81 research outputs found

    Collaboration, competition, and co-opetition: Interorganizational dynamics between private child welfare agencies and child serving sectors

    Get PDF
    Human service agencies are encouraged to collaborate with other public and private agencies in providing services to children and families. However, they also often compete with these same partners for funding, qualified staff, and clientele. Although little is known about complex interagency dynamics of competition and collaboration in the child-serving sector, evidence suggests that competition can undermine collaboration unless managed strategically. This study explores the interrelationship between competition and collaboration, sometimes referred to as “co-opetition.” Using a national dataset of private child and family serving agencies, we examine their relationships with other child serving sectors (N=4460 pair-wise relationships), and explore how variations in patterns of collaboration and competition are associated with several organizational, environmental and relational factors. Results suggest that most relationships between private child welfare agencies and other child serving agencies are characterized by both competition and collaboration (i.e. “co-opetition”), and is most frequently reported with other local private child welfare agencies. Logistic regression analyses indicate that co-opetition is likely to occur when private child welfare agencies have a good perceived relationship or a sub-contract with their partner. Findings have implications for how agency leaders manage partner relationships, and how public child welfare administrators structure contracts

    Service triads:a research agenda for buyer–supplier–customer triads in business services

    Get PDF
    Service triads, in which a buyer contracts with a supplier to deliver services directly to the buyer's customer, represent an emerging business model. This special issue is dedicated to this theme. To set the context, in this lead article, we first define service triads, both as a phenomenon and a research topic. We then provide a review of different strands of existing research and various theoretical frameworks that can inform our study of service triads. This culminates in an outline of a research agenda that can guide future study. As such, this paper not only introduces the articles in the special issue, but is also intended as a point of reference and motivation for further work on service triads, and on triads in general

    Knowledge acquisition and maritime logistics value : an inter-organisational relationship perspective

    Get PDF
    Maritime logistics value (i.e. improving operational efficiency and service effectiveness in maritime logistics) is one of the strategic goals that maritime operators (i.e. port operators, shipping lines and freight forwarders) want to achieve. Due to the lack of a systematic approach towards maritime logistics management, however, existing literature has yet to clearly define what strategic direction should be taken to accomplish such goals. This thesis proposes that a knowledge-based strategy is the most desirable alternative, having diagnosed its effectiveness in creating and sustaining maritime logistics value. The thesis consists of theoretical and empirical sections. The theoretical part reviews the work of maritime logistics and operators within the context of global logistics and strategic management theory (especially, knowledge-based and inter-organisational relationship perspectives). The theoretical review clarifies the strategic objective of maritime operators, and highlights the importance of a knowledge management strategy towards such a business goal. Based on the literature review, the research develops a conceptual framework that shows the positive relationship between knowledge acquisition and maritime logistics value, and the role of social network embeddedness in acquiring knowledge. The empirical work undertaken to examine the conceptual relationship adopts a qualitative approach: an explorative case study and a Delphi survey. The explorative case study utilises an interview method with a semi-structured questionnaire, and two rounds of the Delphi survey are then conducted by collecting data from a panel of experts in the field. The two research methods are applied to the maritime logistics industry in Korea, where the strategic significance of maritime logistics value becomes ever more obvious. The empirical findings indicate that maritime operators acquire useful knowledge through being embedded in social co-operative and co-opetitive networks, and the acquired knowledge helps them to maximise the maritime logistics value. The work presented hereafter provides a meaningful insight for managers, policy makers and academic researchers into the knowledge management strategy and effective administration of a maritime logistics system in the context of interorganisational relationship. However, this thesis has not examined the way to apply the acquired knowledge on an internal basis of an organisation, and focuses solely on a qualitative approach. It is suggested that a quantitative and in-depth discussion on the knowledge-based maritime logistics research within an intra-organisational level be made by linking maritime operators’ strategy with macro-issues in global supply chains

    Triads as a system of collaboration

    Get PDF
    The topic of the thesis were triads, its actors and relationships and collaboration between the actors. The starting point for this thesis is the previously made thesis, since the interviews of it have been used as empirical material of this thesis. The purpose of the thesis was to study, by means of the theoretical and the empirical material, how a triad works to boost collaboration between the actors. The target was to confirm the assumed perspective that a triad can act as a system of collaboration. This thesis is made as a qualitative research that used conceptual study which based on the theoretical sources. The theoretical framework deals with relationships in triads, collaboration and open and closed systems. As the interviews were conducted in the supply network, this thesis focused especially on triads and on its relationships between the buyer and two suppliers. The empirical part of the thesis was handled as a case study. Empirical research has been used to analyze the interviews to determine whether the interviews supported the views presented on the basis of the theoretical material. Previous made interviews were held on a predetermined target network and both open and closed questions were used. The examination of the interviews was focused on their most important content for each of the six pairs of interviews. After that, the interviews were started to be analyzed more closely and examined whether they were consistent with the content of the theoretical framework. At the end of the thesis, conclusions and a summary of the results are presented. In particular, the results emphasize that improving communication can increase trust and commitment and create fellowship. Through it, loose actors will become a part of a smaller network – the triad

    Team of rivals

    Get PDF

    Interorganizational Knowledge Management Systems: Typology and Cases

    Get PDF
    Although companies are more and more developing complex networks of connections with their partners and customers and shifting their focus towards expanding the knowledge management concept externally, research addressing the management of knowledge across organizational borders is rather sparse. Our aim in the present paper is to develop a typology of cross-organizational networks of information and knowledge flows. In order to arrive at such a typology we examine two issues. The first concerns the locus of control on the processes that enable knowledge flow. The second refers to the tradability of the streams of knowledge that flow among organizational entities. We examine four types of knowledge networks: open knowledge networks, private knowledge networks, closed knowledge exchanges and knowledge markets. For each type of knowledge network, we examine its distinct characteristics, study related examples, consider the associated research challenges and analyse an indicative case

    Performance-based contracting in the defence industry: Exploring triadic dynamics between government, OEMs and suppliers

    Get PDF
    This study takes a rare longitudinal perspective to examine performance-based contracting (PBC) in the context of the development of a major capital defence project. It employs a triadic framework to examine changes in actors and their roles over time in fulfilling the project. The triads involve both contractors as suppliers and government entities. More specifically, using a historical narrative method the study suggests that over the 30 year span of the new warship’s development, different parties occupy the nodes of triads where the roles or functions of the principal and agents in the contract change over time. Our use of a triadic perspective enables us to trace both the withdrawal of the government customer from a position of authority and the specific strategy of one supplier to occupy the vacated role as systems integrator. The study makes three distinct contributions: firstly, to our understanding of PBC through tracing the development of the conditions that enable PBC in largescale long-term public-private contracting such as clear role delineation. Second, it adds to understanding of principal-agent behaviour in triadic public-private projects, suggesting that customer and supplier roles need to be perceived as supply network dynamics. Third, it suggests reasons why this defence acquisition underperformed, focusing on the mediation of the customer’s value requirement through powerful players seeking to extend their control. We argue PBC must be re-assessed in complex environments to include less direct financial measures such as long-term market share and adopt a more nuanced approach to contractual management than simply transferring risk.We wish to acknowledge the financial assistance provided by the Chartered Institute of Purchasing & Supply and the Institute of Supply Management

    Do academic laboratories correspond to scientific communities? Evidence from a large European university.

    Get PDF
    Although acknowledged as central in the economic literature, the issue of intra academic collaboration has been, insofar, relatively overlooked. This paper fills this gap by stressing the importance of communities in academic research. By analysing the publication behavior of researchers from a large European scientific university, we argue that in certain cases, the community level constitutes a relevant level for analysing the collaborative nature of scientific investigation. Indeed, the reality of research collaborations doesn’t always fit the institutional division of academic work provided by laboratories.Economics of Science, Knowledge Intensive Communities, Academic Collaborations, Social Network Analysis.

    Big data innovation and diffusion in projects teams: Towards a conflict prevention culture

    Get PDF
    Despite the enormous literature on how team conflicts can be managed and resolved, this study diverges, by examining factors that facilitate conflict prevention culture in project teams, especially when introducing Big Data Technology. Relying on findings from relevant literatures and focus group discussions, 28 attributes for embedding conflict prevention culture were identified and put together in questionnaire survey. Series of statistical tests including reliability analysis and exploratory factor-analysis. The results identified five critical success factors for entrenching the culture of conflict prevention in project teams introducing big data driving innovations. The five-factor solution include “building effective relationship”, “effective project communications”, “project team efficacy”, “pro-active conflict management approach” and “effectual project documentation”. Result of this study presents a Conceptual framework for effective management of human resource in relation to conflict prevention among project teams, as an effective strategy for facilitating seamless adoption and diffusion of big data innovation in organisations
    • 

    corecore