‘The Strategically Networked Organization’ shows top and upper-middle management how cultivating an understanding of intra-firm social relations can help them to build unique strategic advantage and make use of the day-to-day knowledge that emerges in the social connections and interactions within an organization.
This book explores how naturally connected organizations ( NCOs) can survive and thrive in an increasingly unpredictable world using the principles of natural connectivity, organic growth and collaboration. It shows how naturally connected organizations are resilient through cycles of boom and bust. The book argues that the success of these organizations is in their design, and that they are the organizations of the 2lst century. They demonstrate that a natural way of running a global business can work. This book builds on earlier work on networks and contributes to the Organizational Design field of management study. Naturally connected organizations are associations of companies and/or individuals, which function via collaboration, communication and connectivity for a shared purpose. NCOs use organic organizing principles rather than control mechanisms'. Traditional organizations embrace mechanical metaphors, the results of which are engineered or re-engineered organizations based on command and control. NCOs are based on natural, organic metaphors.
Organizations are complex social systems that are not easy to understand, yet they must be managed if a company is to succeed. This book explains networks and how managers and organizations can navigate them to produce successful strategic innovation outcomes. Although managers are increasingly aware of the importance of social relations for the inner-workings of the organization, they often lack insights and tools to analyze, influence or even create these networks. This book draws on insights from social network theory; insights sharpened by research in a number of different empirical settings including production, engineering, financial services, consulting, food processing, and R&D/hi-tech organizations and alternates between offering critical real business examples and more rigorous analysis. This concise book is vital reading for students of business and management as well as managers and executives.
A research agenda for collaborative networks Purpose. Many practical application experiments and pilot cases nowadays provide evidence on what works and what still remains as a challenge for collaborative networked organizations (CNOs). The fast evolution of the information and communication technologies and in particular the so-called Internet technologies, also represents an important motivator for the emergence of new forms of collaboration. However, most efforts in this area are highly fragmented, considering only some partial facets and not a holistic perspective that would be required. We are therefore at a point in which it is necessary to define much more consolidated and sustainable research strategies for a second phase of research and development in this area. This book addresses the main disciplines involved in CNOs. It further synthesizes the views and opinions expressed by a large number of visionaries from the main disciplines involved in CNOs, and offers a comprehensive set of recommendations for the establishment of a research agenda on collaborative networks. As recognized experts in their specific areas, different authors in this book have presented work that is backed by a large number of research results, each focusing on specific facets of collaborative networks, and coming out of a large number of international and national projects.
Effective management is crucial to the success of network organizations and can reduce the risk inherently associated with cooperative strategy. This contributed volume addresses the management of network organizations from both theoretical and practical perspectives, as well as an international standpoint in the form of selected cases from various Central European countries. The authors claim that without some type of network management, irrespective of the type of network, it is impossible to effectively compete with other companies and/or networks. As network organizations are representative of a broad range of possible network types, i.e. alliance networks, clusters, outsourcing, and virtual organizations, this book presents various perspectives on the management of network organizations. The book features articles from different scholars who have practical experience in network organizations, written in simple and easy-to-follow language, with a wide application of practical cases. Given its successful combination of theory and practice, together with the nature of the texts presented, the book offers a valuable resource for a broad readership, including scholars, managers and management science students.
Strategic Networks: Creating the Borderless Organization focuses on the principles, methodologies, and approaches involved in the creation of borderless organizations. The book first underscores competition and cooperation and the ways to organize a business system. Discussions focus on organization as a way to meet strategic demands, vertical integration and subcontracting, intrinsic profitability of different activities, disadvantages of vertical integration, and guidelines for decision-making on vertical integration. The monograph then examines over-subcontracting, strategic network, and essence of a strategic network. Topics include generating trust, how to reduce transaction costs, competition and cooperation, subcontracting in the automobile industry, advantages of shops, manufacturing and selling activities, and network organization. The publication explores international considerations, including cost of the activities and costs of coordination in international business, vertical integration and subcontracting across borders, and coordinating efficiently across borders. The book is a valuable source of information for researchers interested in the establishment of borderless organizations.
"This book documents the most relevant contributions to the introduction of networked, dynamic, agile, and virtual organizational models; definitions; taxonomies; opportunities; and reference models and architectures. It creates a repository of the main developments regarding the virtual organization, compiling definitions, characteristics, comparisons, advantages, practices, enabling technologies, and best practices"--Provided by publisher.
The role of human resources is no longer limited to hiring, managing compensation, and ensuring compliance. Learn the skills HR professionals need to become key partners in leading their organizations.
Given the widespread, frequent use of social networks as a means for people to communicate and share their interests, it comes as no surprise that they have become an important tool for businesses and business networking. The Handbook of Research on Business Social Networking: Organizational, Managerial, and Technological Dimensions investigates the beginning of social networks and provides perspectives on how they can enhance business. This two-volume reference discusses the main issues, challenges, opportunities, and trends related to the range of new developments and applications in business social networking. Social networks and their integration in businesses are be addressed using technological, organizational, managerial, and social perspectives with the aim of disseminating current developments, case studies, new integrated approaches, and practical solutions and applications.
Multinational Corporations are meeting new challenges by focusing on core activities, value chain disaggregation, relocation of activities to emerging markets, industry consolidation, technological change, and market volatility. In this volume we scrutinize different models to examine how MNCs can cope and orchestrate a global network organization.