| This dissertation is a qualitative case study involving research on a reverse commute program in the Minneapolis area and surrounding suburbs. I interviewed individuals involved in a collaborative to develop the Southwest Metro Reverse Commute Program, community leaders, and reverse commuters to gain their perspectives on the success of the program. Through the in depth interviews with these individuals they identified eight factors that need to be present for a successful collaboration to occur. They are: (1) shared power/leadership, (2) focused goals, (3) evaluation, (4) trust among parties involved, (5) checks and balances, (6) celebration of achievements, (7) parties in collaborative should gain mutual benefits, and (8) collaborative should not internalize conflict.;In this case study I learned that there were four hegemonic systems that were in place that acted as a barrier initially to implement reverse commute. By employing the factors of collaboration, the collaborative was able to break the barriers of the hegemonic systems which included politics, white suburban work force, traditional transit system, and competition for employees among businesses.;The findings support the use of a collaborative effort to address social issues such as reverse commuting. Collaboratives can be an effective means of bringing about change in the hegemonic, systems that exist surrounding social issues. |
