Values-Based Network Leadership in an Interconnected World

This paper describes values-based network leadership conceptually aligned to systems science, principles of networks, moral and ethical development, and connectivism. Values-based network leadership places importance on a leader\u27s repertoire of skills for stewarding a culture of purpose and calling among distributed teams in a globally interconnected world. Values-based network leadership is applicable for any leader needing to align interdependent effort by networks of teams operating across virtual and physical environments to achieve a collective purpose. An open-learning ecosystem is also described to help leaders address the development of strengths associated with building trust and relationships across networks of teams, aligned under a higher purpose and calling, possessing moral fiber, resilient in the face of complexity, reflectively competent to adapt as interconnected efforts evolve and change within multicultural environments, and able to figure out new ways to do something never done before

Can knowledge management save regional development?

Australia needs to create innovative regions to sustain economic prosperity and regional development. In order to do this, regions will need to systematically address their knowledge needs and identify tools that are appropriate in maximising their effectiveness. Many initiatives have focused on information and communication technology (ICT) to enable knowledge exchange and stimulate knowledge generation, but active knowledge management (KM) strategies are required if ICTs are to be used effectively. These strategies must respond to the regional economic and social environments which incorporate small and medium enterprises (SMEs). This paper outlines the importance of KM for supporting regional cluster development and the key ways in which communities of practice (CoPs), a KM technique, have been used to add value in similar contexts. How CoPs and their online counterpart, virtual communities of practice (VCoPs), can be used and developed in regional areas of Australia is considered along with a program for further research.<br /

Do birds of a feather flock together? Proximities and inter-clusters network

The present contribution develops on the analysis of clusters in terms of proximities by exploring the issue of distant inter-cluster collaborations. We mobilize different forms of proximity (geographic, cognitive, social) discussed in the literature in order to identify their respective influence on intercluster collaboration by taking the example of French Pôles de Compétitivité. Our results echo previous results applied to intra-cluster collaborations since inter-cluster collaboration mostly relies on a form of social capital due to the key roles played by relational and cognitive proximity. Finally, our results exhibit a negative influence of geographic distance on collaboration. JEL: C45, R12, R58 Keywords: clusters, network analysis, proximities, intercluster collaboration

Challenging The Global, Rediscovering The Local: Voluntary Market Restriction In C2C E-Marketplaces

The current age of networked information systems brings concerns that in an increasingly global world the dominance of multinational corporations overrides regional and national identities. This view is challenged by the concept of glocalisation where ideas in the global environment are adapted to take account of local cultures. Many organisations operating globally seek to adapt their business strategies to fit with local environments. However, in an increasingly glocalized world organisations may curtail their market by forming boundaries around their online presence; in essence making local what is potentially global. We have identified this strategy of boundedness as ‘voluntary market restriction’. This study aims to examine voluntary market restriction in the consumer-to-consumer (C2C) space where online marketplaces are differentiating themselves by creating boundaries within which they embed communities. This paper examines three C2C e-marketplaces with strong similarities in their market mechanisms that have the potential to operate globally, although two have chosen not to do so. These two market makers have put boundaries around their markets; one by language and one by geography. They have succeeded in wresting considerable local market share from the global e-marketplace. The paper concludes by discussing the implications of the research and suggestions for future study

The embeddedness of social entrepreneurship: Understanding variation across local communities

Social enterprise organizations (SEOs) arise from entrepreneurial activities with the aim of achieving social goals. SEOs have been seen as alternative and/or complementary to the actions of governments and international organizations to address poverty and poverty-related social needs. Using a number of illustrative cases, we explore how variations in local institutional mechanisms shape the local "face of poverty" in different communities and how this relates to variations in the emergence and strategic orientations of SEOs. We develop a model of the productive opportunity space for SEOs as a basis of, and an inspiration for, further scholarly inquiry.social entrepreneurship; Social mechanisms; poverty; opportunity; institutions;

Trust Development in Networked Environments: A Performative Account

We focus on trust development in dynamic, unstructured and non-commercial networked environments and conceptualize it as the process of producing a stable network ordering. We present a longitudinal, in-depth case study of the global humanitarian aid network, which is undergoing a disruptive transformation due to the emergence of digital volunteers who offer unique digital capacity for collecting and analyzing humanitarian aid data. Integrating this new actor-network into the existing global humanitarian network, comprised of formal organizations exhibits many problems that are concerned with trust. The ongoing inter-penetrating of these two networks is leading towards stabilizing into a new, qualitatively different network ordering that morphs the traditional and digital network models. We draw on sociology of translation, with its relational and performative sensibility, to analyze the network emerging and stabilizing as processes of trust development. We highlight the importance of four practices, performative of network trust: problematization, interessement, enrollment and mobilization

Pedagogical tools in an online teacher education programme: A sense of belonging and social presence

This thesis presents the findings from a study that explores in what ways the pedagogical tools in an online teacher education programme can facilitate a sense of belonging and social presence. In particular it explores the individual contribution of pedagogical online tools in relation to this. The research data was gathered using a mixed methodology. Qualitative data was gathered from questionnaires sent to six participants of the online teacher education programme that were then analysed to identify common themes, patterns and difference in participants perspectives. Quantitative data was collected by analysing the contributions of each of the six participants in specific computer mediated communication forums using Garrison and Anderson’s (2004) social presence and indicators framework across two papers of this online programme. There are two key findings evident in the data of this study. The first is that pedagogical online tools can facilitate a sense of belonging and afford social presence in an online community of learners. However, each tool has different affordances. The effectiveness of their use depends on the way they are supported and used by the lecturer. Secondly, each participant had a different perspective on the affordances of each individual tool in their usefulness for fostering a sense of belonging and social presence. This was of particular interest as it indicates that one tool can afford a diversity of factors that may have a particular resonance with individual participants. The findings highlight the importance of lecturers needing to take into account the different affordances of online tools and the different ways that students might use them. Therefore, this study is in a position to inform the development of this and other online teacher education programme

A framework for developing and implementing an online learning community

Developing online learning communities is a promising pedagogical approach in online learning contexts for adult tertiary learners, but it is no easy task. Understanding how learning communities are formed and evaluating their efficacy in supporting learning involves a complex set of issues that have a bearing on the design and facilitation of successful online learning experiences. This paper describes the development of a framework for understanding and developing an online learning community for adult tertiary learners in a New Zealand tertiary institution. In accord with sociocultural views of learning and practices, the framework depicts learning as a mediated, situated, distributed, goal-directed, and participatory activity within a socially and culturally determined learning community. Evidence for the value of the framework is grounded in the findings of a case study of a semester-long fully online asynchronous graduate course. The framework informs our understanding of appropriate conditions for the development and conduct of online learning communities. Implications are presented for the design and facilitation of learning in such contexts

Firm dynamic governance of global innovation by means of flexible networks of connections

Today a plethora of inter-company alliances exists. Firms have networked value chains, disclosing consequently their strategy, which assets are internalized or externalized, and their ability to cope with fast change. The picture of all interfirm alliances in high tech sectors is that of an unstable complex network, or macrostructure, that evolves quickly and into which firms are differently entwined. Structural metrics borrowed from network research in sociology such as centrality and constraint (or lack of “structural holes”) can be used to assess dynamically a firm’s position in the macro structure and therefore the market: does the firm occupy a dominant or dominated position in an industry? How do its partners and competitors perform? Drawing also from recent theories on complex networks developed by statistical physicists, we show that firms are embedded in dynamic complex networks that have a ‘scale-free’ format, with only a few firms or “hubs” controlling the system, as well as a cohesive or ‘small-world’ structure. This small-world structure, which allows rapid diffusion of innovation along very short paths, also constrains firms continuously and can lead to a fast reversal of their position on the market. Taking as an example a major sector of the biopharmaceutical industry, this study offers insights for managers to assess effectively their environment and navigate under constant pressure within these ever-changing networks.Innovation; alliances; structural holes; centrality; complex networks; small world

Optimising the community-based approach to healthcare improvement: Comparative case studies of the clinical community model in practice

Community-based approaches to healthcare improvement are receiving increasing attention. Such approaches could offer an infrastructure for efficient knowledge-sharing and a potent means of influencing behaviours, but their potential is yet to be optimised. After briefly reviewing challenges to community-based approaches, we describe in detail the clinical community model. Through exploring clinical communities in practice, we seek to identify practical lessons for optimising this community-based approach to healthcare improvement. Through comparative case studies based on secondary analysis, we examine two contrasting examples of clinical communities in practice – the USA-based Michigan Keystone ICU programme, and the UK-based Improving Lung Cancer Outcomes Project. We focus on three main issues. First, both cases were successful in mobilising diverse communities: favourable starting conditions, core teams with personal credibility, reputable institutional backing and embeddedness in wider networks were important. Second, top-down input to organise regular meetings, minimise conflict and empower those at risk of marginalisation helped establish a strong sense of community and reciprocal ties, while intervention components and measures common to the whole community strengthened peer-norming effects. Third, to drive implementation, technical expertise and responsiveness from the core team were important, but so too were ‘hard tactics’ (e.g. strict limits on local customisation); these were more easily deployed where the intervention was standardised across the community and a strong evidence-base existed. Contrary to the idea of self-organising communities, our cases make clear that vertical and horizontal forces depend on each other synergistically for their effectiveness. We offer practical lessons for establishing an effective balance of horizontal and vertical influences, and for identifying the types of quality problems most amenable to community-based improvement.Emma-Louise Aveling's contribution was supported by funding from a Wellcome Trust Senior Investigator award [WT097899]. Graham Martin's contribution was supported by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Collaboration for Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care East Midlands (CLAHRC EM). The views expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of the NHS, the NIHR or the Department of Health. Previous work with the Improving Lung Cancer Outcomes project was funded by the Health Foundation, registered charity 286967, as part of its evaluation of the Closing the Gap through Clinical Communities programme