Inter-organizational Relations as a One of Sources of Competitive Advantage of Contemporary Enterprises in the Era of Globalization

Abstract

Changes in competition which are being observed constitute both the result and condition of globalisation. The structure and degree of strictness of competitive fight influence directly the international development strategies of enterprises. Competition in a global dimension creates new systems of connections, as well as a new dimension of the quality of technological progress and new methods of obtaining competitive advantage. It extorts, so to speak, the creation of new models of organising, different ways of coordinating and configuring activities and cooperating with the environment. An important solution that allows to increase the enterprise efficiency functioning is cooperation on the following line: business – globalisation – knowledge. The purpose of this article is to indicate that inter-organizational relations are the source of competitive advantage of contemporary enterprises. Therefore, the theory concerning the essence of inter-organizational relations has been described, as well as the problem of organizational networks resulting from them. Moreover, benefits outcoming from the existence of inter-organizational relations which contribute to the creation of competitive advantage of modern enterprises were presented. Finally, the concept of relational capital as a strategic capital related to interpersonal relations was discussed. Research used in this article were pilot study in public administration institutions in the Netherlands and Ukraine.