摘要：Objectives. We explored to what extent “silos” (preferential partnering) persist in interorganizational boundaries despite advances in working across boundaries. We focused on organizational homophily and resulting silo effects within networks that might both facilitate and impede success in public health collaboratives (PHCs). Methods. We analyzed data from 162 PHCs with a series of exponential random graph models to determine the influence of uniform and differential homophily among organizations and to identify the propensity for partnerships with similar organizations. Results. The results demonstrated a low presence (8%) of uniform homophily among networks, whereas a greater number (30%) of PHCs contained varying levels of differential homophily by 1 or more types of organization. We noted that the higher frequency among law enforcement, nonprofits, and public health organizations demonstrated a partner preference with similar organizations. Conclusions. Although we identified only a modest occurrence of partner preference in PHCs, overall success in efforts to work across boundaries might be problematic when public health members (often leaders of PHCs) exhibit the tendency to form silos. In a response to scarce public resources and the nature of complex intractable public health problems, there have been increased multiorganizational and multisector collaborations to address population needs. Building organizational capacity to better serve community public health and other public service needs is an important mandate for improving the integrity and performance of public health systems. 1 Fostering interorganizational partnerships to achieve public health outcomes is believed to have distinct advantages, 1,2 and the practice of collaboration is growing within the public health system. 3,4 Although this trend toward collaborating continues to increase, it is not clear to what extent the disciplinary and organizational silos that traditionally characterize public health still exist. Organizations are more inclined to work across boundaries, but that does not mean that they have aborted the tendency to work with those most “like” them, perpetuating the accompanying “silo effect.” We explored to what extent silos persist in this new era of interorganizational collaboration in the public health sector.
