Conflict Management in Public-Private Partnerships: The Case of the London Underground

Public-private partnerships (PPPs) have become common inter-organizational arrangements associated with new public management. Discussion about their effective operation has often focused on successful management methods, with less discussion about how these arrangements specifically overcome obstacles and problems. In this article, we seek to address this deficiency in the literature by analyzing the conflict management system employed within the London Underground PPP (when it was still in operation). We conclude by identifying several lessons from this case that we believe should inform the design of such systems, one of which is the role of knowledge management.