The logic behind a cohesive youth care system:Understanding the design, integration and dynamics of complex child service networks

A cohesive youth care system that organizes integrated care for children and families in need of help depends largely on the effective collaboration between a wide range of organizations with diverse expertise and resources within child service networks. Organizations in these networks operate across several sectors, such as mental healthcare, education, childcare and nursery, specialized youth care and community services. To date, however, there is little insight into the construction and evolution of complex child service networks.This thesis describes one of the few longitudinal comparative whole network studies in the field of child and youth services, specifically looking at network design, integration and dynamics. A comparative case study approach and social network analysis were used to examine three interorganizational networks, consisting of 65 to 135 organizations from various sectors in the Dutch youth care system. In 2018 and 2019, the data were collected through a mixed-method approach using semi-structured interviews with the network managers and an online questionnaire fielded among the representatives of the network members.The findings offer a promising basis for a cohesive delivery system. The child service networks consist of the desired range of organizations with diverse expertise and resources and the network organizations are connected as a whole; their relationships are often strong and based on the required key processes; and at least some of the expected core organizations have a key network position. However, this thesis also identifies five serious flaws in the Dutch youth care system. Beside the network-level tension between the required strong relationships for integrated care and the limited resources to maintain those relations, the child service networks have to deal with actors’ inaccurate perceptions of network governance, segmented information exchange structures, the lack of linking-pin positions for gatekeepers, and major internal dynamics that jeopardize a successful delivery of youth care. To work towards a more sustainable youth care system that ensures a comprehensive, tailor-made and seamless service delivery to children and families in need, municipal governments should invest extra attention, time and resources to achieve the desired selective integration. They should actively manage the interplay of interorganizational relationships within child service networks. In order to satisfy these network-level demands, municipal governments should develop network-level coordination skills and task-specific competencies. A learning system as promised in the renewed Child and Youth Act should be facilitated as well, which requires a continuous evaluation of and reflection on the logic behind a cohesive youth care system and the permanent monitoring of network-level outcomes. _Een goed functionerend jeugdzorgsysteem is van groot belang. Dat vraagt om sector-overstijgend werken en een passend hulpaanbod. In de praktijk betekent dit dat vele organisaties - van preventie tot zeer specialistische zorg - lokaal in een netwerk samenwerken om kinderen en gezinnen tijdig passende hulp en ondersteuning te kunnen bieden, aangestuurd door de gemeente als verantwoordelijke voor het jeugdbeleid. Om dat goed te kunnen doen, is het streven al jaren: meer samenhang, betere samenwerking en goede aansluiting op hulpvragen. Toch is er maar weinig bekend over hoe organisaties in het jeugddomein zich ook echt in netwerken organiseren, ordenen en manifesteren. Het verkrijgen van een dieper inzicht in deze netwerklogica is het doel van dit proefschrift.Het onderzoek is één van de weinige longitudinale vergelijkende netwerkstudies op het gebied van jeugdzorg waarbij specifiek gekeken is naar het ontwerp, de samenhang en de ontwikkeling van complexe jeugdhulpnetwerken. Daarvoor werden in gemeenten van verschillende grootte drie jeugdhulpnetwerken onderzocht en vergeleken. Die bestonden uit 65 tot 135 organisaties in diverse sectoren zoals geestelijke gezondheidszorg, onderwijs, kinderopvang, veiligheid, specialistische jeugdzorg en welzijnswerk. In 2018 en 2019 werden daartoe de managers van deze netwerken geïnterviewd en vertegenwoordigers van de organisaties kregen een online vragenlijst voorgelegd.De bevindingen in dit proefschrift laten zien dat er al een veelbelovende basis is voor een samenhangend jeugdzorgsysteem. De jeugdhulpnetwerken bestaan uit genoeg verschillende soorten organisaties die met elkaar verbonden zijn; hun relaties zijn meestal sterk en gebaseerd op de taken die nodig zijn: het delen van kennis en overdragen van cliënten; en kernorganisaties zoals Centra voor Jeugd en Gezin hebben een centrale positie in het netwerk, doordat zij met veel andere organisaties verbonden zijn in het netwerk. Er zijn echter ook belangrijke tekortkomingen. Zo vraagt integrale jeugdzorg om sterke relaties tussen veel organisaties, terwijl daar niet altijd tijd, energie en middelen voor zijn; is het voor organisaties onduidelijk hoe het netwerk wordt aangestuurd; zijn er aparte kennisstromen met inhoudelijke of bestuurlijke informatie, wat kan leiden tot onvoldoende aansluiting van hulpvraag en -aanbod; missen cruciale toegangsorganisaties bij het verwijzen van cliënten een centrale positie in het netwerk en komt de samenhang van het hulp- en ondersteuningsaanbod in gevaar omdat veel sterke relaties tussen organisaties binnen een jaar wegvallen.Om te komen tot een jeugdzorgsysteem waarin sprake is van meer samenhang, betere samenwerking en goede aansluiting op hulpvragen, zouden gemeenten moeten investeren in het formuleren en uitvoeren van een selectieve integratiestrategie. Daarbij geldt: wie met elkaar moet samenwerken, doet dat - en wie dat niet hoeft, doet dat vooral ook niet. Het is belangrijk dat er een sterke (informatie)verbinding is tussen inhoud, beleid en bestuur en dat netwerkcoördinatievaardigheden en taakspecifieke competenties van gemeenten versterkt worden. Ook aandacht voor een lerend systeem is cruciaal. Dat kan door continu te evalueren en reflecteren op de logica van een samenhangend jeugdzorgsysteem en permanente monitoring van de resultaten van het netwerk

Supply chain knowledge management: A conceptual framework

The supply chain literature still largely focuses on asset, alphanumeric data and information (in the form of documents and files) elements of exchange between supply chain partners, despite the fact that increased integration and collaboration clearly require development of more complex elements of expertise and knowledge. In this respect, this paper recognizes the knowledge management (KM) literature as a potential source of new insights to add conceptual depth and understanding to managing 21st century supply chains. Specific KM theories and constructs are identified as potentially contributing to theory and practice in supply chain contexts. An overall framework for supply chain knowledge management is developed, along with literature-based definitions of supply chain knowledge transfer, competence and maturity constructs. The "knowledge lens" theory building approach is applied to import these perspectives into supply chain domains, with efforts to maintain conceptual consistency across the two literature streams.Knowledge Management; Supply Chains; Conceptual Framework;

Problem solving and the co-ordination of innovative activities

In the context of increasingly globalized markets, ever more complex supply chains and international manufacturing networks, corporate decision-making processes involve more and more actors, variables and criteria. This is a challenge for corporate head quarters. Many have argued that the role once attributed to the integrated innovative organisation and its R&D laboratories is increasingly associated with the functioning of networks of specialised innovators. The aim of this paper is to argue that the role of large firms may have changed, but it is far from disappeared. It looks at the interplay of increasing knowledge specialisation, the development of products of increasing complexity that perform a widening range of functionalities, and the emergence and diffusion of new design strategies for both products and organisations, namely modularity. The emergence of modularity as a product and organisational design strategy is clearly connected to recent trends in organisational design. Modularity would allow the decoupling of complex artifacts into simpler, self-contained modules. Each module would, at the extreme, become the sole business of a specialised trade. This paper builds upon the idea that there are cognitive limits to this process of modularisation: what kinds of problems firms solve, and how they solve them, set limits to the extent of division of labour among firms. We draw implications of such limits for both management and economic theory.large firms, knowledge specialisation, complex products, modularity,

Electronic Payment Systems Development in a Developing Country: The Role of Institutional Arrangements

This paper examines the institutional arrangements in the development of Nigeria’s electronic payment system (EPS) using a new institutional economics (NIE) perspective. A case study of Nigeria’s EPS was carried out using semi structured interviews to collect data from 18 participating stakeholders; a thematic method was used for the data analysis. The study suggests that a well-functioning set of arrangements, which is lacking in the institutional setup in Nigeria may be required to build necessary institutional capacity suitable for development of safe and efficient electronic payment systems. Although the technological payment infrastructure in Nigeria is modern and of comparable standard, the failure to put in place reliable and relevant market and collaborative agreements has not enabled full exploitation of the available infrastructure. Current governance structures show elements of power struggle and distrust between stakeholders (players and regulators), hampering the creation of an environment that would sustain free market economic activities and effective development of payment systems

Cross-sectoral collaboration:Comparing complex child service delivery systems

Purpose To help ensure that children with social and behavioral health problems get the support services they need, organizations collaborate in cross-sectoral networks. In this article, the authors explore and compare the structure of these complex child service delivery networks in terms of differentiation (composition) and integration (interconnection). In particular, the authors investigate the structure of client referral and identify which organizations are most prominent within that network structure and could therefore fulfill a coordinating role. Design/methodology/approach The authors used a comparative case study approach and social network analysis on three interorganizational networks consisting of 65 to 135 organizations within the Dutch child service delivery system. Semi-structured interviews with the network managers were conducted, and an online questionnaire was sent out to the representatives of all network members. Findings The networks are similarly differentiated into 11 sectors with various tasks. Remarkably, network members have contact with an average of 20–26 organizations, which is a fairly high number to be handled successfully. In terms of integration, the authors found a striking diversity in the structures of client referral and not all organizations with a gatekeeper task hold central positions. Originality/value Due to the scarcity of comparative whole network research in the field, the strength of this study is a deeper understanding of the differentiation and integration of complex child service delivery systems. These insights are crucial in order to deliver needed services and to minimize service silos and fragmentation

Does Network Matter in International Expansion? Evidence from Italian SMEs

In order to face the new competitive scenario, Apulian textile firms are involved in a process of change and are trying to adopt a networking approach in analysing the international propensity of SMEs. The case of the textile network in Apulia has been analysed using a semi-structured questionnaire submitted to a sample of family businesses in order to verify the influence of network on their internationalisation process. The contribution that the network can give to the single firm in its internationalisation process depends also on the level of cooperation in the network. In fact, relationships – at least dual vertical relationships – are the key to overcoming size limit and providing value to all the partners involved. The research attempted to offer a better academic understanding of the role of network in international competitive advantage. Future research should be based on cross countries analysis, in order to determine whether or not the set of internal determinants of internationalisation pensity remain stable from one country to another. The findings should also be useful to local governance for a better understanding of the network phenomenon in order to develop appropriate programmes for training and supporting SMEs in the global market. This paper provides a wide analysis of the network role in the internationalisation process in a low technology sector.Internationalisation Strategies, Network Approach

The ICT Induced Business Reconfiguration from Evolution to Revolution (A Case Study of Public Sector Banks in Sri Lanka)

This paper explores the recent revolutionary levels ofBusiness Reconfiguration in the Public Sector Banks in SriLanka through a Case Study exploratory analysis. This study hascompared the five levels of Business Reconfiguration introducedby Venkatraman (1991) with the Sri Lankan Public SectorBanks. Findings show that rather than evolutionary levels, thesebanks have achieved the revolutionary levels of businessReconfiguration within a short period of time and it is believedthat they will achieve the optimum capability of level five in nearfuture

The perilous path toward supply chain integration addressed from social capital perspective: An aggregated theoretical framework exploring the potential mediating role of knowledge sharing

A number of reports indicate that historically, due to its controversial foundations, companies have been struggling in identifying a standard route to pave the way to seamless supply chain integration (SCI) (Bask, A., Juga, J. 2001). The need to unveil the blurriness inherent to this concept  has been exacerbated in the post Covid-19 era (Hassan and Abbasi, 2021),  which had and still have tremendous negative impact on firms productivity.  Through our article we aim at exploring an avenue of analysis to support firms succeed their integrative initiatives with supply chain partners and ultimately make it a successful journey. Our essay is built on the premise that SCI is a form of alliance and social dilemma (McCarter et Northcraft, 2007;Fawcett et al., 2008 ; Agarwal, Croson, et Mahoney, 2009; McCarter & al., 2009 ; Zhao & al., 2011) and thus considered social capital as a grounding theory with social capital dimensions as potential enabling factors of SCI (El Abboubi, M., 2021). Based on an extensive literature review we argue that knowledge sharing, as the fundamental resource to capitalize on by the firms to gain competitive advantage (Grant and Baden-Fuller 1995), plays a mediating role in the potential relationship between social capital dimensions and SCI. This statement is supported by scholars who studied empirically the impact of each facet of the three dimensions of social capital naming, as defined in the framework of Nahapiet & Ghoshal (1998), structural, relational and cognitive dimensions, on fostering the knowledge transfer between stakeholder in the frame of inter or intra-organizational collaboration such as SCI project. Also, it emerges from the literature that knowledge has been identified as a critical pre-condition for effective supply chains (Harland, C.M., 1996; Lee, H.L. et al., 2000) as it provides motivation for collaboration between SC partner and has the potential to enable more effective SCI projects (Lee, Padmanabhan, and Whang 1997a; Lee, So, and Tang 2000).  These findings have been crystallized in a proposal of theoretical research model that requires to be investigated empirically to confirm the validity of the formulated hypothesizes. We closed up the article with highlighting the limits of our work and a proposal of leads for future research.   JEL Classification: J24, O15 Paper type: Theoretical researchA number of reports indicate that historically, due to its controversial foundations, companies have been struggling in identifying a standard route to pave the way to seamless supply chain integration (SCI) (Bask, A., Juga, J. 2001). The need to unveil the blurriness inherent to this concept  has been exacerbated in the post Covid-19 era (Hassan and Abbasi, 2021),  which had and still have tremendous negative impact on firms productivity.  Through our article we aim at exploring an avenue of analysis to support firms succeed their integrative initiatives with supply chain partners and ultimately make it a successful journey. Our essay is built on the premise that SCI is a form of alliance and social dilemma (McCarter et Northcraft, 2007;Fawcett et al., 2008 ; Agarwal, Croson, et Mahoney, 2009; McCarter & al., 2009 ; Zhao & al., 2011) and thus considered social capital as a grounding theory with social capital dimensions as potential enabling factors of SCI (El Abboubi, M., 2021). Based on an extensive literature review we argue that knowledge sharing, as the fundamental resource to capitalize on by the firms to gain competitive advantage (Grant and Baden-Fuller 1995), plays a mediating role in the potential relationship between social capital dimensions and SCI. This statement is supported by scholars who studied empirically the impact of each facet of the three dimensions of social capital naming, as defined in the framework of Nahapiet & Ghoshal (1998), structural, relational and cognitive dimensions, on fostering the knowledge transfer between stakeholder in the frame of inter or intra-organizational collaboration such as SCI project. Also, it emerges from the literature that knowledge has been identified as a critical pre-condition for effective supply chains (Harland, C.M., 1996; Lee, H.L. et al., 2000) as it provides motivation for collaboration between SC partner and has the potential to enable more effective SCI projects (Lee, Padmanabhan, and Whang 1997a; Lee, So, and Tang 2000).  These findings have been crystallized in a proposal of theoretical research model that requires to be investigated empirically to confirm the validity of the formulated hypothesizes. We closed up the article with highlighting the limits of our work and a proposal of leads for future research.   JEL Classification: J24, O15 Paper type: Theoretical researc