Typological issues in enterprise networks

Abstract

In modern manufacturing, a single enterprise does not often possess a complete set of resources and skills to offer competitive solutions. Therefore, such enterprises become part of enterprise networks of independent core competencies in order to produce marketable products. In an enterprise network, even smaller enterprises, provided they have unique core competencies that are important to the enterprise network, can have a clout that is larger than if they operated alone. Within an enterprise network, the attributes of a small, flexible and independent partner will augment to that of the network as a whole. Based on the political, economic as well as technological developments of recent years, almost no restrictions are left limiting the range and scope of so-called enterprise networks. Today infinite variations of enterprise networks have been set up. However, there is too little systematic knowledge about the behaviour, the structure, the lifecycle, etc. of enterprise networks of integrated, multidependent nodes. Objective of this paper is to contribute to a better and systematic understanding of the various types of enterprise networks. Relevant dimensions as well as key features by which industrial collaborations of independent enterprises can be characterized and classified will be identified and discussed.