Interorganizational Networks Research Articles

The ties that bind global governance: Using media-reported events to disentangle the global interorganizational network in a global pandemic

This article disentangles the global interorganizational network by analyzing the ties of international actors – comprising multinational companies, intergovernmental organizations, and international nongovernmental organizations. The onset of COVID-19 is a rare opportunity to explore how this network has evolved in an exogenous event. Using a unique GDELT big dataset of events reported by the world’s media, we extract and analyze the interorganizational interactions of international actors before and after the World Health Organization (WHO) announced that the COVID-19 outbreak was a public health emergency of international concern. Adopting an exploratory and descriptive approach at multiple levels of analysis, we draw on the theory of networks to uncover the fragmented, polycentric, and complex characteristics of the global interorganizational network. Our study highlights the use of media-reported events and the Goldstein scale as means to unpack the difficult-to-capture relational dynamics of international actors, which can help in theory development of the global interorganizational network that is crucial for collective action to address societal grand challenges.

RED DE COOPERACIÓN INTERORGANIZACIONAL EN SEGURIDAD PÚBLICA: UN ENFOQUE EN LA INTERACCIÓN POLICIAL.

This article makes a bibliographic analysis of the studies in networks of interorganizational cooperation in the public security focus on the police interaction, in order to know the resources necessary for a future empirical evaluation of the Federal District. Such an approach is justified considering that the cooperation between organizations improves the effectiveness in the organizational field. The purpose of this study is to subsidize with a theoretical framework a future analysis and application in the Federal District (DF). This purpose will be achieved by reviewing the bibliography of articles published in Brazil during the last sixteen years, from the period 2000 to 2016, and the current year. The research evidenced that the publications found on the subject only concern the police interactions and no research related all the public security organs. The articles deal with cooperation as related to effectiveness in order to achieve organizational objectives, but it is necessary to integrate in five aspects for a more effective return: strategic, operational, information systems, correctional and education.
 Keywords: Interorganizational Networks, Cooperation, Police Interaction

How do IT investments interact with other resources to improve innovation?

Skilled labor, R&D, and knowledge-based inter-organizational networks are important resources for innovation. The relationship between information technology (IT) investments and innovation outcomes is less well understood. It is unclear whether IT investments act as substitutes for or complements of these other resources to create innovation capabilities, and how such relationships play out over time. Based on panel data from 393 Colombian manufacturing firms between 2009 and 2017, we found that while IT investments alone do not improve innovation performance over time, they do when they are combined with the presence of an R&D unit. Furthermore, we found that IT investments substitute for (rather than complement) skilled labor to improve innovation performance over time and that their interaction with networks does not significantly affect innovation performance. Our findings contribute to the innovation literature on dynamic capabilities in understanding the role of IT in the combination of resources from a longitudinal perspective.

Giving and going: US congregational participation in disaster response

AbstractWith the increase in the severity of natural disasters linked to climate change, the role religious congregations play in response is not well known, despite their substantial involvement in general charitable activity. Most disaster response research is event‐based, ex post, and not focused on religious institutions or donor capacity considerations. Data from the National Study of Congregational Economic Practices fill this gap. The findings indicate that in 2017, a substantial percentage of US congregations participated in disaster‐related charitable giving and volunteering. However, the profiles of participating congregations are nuanced and do not always follow prior theory. A congregation's religious tradition is less predictive than some might expect in the context of disasters. Consistent with open systems theory, we find that congregations' interorganizational networks and their proximity to disaster areas are better predictors of participating in disaster relief efforts. Based on our finding of robust congregational participation in disasters, we call for more integration of religious institutions in nonprofit disaster response research.

Service sector subsidiary performance in emerging markets: is it who or what you know?

PurposeThis research investigates performance determinants of service sector foreign-owned subsidiaries located in an emerging market. The focus is on the two dimensions of organizational networks (Who do you know?) and competencies (What do you know?).Design/methodology/approachData were collected via a large-scale survey of managing directors located in the midrange emerging economy of Taiwan. The data are analyzed using partial least squares structured equation modeling (PLS-SEM) and fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) techniques.FindingsThe results show the importance of intraorganizational network strength as a key determinant of subsidiary performance, and that combinations of interorganizational network strength and competencies can determine performance in several subsidiaries.Originality/valueThis article offers new insights by testing a theoretical framework based on network perspective and the competence-based view of the firm in an emerging market context. It also offers an additional twist by employing symmetric (PLS-SEM) and nonsymmetric (fsQCA) methods to test the framework. This allows to arrive at robust conclusions about the complementarity and substitutability of the applied theories. This research also contributes to the current literature by providing fine-grained insights into the nature and impact of competencies and networks. It is also one of the few studies to focus specifically on service sector subsidiaries.

From Linear to Circular Economy: a Transaction Cost Approach to the Ecological Transformation of the Firm

Ownership and control have been the strategic focus of organizational analyses to achieve performance. The emergence of sustainable strategies has, however, confronted conventional organizational theory because performance has become a complex concept containing both social elements and environmental dimensions together with conventional economic aspects. Increased climate change, temperature risk, and environmental hazards, as well as intertwined social consequences, create a need for new theoretical insights to understand the emerging circular organization of product lifecycle networks. The ongoing climate crisis calls for new institutional approach that challenges future organizational structures. We present a framework for integrating low-carbon ecological transformation from linear to sustainable circular inter-organizational networks. The global and circular economy increases performance ambiguity, the uncertainty of eco-opportunism, information asymmetry, and transaction costs. Consequently, sustainability makes it necessary to integrate and control organizations throughout the supply chain to avoid eco-opportunism and to economize transaction costs.

Implementing social sustainability through market pressures: an inter-organizational network analysis in the Pakistani apparel supply chain

PurposeThis article encourages novel approaches in the SSCM literature to create transformative change for workers in developing countries' apparel supply chains. It examines how suppliers' implementation of social sustainability is moderated by buyers' pressures (through dyadic ties) and by similar suppliers' pressures (through extended ties).Design/methodology/approachThe article adopts a qualitative method design based on fieldwork and 21 face-to-face interviews with suppliers' senior managers. The data were collected between 2017 and 2020 in the factory premises of suppliers in Pakistan.FindingsThis article distinguishes the pressures that moderate suppliers' implementation of social sustainability positively (top-down encouragement, informal exchange and competitive convergence) and negatively (unrewarded commitment) through social ties. Hence, it shows how suppliers experience constrained proactivity as a state of tension.Originality/valueThe article primarily contributes to the SSCM literature by informing how similar suppliers' pressures in the business community constitute important processes of social governance and are key to create transformative change upstream in apparel supply chains. Against this backdrop, it cautions about buyers' opposite pressures and misuse of their negotiation power, which indirectly holds back and dilutes transformative change.

Civil Society Networks and Malaysian Government Reform: Considering Issue Homophily in Interorganizational Relationships

Abstract While communication research on interorganizational homophily has grown, little is known about how issue homophily—defined here as the propensity to form ties based on shared issue priorities—influences interorganizational relationships in civil society. Our theoretical framework brings together homophily research and issue niche theory to explore the potential influence issues have on interorganizational network tie formation. Our empirical case is the network of civil society organizations focused on government reform in Malaysia. Using data gathered from a survey with organizational leaders (n = 90), exponential random graph models with binary and valued data explored how two types of homophily are associated with tie formation and cooperation in interorganizational relationships. Key findings from the study include that more important issues appear to drive tie formation and levels of cooperation in the network, only specific issues lead to homophilous ties, and issue homophily does not lead to greater levels of cooperation among civil society organizations.

A research agenda to reflect reality: On being responsive

A research agenda to reflect reality: On being responsive

Inter-organisational collaboration and knowledge-work: a contingency framework and evidence from a megaproject in Spain

ABSTRACT This paper provides an exploratory understanding of the process of knowledge-work in the inter-organisational setting of a large-scale infrastructure project. Taking a process perspective, it explores why an autonomous project-owner organisation in the rail industry sector finds difficulties to transform and exploit the project network-related knowledge in a coopetitive context. The paper builds on a case study of a High-speed Rail Line (HSL) project in Spain. Based on the longitudinal qualitative secondary analysis, the authors put forth a contingency framework that proposes four contexts linking the transformation and exploitation of the knowledge from the inter-organisational network to the project-owner organisation; whether (i) the interplay between industrial setting and the project arrangement empowers product or process knowledge and (ii) the senior, and programme management awareness to feed-forward learning relies on individual- or institutionalised-based learning. These four contexts and their underlying conditions pose different knowledge-work related problems and suggest implications for practice in inter-organisational collaboration and beyond.

The Antecedents of Nonprofit Board Interlock: A Longitudinal Examination on Network Structure, Homophily, and Organizational Attributes

A board interlock creates interorganizational networks where organizations are interconnected via overlapping board of directors. Board interlock is important for nonprofits because of its potential to impact organizational performance through the flow of information, resources, and status. While much is known about the consequences of board interlock, little is known about the mechanisms underlying its antecedents. This study explores three types of predictors of board interlock: organizational, dyadic, and structural characteristics. Inferential network analysis of a 17-year-period panel of nonprofits demonstrates that network relationships are shaped by the existing network structures, such as the tendency for preferential attachment (e.g., a social preference to connect with those who are already well connected) and transitivity (e.g., a social preference to connect with friends of friends). Findings inform nonprofit leaders about how to bridge to a board interlock network by recruiting well-connected board members serving on multiple boards.

Patient involvement during crises

SamenvattingPatiëntbetrokkenheid is een belangrijk thema in de zorg. Cliëntenraden vervullen hierin een belangrijke rol. Tegelijkertijd is er nog weinig bekend over hun rol bij de besluitvorming tijdens crises, en wat we van deze ervaringen kunnen leren. De coronacrisis liet echter zien dat wanneer besluitvorming plaatsvindt in interorganisationele netwerken, en sterk top-down en gecentraliseerd is, er weinig ruimte overblijft voor patiëntbetrokkenheid. Wij stellen dat zowel bestuurders als cliëntenraden meer werk moeten maken van patiëntbetrokkenheid in interorganisationele netwerken en tijdens crisissituaties.

How does network position influence project performance in Chinese megaprojects? An inter-organizational conflict-based perspective

PurposeThis study aims to explore the relationship between network position, various types of inter-organizational conflicts and project performance in the context of megaprojects.Design/methodology/approachCentrality and structural holes were used to represent network position. A theoretical model was developed, and a structured questionnaire survey was conducted with construction professionals involved in megaprojects. A total of 291 valid responses were obtained, which were analyzed via structural equation modeling.FindingsThe results showed that centrality negatively impacts project performance, while structural holes do not significantly impact project performance. Centrality negatively affects task conflicts, but positively affects process conflicts and relationship conflicts. Structural holes positively impact task conflicts, but negatively impact both process conflicts and relationship conflicts. Task conflict and relationship conflict exert constructive and destructive effects on project performance, respectively, while process conflict does not significantly impact project performance. Task conflict and relationship conflict play mediating roles. Task conflict weakens while relationship conflict strengthens the relationship between centrality and project performance. Task conflict strengthens while relationship conflict weakens the relationship between structure hole and project performance.Research limitations/implicationsThis study provides a reference for the implementation of network governance, inter-organizational conflict management and project performance management in megaprojects. However, the impact of dynamic changes of inter-organizational conflicts and network position on project performance has not been discussed in the context of megaprojects. Future research may explore the impact of dynamic changes of conflicts and network position on project implementation.Originality/valueThis study increases the current understanding of the impact of network position on project performance. Moreover, a new direction for network governance in the context of megaprojects is provided. This study also verified both the constructive and destructive effects of conflicts and the mediating role they play, thus supplementing the literature on inter-organizational conflict management in the construction field.

Training of cyber defense agents in tactical inter-organizational networks by using federated learning

Malware used in advanced persistent threats often establish a covert channel. By means of such a channel, the malware can communicate with external Command & Control servers or send classified data to a server controlled by the attacker. In military networks, these covert transmissions are a security problem with significant impact on the success of a military operation. Mobile agents in combination with machine learning are particularly suitable to detect and mitigate these type of attacks. However, a mobile agent needs to be trained before its deployment. In this paper, a concept is defined how federated learning can be used to train the mobile agents in tactical networks if the training data is distributed on the nodes of a tactical network. Furthermore, we propose an algorithm to select the nodes that are involved in the training. The proposed concepts and methods are evaluated regarding their efficiency. The evaluation considers in particular federated learning in the inter-organizational tactical networks because multinational armed forces are often involved in modern military operations.

It’s not about the maestro: a case of orchestration failure in an interorganizational network

It’s not about the maestro: a case of orchestration failure in an interorganizational network

Content analysis of inter-organisational communication networks on social media during disasters

Content analysis of inter-organisational communication networks on social media during disasters

Content analysis of inter-organisational communication networks on social media during disasters

Content analysis of inter-organisational communication networks on social media during disasters

Interorganizational Networks for Smoking Prevention and Cessation: A Blockmodeling Approach

This study examined characteristics and patterns of interorganizational networks for smoking prevention and cessation in Korea. We surveyed two community health centers, ninety-five hospitals or clinics, ninety-two pharmacies, and sixty-five health welfare organizations in two districts of Seoul in 2020. Data on the organizations' characteristics of smoking cessation and interorganizational activities for information sharing, client referral, and program collaboration were collected and analyzed using network statistics and blockmodeling. Network size was in the order of information sharing, client referral, and program collaboration networks. Network patterns for interorganizational activities on information sharing, client referral, and program collaboration among four organizations were similar between the two districts. Community health centers provided information and received clients from a majority of the organizations. Their interactions were not unidirectional but mutual with other organizations. Pharmacies were involved in information sharing with health welfare organizations and client referrals to hospitals or clinics. Health welfare organizations were primarily connected with the community health centers for client referrals and program collaboration. A community health center is the lead agency in interorganizational activities for smoking prevention and cessation. However, hospitals or clinics, pharmacies, and health welfare organizations also participate in interorganizational networks for smoking prevention and cessation with diverse roles. This study would be evidence for developing future interorganizational networks for smoking prevention and cessation.

Implementing Coordinated Care Networks: The Interplay of Individual and Distributed Leadership Practices.

How does leadership emerge and function when multiple health care organizations come together to form a network? In this qualitative comparative case study, we draw on distributed leadership theory to examine the leadership practices that manifested during the implementation of three coordinated care networks. Thirty leaders and care providers participated in semistructured interviews. Interview data were inductively analyzed using thematic analysis. Although established in response to the same policy initiative, each case differed in its leadership approach and implementation strategy. We found that manifestation of distributed leadership was contingent on the presence of an individual leader who acted as a unifying force across their respective network. Our findings suggest that policies to encourage the development of interorganizational networks should include sufficient resources to support an individual leader who enables distributed leadership.

When Tensions Become Opportunities: Managing Accountability Demands in Collaborative Governance

Abstract Accountability in collaborative governance comprises a tangled web of vertical and horizontal accountability relationships. Although different accountability mechanisms are apparently complementary, they also clash with each other, producing serious accountability tensions. This study explores how actors in collaborative governance experience and manage conflicting accountability demands in the context of a Korean interorganizational network. Using qualitative data based on in-depth interviews with 32 personnel across 10 organizations and document analysis, the study identifies different types of accountability tensions and actors’ strategic responses to them. The analysis reveals that accountability tensions vary across the sources of the demand, and they are more likely to emerge when there are gaps in procedural and institutional arrangements or differences in collaborators’ commitment levels. Findings suggest that accountability tensions inherent to collaborative networks, when harnessed and actively managed, may be viewed as opportunities for advancing the whole network’s mission and improving network accountability. Based on these findings, the study proposes a novel framework for accountability tensions in collaborative governance with propositions about the mechanisms through which accountability tensions emerge and are managed. The study provides insights into the complexities of maintaining accountability in cross-sector, multi-actor networks.