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The Strategically Networked Organization
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78635-292-7

Book part
Publication date: 12 April 2019

Eric K. Austin

The purpose of this chapter is to describe the rationale for and structure of organizational networks in support of traffic safety programming. It outlines the operational…

Abstract

The purpose of this chapter is to describe the rationale for and structure of organizational networks in support of traffic safety programming. It outlines the operational considerations and approaches important to both understanding network-based partnerships and improving their functionality. The chapter draws on conceptual and empirical studies of organizational networks in order to enhance the effectiveness of networks and integrate network-based approaches with the cultural orientation already present in traffic safety research and practice.

This chapter proceeds from the premise that, increasingly, efforts to impact traffic safety behaviors will be interconnected with other concerns, and that traffic safety initiatives will require engagement with organizations focused on concerns other than traffic safety. The implication of the ideas examined in this chapter is that traffic safety agencies will need to focus not just on traffic-related behaviors, but also on the strategic and operational coordination with other organizations. Doing so has the potential to create synergies that would be unachievable if agencies operation in isolation.

Book part
Publication date: 16 August 2014

Anne-Maria Holma

This study provides a comprehensive framework of adaptation in triadic business relationship settings in the service sector. The framework is based on the industrial network

Abstract

This study provides a comprehensive framework of adaptation in triadic business relationship settings in the service sector. The framework is based on the industrial network approach (see, e.g., Axelsson & Easton, 1992; Håkansson & Snehota, 1995a). The study describes how adaptations initiate, how they progress, and what the outcomes of these adaptations are. Furthermore, the framework takes into account how adaptations spread in triadic relationship settings. The empirical context is corporate travel management, which is a chain of activities where an industrial enterprise, and its preferred travel agency and service supplier partners combine their resources. The scientific philosophy, on which the knowledge creation is based, is realist ontology. Epistemologically, the study relies on constructionist processes and interpretation. Case studies with in-depth interviews are the main source of data.

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Deep Knowledge of B2B Relationships within and Across Borders
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78190-858-7

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Book part
Publication date: 12 May 2017

Mitsuru Kodama

As a company that has continuously achieved business innovation, Apple in the United States has successfully applied strategic knowledge creation to produce a series of products…

Abstract

As a company that has continuously achieved business innovation, Apple in the United States has successfully applied strategic knowledge creation to produce a series of products that integrate various digital devices as well as diverse contents and applications, such as the iPod, iPhone, and iPad, based on a corporate vision of a digital hub concept. At the same time, the redefining of corporate boundaries that expanded Apple’s business in a horizontal direction from the Macintosh PC business to the delivery of music, smartphones, and tablets is also an indication of the evolution of a corporate vision involving Apple’s strategic transformation. This chapter presents the strategic and creative processes that enabled practitioners, including the late Steve Jobs, to demonstrate “strategic innovation capability” by “holistic leadership” at every level of management at Apple and successfully achieve a business ecosystem strategy through “creative collaboration” across diverse boundaries within and outside the company.

Book part
Publication date: 17 October 2018

Martin Heidenreich, Petra Hiller and Steffen Dörhöfer

Assuming that organizations are open and have increasingly permeable boundaries, one risks overlooking the strategies employed by organizations to defend their own logics and…

Abstract

Assuming that organizations are open and have increasingly permeable boundaries, one risks overlooking the strategies employed by organizations to defend their own logics and routines, as illustrated by the example of the implementation of active labor market policies. It is often assumed that only open, networked organizations can fulfill the demand of offering individualized employment and social services to citizens. On the basis of an in-depth case study, we show how a jobcenter organization dealt with these challenges by developing its own decision-making criteria on a procedural, structural, and personal dimension. This implies not only cognitive openness but also operational closure and increased internal “requisite variety,” in the language of systems theory.

Book part
Publication date: 17 October 2018

Maja Apelt and Jana Hunnius

In their contribution, Maja Apelt and Jana Hunnius ask how the physical proximity of organizations in a network impacts the creation of organizational boundaries. They assume that…

Abstract

In their contribution, Maja Apelt and Jana Hunnius ask how the physical proximity of organizations in a network impacts the creation of organizational boundaries. They assume that against a background of shared experiences, members of organizations can develop a community and cooperate on a basis of trust, but that this is not tantamount to organizational boundaries becoming permeable. Here, Apelt and Hunnius draw on Lefebvre’s (2006) concept of space and adapt this to the practice of organizations by drawing a distinction between three dimensions of spatial practice: spatial practice in the narrow sense, in other words, how the organizations structure the space; organizational practice or, in other words, which formal and informal structures they establish; and representative practice, that is, how they speak about space, legitimize their actions, and thus give them meaning. Empirically, the chapter is based on case studies at two German airports. Using the evidence provided by these studies, Apelt and Hunnius are able to show that the organizations develop different practices. While at one of the airports the community is strengthened, but the organizational boundaries are protected at the same time, the other airport establishes cooperative structures through which the organizational boundaries are weakened. The airport community plays a less important role here.

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Toward Permeable Boundaries of Organizations?
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78743-829-3

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Article
Publication date: 1 December 1994

David W. Cravens and Nigel F. Piercy

The development of collaborative network structures is an increasinglysignificant issue in the services industry. These interorganizationalrelationships are formed to gain…

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Abstract

The development of collaborative network structures is an increasingly significant issue in the services industry. These interorganizational relationships are formed to gain flexibility, obtain needed skills and resources, and achieve operating efficiencies. Evaluates processes of network formation and compares them with the emerging relationship marketing paradigm, in the search for greater insight into an important but little understood phenomenon. Proposes a novel network classification scheme that identifies hollow, flexible, value‐added and virtual networks, leading to discussion of the need to extend the knowledge base concerning networks and the significance of the relationship marketing model to achieving research and managerial goals in this area.

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International Journal of Service Industry Management, vol. 5 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0956-4233

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Article
Publication date: 1 April 1993

Jon‐Arild Johannessen and Arnulf Hauan

Discusses possible future approaches to questions of industrial organization. Suggests a meta‐model of an organization producing goods which combines the information requirements…

Abstract

Discusses possible future approaches to questions of industrial organization. Suggests a meta‐model of an organization producing goods which combines the information requirements of management and control functions and critical requirements of a holographic (heterarchic) organization. Suggests a conceptual framework that provides a method of linking information and communication. Makes a distinction between information‐network organization and communication‐network organization. Discusses various architectural designs in terms of how their properties can serve the governing mechanism of the organization. Argues that synergetic effects are, ideally, optimized through fully integrated communication networks. Also discusses advantages gained through the use of communication‐related technology with the aim of shortening idea‐to‐product time‐cycles. The questions of architectural design and the technological options cannot be treated separately or extracted from the organizational context. Successful implementation of such technology is dependent on simultaneous development of high‐level “communicative competence”, i.e. the ability to create and convey metaphoric knowledge in ways that enhance the holographic qualities of the organization.

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Kybernetes, vol. 22 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0368-492X

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Article
Publication date: 1 April 1993

Deborah A. Yarnell and Mark F. Peterson

Examines the use of interorganizational networking as a way fortraditionally bureaucratic organizations to become more innovative.Cites examples of networking from manufacturing…

Abstract

Examines the use of interorganizational networking as a way for traditionally bureaucratic organizations to become more innovative. Cites examples of networking from manufacturing and the service sector to illustrate the adaptability and flexibility of this form of organization. Examines the pros and cons, thus revealing that networking is a viable option for contemporary organizations, forced by increased competition, changing market conditions, and rapid technological advances, to restructure in an attempt to meet the challenges posed by a rapidly changing external environment. Recognizes the importance of thinking about organizing from an open systems perspective. Concludes that networking is appropriate for a variety of organizations and may be modified to meet individual circumstances. Networking can be achieved locally, nationally, or internationally. Networking also can serve as a transitional stage to help organizations to become leaner, more innovative and responsive in order to meet today′s organizational challenge to change.

Details

Journal of Management Development, vol. 12 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0262-1711

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Article
Publication date: 1 May 2015

Thomas Crispeels, Jurgen Willems and Paul Brugman

The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between organizational characteristics and presence in a board-of-directors (BoD)-network, in the context of the…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between organizational characteristics and presence in a board-of-directors (BoD)-network, in the context of the biotechnology industry. Accessing and integrating external knowledge is key to an organization’s success within innovative industries. This can occur through inter-organizational networks such as the BoD-network.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors apply a network analysis method (Robins and Alexander, 2004) and a logistic regression to a proprietary database of Belgian biotechnology organizations.

Findings

The authors conclude that some organizational characteristics influence the presence of a biotechnology organization in the regional BoD-network. Academic spin-offs, start-ups and small companies are more likely to be part of the regional biotechnology BoD-network. The authors also observe that organizations involved in innovative activities are prominently present in the BoD-network. Interestingly, key actors like universities or academic hospitals are less present in the network.

Research limitations/implications

The authors show that studying full networks and heterogeneous groups of organization leads to a better understanding of the causal mechanisms and dynamics of inter-organizational networks. To better understand the network dynamics in a context as complex as the biotechnology industry, multiple networks need to be studied simultaneously.

Practical implications

The findings in this study allow for the development of policies addressing knowledge transfer, diffusion of management and governance practices, and the initiation and management of collaborative projects through the BoD-network. The authors observe a self-reinforcing dependency between innovative activities and BoD-network membership. This implies that policies aimed at stimulating innovation should also aim at increasing the target organizations’ presence in the BoD-network. Analyzing an organization’s innovative activities and position in the BoD-network allows for identifying those organizations that contribute most to the region’s knowledge transfer network and innovative capacity.

Originality/value

The authors combine two different research streams and are the first to study the complete BoD-network of a biotechnology industry agglomeration.

Details

Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing, vol. 30 no. 3/4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0885-8624

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