DYNAMICS OF interorganizational Networks

Antecedents and Consequences of Network Formation

In a series of research papers with my doctoral students, I have extended my previous line of inquiry by examining some of the evolutionary dynamics of interorganizational networks. Diverging from research that has analyzed static social networks, we have adopted a dynamic view of the development and ultimate dissolution of such networks. We also consider the micro-level behavioral dynamics underlying the development of these pervasive social systems; some of these dynamics result in the formation of local ties, which agglomerate into tightly linked clusters, while others generate bridging ties between those clusters. I have been looking at these dynamics in contexts ranging from inter-firm partnerships to venture capital syndicates.

Network Resources and the Performance of Interorganizational Exchange

My book, Managing Network Resources (Oxford University Press, 2007), introduced the idea of “network resources,” valuable assets that accrue to a firm not from within its boundaries but from its ties to key external constituents including but not limited to partners, suppliers, and customers.
As a follow up to this work, my coauthors and I are examining the performance of individual partnerships and consider how each partners’ network resources, among other factors, may influence performance levels. In another project, a student and I are exploring and empirically assessing the role of customer connections as a resource and their impact in shaping the subsequent growth and performance of organizations. We are looking at how this may change over time and across sectors.

Governance of Interorganizational Exchange
Building on a series of published papers where I have examined the antecedents and consequences of governance choices in exchange relations, I am now looking at this phenomenon at a regional level. Using novel and comprehensive data across the European Union, my coauthor and I are investigating the role of regional-level trust on the governance of economic exchanges within those regions. In doing so, we are trying to examine the role of trust not only as a dyadic construct but also one that is shaped by the local institutional context within which those exchanges occur.