Partnering is typically defined in one of two ways: by its intended attributes such as trust, mutual goals, long-term commitment; or by the process where partnering is seen as a verb, as in developing a mission statement, agreeing on goals, etc. These definitions of partnering illustrate the intended results of partnering and the process that brought them about; however, they leave undefined the entity of partnering. This definitional bias contributes to existing limitations in the implementation of partnering, such as the unpredictability of success versus failure in a partnering situation. In this paper, partnering is conceptually defined as an organization formed through the implementation of a cooperative strategy by modifying and supplementing the traditional boundaries that separate companies in a competitive climate. In this way, partnering wraps the major project participants into an alliance, creating a cohesive atmosphere for open interaction and cooperative project performance.
