Interorganisational Information Sharing and The Use of Decision Aids in Category Management

Most research on interorganisational information systems has primarily focused on systems that support transaction processing. What is less developed, however, is research on systems that provide interorganisational decision support. In this paper, we explore the effectiveness of these types of systems, by developing a model that introduces the relationship between interorganisational information sharing, decision aids and decisions effectiveness. Specifically, we propose that information sharing will positively influence decision effectiveness if filtering and analytical decisions aids are made available. Relevance and usefulness of the propositions are demonstrated within th

Relationship governance : structure and performance in industrial markets

The scope of research on interorganisational relationship structure has been limited by rigid adherence to specific governance paradigms and by lack of research into relational performance. The conceptual framework developed in this thesis responds to these issues by pursuing a multiparadigm, approach from which it develops a taxonomy of relationship structures that is linked to performance. The classification of a relationship into the taxonomy is based on the relationship strength construct. This construct discriminates between relational governance structures by measuring both behaviour process and economic content elements of a relationship. The result is a taxonomy of four relationship structures. They are bilateral, recurrent, dominant partner and discrete. Furthermore, the research links these relationship structures to a multifaceted definition of relational performance, which includes both behaviour and economic outcomes, to enable it to test which structure optimises performance. It proposes that bilateral relationships, developed from social exchange theory, are the optimal governance structures for managing interfirm. exchanges. Bilateral relationships have the highest level of relationship strength of all the structures. These structures involve partners who have high levels of trust in each other and who have made substantial commitment to the relationship. If these relationships are found to be the optimal structures in terms of performance, considerable support will have been found for social exchange theory. The research hypotheses are supported by empirical work which combines qualitative and quantitative methodologies. The qualitative study uses in-depth interviews with buyer and supplier organisations. The quantitative study consists of a mail survey of 500 UK industrial buyers who are interviewed about their main supply relationship. The industries included in the research are engineering, electronics and communications. The development of a taxonomy of relationship structures and its links to performance provides guidance to researchers and managers on how to assess and develop the potential of a relationship. The assumptions managers make about relationships have an impact on what is attainable from the relationship. The research also provides strong support for social exchange positions in managing interfirm relationships.The scope of research on interorganisational relationship structure has been limited by rigid adherence to specific governance paradigms and by lack of research into relational performance. The conceptual framework developed in this thesis responds to these issues by pursuing a multiparadigm, approach from which it develops a taxonomy of relationship structures that is linked to performance. The classification of a relationship into the taxonomy is based on the relationship strength construct. This construct discriminates between relational governance structures by measuring both behaviour process and economic content elements of a relationship. The result is a taxonomy of four relationship structures. They are bilateral, recurrent, dominant partner and discrete. Furthermore, the research links these relationship structures to a multifaceted definition of relational performance, which includes both behaviour and economic outcomes, to enable it to test which structure optimises performance. It proposes that bilateral relationships, developed from social exchange theory, are the optimal governance structures for managing interfirm. exchanges. Bilateral relationships have the highest level of relationship strength of all the structures. These structures involve partners who have high levels of trust in each other and who have made substantial commitment to the relationship. If these relationships are found to be the optimal structures in terms of performance, considerable support will have been found for social exchange theory. The research hypotheses are supported by empirical work which combines qualitative and quantitative methodologies. The qualitative study uses in-depth interviews with buyer and supplier organisations. The quantitative study consists of a mail survey of 500 UK industrial buyers who are interviewed about their main supply relationship. The industries included in the research are engineering, electronics and communications. The development of a taxonomy of relationship structures and its links to performance provides guidance to researchers and managers on how to assess and develop the potential of a relationship. The assumptions managers make about relationships have an impact on what is attainable from the relationship. The research also provides strong support for social exchange positions in managing interfirm relationships

The role of interoganisational tension and conflict in market creation practice

Markets exist within a world of constant exchanges which form the basis for changes and the creation of new markets. Therefore, it is important to research these exchanges. One of the areas in which market creation can be observed is interorganisational collaborations, as firms increasingly collaborate to create markets. In market creation practice, however, interorganisational tension and conflict can form from divergent approaches and vested interests of the partners. Interorganisational tension represents the opposing intentions of interorganisational forces, and conflict is generated through disagreements. The aim of this research is to investigate interorganisational tension and conflict on market creation practice. Specifically, it attempts to: (i) expand interorganisational tension and conflict and provide insights to these concepts, as well as establishing a two-dimensional interorganisational tension (productive and unproductive) understanding, (ii) explore the interactions between interorganisational tension and conflict, (iii) develop a conceptual framework that explains the level of market creation depending on the effects of interorganisational tension and conflict, (iv) develop a typology of partnering firms based on interorganisational tension and conflict practice. To achieve this aim, and to respond to the research calls, this study follows a grounded theory approach which intends to expand the understanding of interorganisational tension and conflict. According to the findings, a major characteristic of interorganisational tension is its two dimensions: productive and unproductive. However, it is the intertwined nature of tension and conflict that influences market creation. Fundamental to these are the six interorganisational tension and three conflict types revealed by the findings of this study. The core theoretical contributions of the study are a dynamic framework that portrays the dynamic interactions between interorganisational tension and conflict on market creation practice, and a typology of market-creating partnering firms. Collectively, they explicate the development of market creation practice, and firms’ reactions to interorganisational tension and conflict

Integration and continuity of primary care: polyclinics and alternatives - a patient-centred analysis of how organisation constrains care co-ordination

Background An ageing population, the increasing specialisation of clinical services and diverse health-care provider ownership make the co-ordination and continuity of complex care increasingly problematic. The way in which the provision of complex health care is co-ordinated produces – or fails to produce – six forms of continuity of care (cross-sectional, longitudinal, flexible, access, informational and relational). Care co-ordination is accomplished by a combination of activities by patients themselves; provider organisations; care networks co-ordinating the separate provider organisations; and overall health-system governance. This research examines how far organisational integration might promote care co-ordination at the clinical level. Objectives To examine (1) what differences the organisational integration of primary care makes, compared with network governance, to horizontal and vertical co-ordination of care; (2) what difference provider ownership (corporate, partnership, public) makes; (3) how much scope either structure allows for managerial discretion and ‘performance’; (4) differences between networked and hierarchical governance regarding the continuity and integration of primary care; and (5) the implications of the above for managerial practice in primary care. Methods Multiple-methods design combining (1) the assembly of an analytic framework by non-systematic review; (2) a framework analysis of patients’ experiences of the continuities of care; (3) a systematic comparison of organisational case studies made in the same study sites; (4) a cross-country comparison of care co-ordination mechanisms found in our NHS study sites with those in publicly owned and managed Swedish polyclinics; and (5) the analysis and synthesis of data using an ‘inside-out’ analytic strategy. Study sites included professional partnership, corporate and publicly owned and managed primary care providers, and different configurations of organisational integration or separation of community health services, mental health services, social services and acute inpatient care. Results Starting from data about patients’ experiences of the co-ordination or under-co-ordination of care, we identified five care co-ordination mechanisms present in both the integrated organisations and the care networks; four main obstacles to care co-ordination within the integrated organisations, of which two were also present in the care networks; seven main obstacles to care co-ordination that were specific to the care networks; and nine care co-ordination mechanisms present in the integrated organisations. Taking everything into consideration, integrated organisations appeared more favourable to producing continuities of care than did care networks. Network structures demonstrated more flexibility in adding services for small care groups temporarily, but the expansion of integrated organisations had advantages when adding new services on a longer term and a larger scale. Ownership differences affected the range of services to which patients had direct access; primary care doctors’ managerial responsibilities (relevant to care co-ordination because of their impact on general practitioner workload); and the scope for doctors to develop special interests. We found little difference between integrated organisations and care networks in terms of managerial discretion and performance. Conclusions On balance, an integrated organisation seems more likely to favour the development of care co-ordination and, therefore, continuities of care than a system of care networks. At least four different variants of ownership and management of organisationally integrated primary care providers are practicable in NHS-like settings. Future research is therefore required, above all to evaluate comparatively the different techniques for coordinating patient discharge across the triple interface between hospitals, general practices and community health services; and to discover what effects increasing the scale and scope of general practice activities will have on continuity of care

Policy networks in action: a comparative case study of two projects aimed at addressing childhood vulnerability

PhD. thesis. University of the Witwatersrand, Wits School of Governance. 1st October 2015Two decades after South Africa’s transition to democracy, with a positive constitutional and legislative framework in place, a vast number of South African households continue to be subjected to serious inequalities and extreme poverty. The dual phenomenon of poverty and inequality are complex problems of such a magnitude that silo approaches and singular agency fixes are inadequate. South Africa has the potential to address such issues at a multi-actor multi-institutional level, involving both civil society organisations and government working together. This study investigates the manner in which various stakeholders come together to develop policy and implement strategies aimed at the alleviation of poverty, specifically focussing on childhood poverty and vulnerability. Using the policy network approach to illustrate the relationships that exist between actors, this study follows the policy process from formulation to implementation. The policy network approach is utilised as a lens through which the policy process is examined in two case studies — the succession planning and children’s act projects. These case studies share a common objective which is to equip service providers with the knowledge and skills to assist their clients in accessing their legal rights. Policy networks draw attention to the institutional arrangements needed for coordinating complex interactions between various actors involved in the policy process, with a specific interest on state-civil society relationships of policy cooperation. Hence, the main focus of the research is to ascertain the networking relationships that develop between government and civil society organisations and to explore the potential that policy networks offer in the future pursuit of social justice and children’s rights.MB201

Knowledge as Enablement

Knowledge can and does enable, specifically through engagement between higher education institutions, the third sector (mostly non-profit organisations), public service role players and the communities. The purpose of the research is reciprocal building, sharing and utilisation of knowledge for mutual enablement and capacity building

Identifying public health policymakers' sources of information: comparing survey and network analyses.

Background: Research suggests that policymakers often use personal contacts to find information and advice. However, the main sources of information for public health policymakers are not known. This study aims to describe policymakers' sources of information. A questionnaire survey of public health policymakers across Greater Manchester (GM) was carried out (response rate 48%). All policy actors above Director level involved in public health policy (finding, analyzing or producing information, producing or implementing policy) in GM were included in the sampling frame. Respondents were provided with a list of sources of information and asked which they used (categorical data) and to name specific individuals who acted as sources of information (network data). Data were analyzed using frequencies and network analysis. The most frequently chosen sources of information from the categorical data were NICE, government websites and Directors of Public Health. However, the network data showed that the main sources of information in the network were actually mid-level managers in the NHS, who had no direct expertise in public health. Academics and researchers did not feature in the network. Both survey and network analyses provide useful insights into how policymakers access information. Network analysis offers practical and theoretical contributions to the evidence-based policy debate. Identifying individuals who act as key users and producers of evidence allows academics to target actors likely to use and disseminate their work

The unsung heroes of welfare collaboration: complexities around individuals’ contribution to effective inter-agency working in LSCBs

The article addresses an under-explored aspect of public partnerships: individuals’ role in the effectiveness of collaborations such as the Local Safeguarding Children’s Boards (LSCBs) in England and Wales. Building upon theoretical concepts around complex emergence, we conceptualize individuals as conveyors of complex negotiated individual, professional and organizational frames. Shifting focus away from inter-organizational and towards inter-personal communication in partnerships is consistent with miscommunication being the widest recognized problem in collaborations. Qualitative data from policy documents, interviews, and participant and non-participant observation are used to show individuals in the LSCB case study advancing or hindering collaborative work as ‘boundary spanners’ or ‘reluctant’ partners

The role of joint training in inter-organizational collaboration in emergency management

Doctoral thesis (PhD) – Nord University, 2021publishedVersio

Organisational forgetting:The food safety risk associated with unintentional knowledge loss

Background: Organisational forgetting is associated with unintentional knowledge loss that makes both food businesses and consumers vulnerable to a food safety incident. It is essential that food businesses have strategies and processes in place to minimise unintentional knowledge loss to ensure that essential knowledge is retained, maintained and stays valid. Scope and approach: The aim of this paper is to consider the risk associated with unintentional food safety knowledge loss at individual, organisational and inter-organisational levels. The research approach employed was to undertake a review of existing literature to frame the conceptual research. Screening of both academic and grey literature demonstrated a distinct knowledge gap i.e., there is limited previous research considering the concept of unintentional knowledge loss and its impact on food safety. Case study examples explore the academic theory in more depth. Key findings and conclusions: Three aspects of organisational forgetting are considered in the context of food safety: organisational amnesia, organisational memory decay, and supply chain déjà-vu. The first two aspects operate at the organisational level and the third at the supply chain level. To overcome the risk of unintentional loss, organisational and interorganisational knowledge needs to be effectively mapped and a knowledge retention policy needs to be developed, implemented and maintained that addresses all types of organisational and interorganisational knowledge, but especially food safety knowledge