Network Effectiveness and Managerial Activity: Understanding How Network Managers Respond to Changes in Structural and Contextual Factors

Abstract

In recent decades, organizational networks have become increasingly common in public policy implementation. This paper carries out an in-depth analysis of how the behavior of organizational managers in public sector networks varies systematically with structural and contextual characteristics of the environment. To carry out our analysis, we conduct semi-structured interviews with managers in PVTC, a large government vocational training network in a developing country, Pakistan. We conclude that managers in networks operate in a complex system of vertical and horizontal hierarchies. Their efforts expended towards traditional managerial duties and networking vary with the amount of support available in the environment, accessibility to resources, age and size of their organizations. Our study contributes to the theoretical understanding of managerial behavior and is of practical use to policymakers in public organizational networks, particularly in low- and middle-income countries.