Managing Interorganizational Networks

Management literature’s many descriptions of the current and future challenges and new trends within organisation and management forms depict a motley and kaleidoscopic picture of the future. However, one idea reoccurs throughout most of the literature – the organisational network. Some are even bold enough to predict that networks will become the dominant organisation form in future. Several authors maintain that the shift from traditional hierarchical structures to networks involves dramatic changes for managers and employees (Champy 2002, Rohlin 1994, Kanter 2002). This article seeks to isolate some of the forthcoming changes and outlines a map for network management. We will try to avoid summarising the increasingly extensive literature about organisations which are characterised by networks and restrict our focus to management in inter-organisational networks. Inter-organisational networks have been a peripheral field in management research, apart from the strategy literature about strategic alliances and joint ventures. However, in the past ten years, networks have been attracting a rapidly growing level of interest from many disciplines. This article draws on results from organisation theories and theories about strategic management.