The decisionmaking process of an intergovernmental group is quite different from that of a single-agency group. Therefore, the group needs to determine how to achieve consensus for a direction. Power is shared among branches and levels of government. At no single point within the system is there enough information about its components and dynamics to make rational decisions and operate in isolation from the other components.13
Since intergovernmental collaborative groups are grounded in interdependence and complexity, the typical style of decisionmaking is one of bargaining under conditions of partial conflict among the participants. Negotiation is necessary if the different levels of government are to achieve at least some of their individual goals.