Deep relational work: intermediary actors fostering supportive social environments in collaborative transition governance

The collaborative governance of sustainability transitions involves not only organizations but also individuals interacting with each other and forming new relationships. Using self-determination theory, we argue that intermediary actors are crucial in facilitating environments in which relationships between individuals are formed to benefit collaboration between organizations. We identify activities through which intermediaries actively contribute to the creation of supportive social environments that motivate individuals to engage and contribute to novel collaborations in Sweden’s mobility transition. Our results further show that intermediary actors actively reflect on their activities and conduct them knowingly. We also reveal indications of how such supportive social environments benefit collaborative outcomes and hold the potential to advance a transition. Based on these results, we propose the notion of ‘deep relational work’ to underline the importance of reflecting on the role of individuals’ interactions at the personal level when studying intermediation in the collaborative governance of sustainability transitions.