The network orchestrator as steward: Strengthening norms as an orchestration practice

Abstract

B2B literature widely agrees that value is co-created through network dynamics. The Network Orchestration concept draws our attention to practices that allow the assembling and management of a network for value creation and value capture. Among these orchestration practices, some aim at bringing actors together, while others seek to align the behaviours of different actors. Yet, to date, the literature has paid limited attention to this specific subset of orchestration activities. This study proposes to look at those precise activities that seek to strengthen common norms between business actors. Our work draws on an in-depth abductive study based on 54 interviews with different actors of a distribution network. First, the findings reveal the existence of four common norms among the network actors. Second, they illustrate the specific roles played by distributors regarding the strengthening of those common norms. We propose the term ‘stewardship’ to encapsulate these specific network dynamics.