapter uses vignettes from an ethnography of emergency management (EM) collaboration to explore how participants translate institutional texts into the local collaboration. In the case of EM, members drew on multiple sources of hierarchy to position themselves as having authority, in particular, the Incident Command System (ICS), mandated by the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS). This system presents a compelling case of how members accept the authority of institutional texts in interactions at the local level. This chapter ultimately emphasizes that, although vertical forms of authority like ICS are mandated, these texts gain authority in local conversation and through local translations.
