In view of the rising importance and prevalence of network-based collaboration, this book aims to meet the need for more theory in this area. Theoretically conceptualizing and empirically describing the practice of reflexive leadership in inter-organisational networks, it explores how member organisations approach reflexive leadership and the associated challenges. Examining these questions from wider leadership theory perspectives as well as a tighter focus upon inter-organizational networks, the author specifically explores how reflexive leadership can be sustained and how social and political contexts may obstruct or support its use, acceptance and practice. Based on in-depth qualitative empirical fieldwork in the Swiss healthcare sector, the book offers a novel practice-theoretical model for use in inter-organizational networks.
In contrast to hierarchical leadership within intra-organizational contexts, leaders of inter-organizational networks have to lead across organizational boundaries without hierarchical fiat or directive authority. The central research question of Susanne Ruckdäschel is how leadership behavior of network managers can influence network performance. Hereby, relational leadership in the form of empowering leadership is regarded as decisive criterion. Her study focuses on the interplay between network leaders and network companies. The perspectives of both the network managers and the network members are illuminated. Therefore, first, a mixed methods study is conducted from the perspective of the network managers and second, a quantitative analysis based on a structural equation model focuses on the perspective of the network members.
Inter-organizational relations (IOR), the study of Strategic Alliances, Joint Ventures, Partnerships, Networks and other forms of relationship between organizations, is a field of study that has burgeoned over the last four decades, but is fragemented, drawing contributions from a wide variety of disciplines, theoretical bases, and sectoral interests. The Oxford Handbook of Inter-Organizational Relations provides a structured overview of the field. With contributions from leading international experts on their particular areas of expertise, it is an authoritative introduction to its research findings. The material is organized in three main sections. The first relates to research that focuses on particular manifestations of IORs such as industry, supply, policy and project networks, public and voluntary sector partnerships, strategic alliances, and so on. The second section relates to research that stems from distinct disciplinary or theoretical bases, including, institutional theory, social networks, evolutionary theory, transaction cost economics, management process, psychology, critical theory political theory, economic geography, and the legal perspective. The third section focuses on key topics in contemporary IOR topics--or those that will become so in the future. These include, trust, power, development interventions, social capital, learning and knowledge, dynamics and change, and evaluation. About the Series Oxford Handbooks in Business & Management bring together the world's leading scholars on the subject to discuss current research and the latest thinking in a range of interrelated topics including Strategy, Organizational Behavior, Public Management, International Business, and many others. Containing completely new essays with extensive referencing to further reading and key ideas, the volumes, in hardback or paperback, serve as both a thorough introduction to a topic and a useful desk reference for scholars and advanced students alike.
This review focuses on interorganizational networks consisting of three or more organizations that coordinate some of their activities for joint benefits. This is justified as it represents a well-researched phenomenon that has become omnipresent in many fields and is often of vital interest to economic actors. However, when it comes to understanding leadership in such networks studies that address this issue present an incoherent picture. As we show, this results largely from the different network forms (e.g. hierarchical vs. heterarchical), levels of analysis (e.g. organization vs. network) and usage of differing terms to describe the phenomenon (e.g. governance or orchestration, let alone leadership). It is against this background that this review contributes to the field as follows: first, we take stock of the literature and provide an overview of the key characteristics of previous research geared towards network forms and levels of analysis. Moreover we set forth a perspective that perceives leadership in such networks as exerting an influence in order to 'make things happen'. Second, we identify future research avenues to stimulate progress in the field.
Drawing on the wealth of insights into organizational life accumulated over the past few decades, this collection takes stock of the foundations of research in this area, examines the status of the current work and identifies future directions for the field. Topics covered include theoretical and methodological foundations; social capital; strong ties, weak ties and structural holes; small worlds/network structures; centrality and power; social networks of entrepreneurship; identity, cognition and individual differences in social networks; and network dynamics.
This book explores the premise that organizations are significantly influenced by their inter-organizational relationships; moreover, these relationships may generate important externalities, both positive and negative, impacting the environment at several levels. The advent of the Internet era, on the other hand, has resulted in disruptive changes in traditional inter-organizational networks, and some completely new inter-organizational settings are now arising. In its first part the book reviews the most commonly cited theories explaining inter-organizational phenomena: transaction costs economics, agency theory, resource dependence theory, game theories, collaborative networks theory, institutional theories, organizational ecology, resource-based / relational-based view of the firm, and knowledge network / social network theories. In Part II it thoroughly reviews the literature on a number of key IT-enabled inter-organizational systems currently on the rise, such as virtual organizations, e-intermediators and e-marketplaces. Lastly, Part III presents the case of the Yoox Group, a leading firm offering e-commerce services for fashion and design products. A framework is proposed for systematically linking the different possible types of inter-organizational relationships to specific, suitable sets of theories. The range of possible inter-organizational relationships is described on the basis of three pairs of opposites: conformism-breach, exploitation-exploration, and cooperation-competition. This results in a model that makes it possible to combine different theories in order to study the effects of inter-organizational ambidexterity and dynamism on performance.
Whether described as strategic alliances, trading networks or joint ventures, the varying organisational arrangements between firms are seen as a form of economic co-ordination distinct from archetypal ideas of firms and markets.
In today’s networked economy, each organization is more and more shaped by the system of its long-term business interactions. Innovation processes cannot be successfully designed and managed unless the complex influences of business networking on innovation processes and innovation-related performances are clearly understood. But extant theories on business networks are fragmented, and each of them, taken singularly, provides only partial or poor understanding of the impacts of business networking on innovation performances. Based on qualitative research on three exemplary worst practices and on expert panel discussion and validation, Francesca Ricciardi develops novel quantitative models in this theory-building work to explain innovation performances in different interorganizational networks.
Inter-organizational relations are increasingly important in today's organizational landscape. The management of these relations requires unique understandings and capabilities. Hence it comes as no surprise that the formation, purpose and management of inter-organizational relations are a vital part of most curricula in the fields of business, economic geography, sociology, and policy studies. Managing Inter-Organizational Relations offers both a thorough review and innovative systematization of the main theoretical debates surrounding different forms of inter-organizational relations – and of the challenges of their management. With a unique collection of cases from around the world addressing different managerial issues, it provides a pioneering and comprehensive analysis of different types of inter-organizational collaboration, including strategic alliances, joint ventures, regional clusters, global value and supply chains, and project as well as innovation networks. Key features: - Contains up-to-date empirical research. - Utilises an innovative structure of debates and cases. - Packed with a wide-ranging collection of international case studies and examples. - Offers a unique managerial perspective on inter-organizational relations across different types or forms of collaborative governance.
