In times of turbulence, upheaval, and crisis, the governance of multi-actor, cross-sectoral collaborations becomes particularly important. However, it is also at such times that governance modes tend to reveal their weaknesses – such as when different understandings and practices of governance lead to impasses or hamper collective action. This problem has been especially apparent in crisis situations including the COVID-19 pandemic and the management of large-scale humanitarian emergencies. The complexity of these issues often evades clear-cut classification and present challenges in terms of polycentric governance, distributed decision-making, and collective sensemaking for the actors involved.
 
In this sub-plenary, we aim to open up discussion about how collective action can be accomplished in situations of crisis – particularly collective action involving collaborations amongst a network of diverse actors that do not necessarily share a common history, tradition or identity.