Manoeuvring between Networks to Lead – A Longitudinal Case Study in the Semiconductor Industry

How organizations exert leadership in interorganizational, predominantly hierarchical networks is well researched. However, there are also networks that are not hierarchical, but heterarchical in nature, i.e. where no organizational actor formally presides over the other member organizations and where leadership is nevertheless practised and accepted by network members. But how exactly is an organization able to lead under these structural conditions and, in particular, to capitalize – in the leadership process – on its membership in more than one network? Informed by structuration theory, we investigate this practice of ‘network manoeuvring’, that is, how an organization skilfully takes advantage of the reciprocal influences between two different forms of networks. In particular, we study Intel de facto leading the SEMATECH consortium (i.e. a heterarchical network) and guiding technology development along its supply chain (i.e. a hierarchical network). Network manoeuvring is enabled in this case by two mutually reinforming practices (i.e. roadmapping and roadmap gap filling) centred around a key resource (i.e. a roadmap as an artefact). Based upon our findings, we provide practical guidance and theoretical insights on how and under what circumstances this kind of manoeuvring in and across two (different types of) networks substitutes for formally legitimated leadership

Umgang mit Unsicherheit in globalen Produktionsnetzwerken und Zulieferketten

Disruptive Ereignisse wie die Finanzkrise oder Fukushima verdeutlichen die Anfälligkeit globaler Produktionsnetzwerke und Zulieferketten. Ein wichtiger grund hierfür ist die meist einseitige Orientierung an vermeintlich kalkulier- und quantifizierbaren Risiken anstatt der zusätzlichen Berücksichtigung genuiner, unvorhersehbarer Unsicherheit. Im Rahmen dieses Projekts wurde untersucht, inwiefern in solche Netzwerke eingebundene Unternehmen auf Unsicherheit vorbereitet sind bzw. damit umgehen. Basierend auf einer systematischen Sichtung der Literatur und von Jahresabschlussberichten sowie Interviews mit Mitgliedern der Arbeitnehmervertretung in Aufsichtsräten wichtiger deutscher Unternehmen in den Bereichen der Metallindustrie zeigt sich, dass primär Risiken und nicht Unsicherheiten vor organisationalem Hintergrund analysiert werden. Dies führt dazu, dass die Unternehmen tendenziell gegenüber disruptiven Ereignissen anfälliger sind. Allerdings bilden disruptive Ereignisse oftmals den Anstoß für Veränderungen des Diskurses und erzeugen sowohl Sensibilität für den Umgang mit Unsicherheit, nicht nur organisational, sondern auch und gerade interorganisational

Field-configuring events: Arenas for innovation and learning?

Field-configuring events and their impact upon organizations, networks and organizational fields have become an important focal point for research. Since the coining of the term (Meyer, Gaba, and Colwell 2005; Lampel and Meyer 2008), the body of research on events such as trade fairs, conferences, or festivals has grown in different disciplinary contexts, particularly management and organization studies and economic geography. The general gist of these studies is that interactions at temporally and spatially bounded sites are marked by “predictable unpredictability” (Lampel 2011) and “allow disparate constituents to become aware of their common concerns, join together, share information, coordinate their actions, shape or subvert agendas, and mutually influence field structuration” (Anand and Jones 2008, 1037). Research on organized events more broadly has a longer tradition in the two disciplines. Previous work in management and organization studies has analyzed events such as board meetings, strategy meetings or committees on an organizational level as sites for strategy making (e.g. Jarzabkowski and Seidl 2008). On a field level, Rao (1994) has examined certification contests as a way of legitimization new organizational forms and Zilber (2007) studied conferences as occasions for making sense of disrupted industry. Research on creative industries has perceived events such as festivals or award ceremonies as sites for the negotiation of values (e.g. Moeran and Strandgaard Pedersen 2011). In economic geography, trade fairs have been conceptualized as temporary clusters (Maskell, Bathelt, and Malmberg 2006) and cyclical events (Power and Jansson 2008), playing an important role in structuring global business exchanges. This literature has elucidated that trade fairs not only afford opportunities for acquiring knowledge through face-to-face interaction, but also for obtaining information by observing and monitoring other participants (Bathelt and Schuldt 2010). Trade fairs, it is argued, create a dense ecology of information and communication flows that provides opportunities for the exploration of market trends and the generation and maintenance of networks (e.g. Schuldt and Bathelt 2011)

Out of Nowhere? Interorganizational Assemblage as the Answer to a Food-Borne Disease Outbreak

The ad hoc formation of interorganizational relationships and networks re- mains a black box for management scholars. We address this phenomenon by investigating interorganizational responses to an extreme event. Hence, we explore how interorganizational constellations of previously unconnected actors formed in response to the large-scale outbreak of enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) in Germany in 2011, which killed 53 people and af- fected over 4,000. We present a preliminary model of interorganizational as- semblage and offer propositions that highlight the conditions under which the development of collaborations across organizations is made possible in face of crises

BENKLER REVISITED – VENTURING BEYOND THE OPEN SOURCE SOFTWARE ARENA?

The organizational principles of open source software (OSS) development have challenged traditional theories in economics, organization research and information systems. In a seminal paper, Benkler (2002) provided a comprehensive framework to structure and explain these OSS principles. Coined Commons-Based Peer Production (CBPP), his framework has inspired a large stream of research on OSS. The objective of our paper is to determine whether CBPP also provides a viable framework to investigate projects of open innovation in non-software related domains. Using a case study approach, we focus on four projects that attempt to operate in line with the OSS phenomenon, but deal with tangible outputs (biotechnology, automobiles, entertainment hardware, and public patent review). We show that in general the CBPP framework is well-suited to explain open value creation in these domains. However, we also find several factors which limit its adoption to non-software related arenas

a methodology for understanding path dependence and path creation

Although an increasing number of studies of technological, institutional and organizational change refer to the concepts of path dependence and path creation, few attempts have been made to consider these concepts explicitly in their methodological accounts. This paper addresses this gap and contributes to the literature by developing a comprehensive methodology that originates from the concepts of path dependence and path creation – path constitution analysis (PCA) – and allows for the integration of multi-actor constellations on multiple levels of analysis within a process perspective. Based upon a longitudinal case study in the field of semiconductors, we illustrate PCA ‘in action’ as a template for other researchers and critically examine its adequacy. We conclude with implications for further path-oriented inquiries

Filling in roadmap gaps in the semiconductor industry

Complex technologies are often developed in inter-organisational networks as actors try to reduce development costs and uncertainty about the viability of these innovations. However, as of to date it remains unclear how such innovations are financed collectively under conditions characterised by extreme uncertainty. Hence we explore how financial resources within innovation networks are mobilised and allocated. This question is of particular importance to the development of system technologies that are viable only if all critical components are functional on time. We explore this issue by reviewing the development of a radically new system technology for mass manufacturing microchips in the semiconductor industry. In this industry, technological roadmaps allow actors to identify critical components that still need to be developed. These components are the so-called roadmap gaps. However, suppliers can be reluctant to develop the required components at their own expense because of the high uncertainties involved. In such cases, providing financial support to component suppliers is a central task of innovation networks. The empirical analysis shows that semiconductor manufacturers take both an individual and a collective approach to filling roadmap gaps. This study contributes to prior research on innovation networks and financial management not only by identifying and clarifying these two approaches, but also by revealing under which conditions they are used. The findings are particularly relevant to scholars interested in the innovations of complex product systems (CoPS)

Microbiological risk assessment

Microbiological risk assessment is defined by the CODEX Alimentarius Commission as 'a scientifically based process consisting of the following steps: (i) hazard identification; (ii) hazard characterisation; (iii) exposure assessment; and (iv) risk characterisation'. It is one of the components of microbiological risk analysis, which has the overall objective to minimise food-borne risks to consumers. It is a complex discipline that continues to evolve and challenges and new opportunities were discussed during the breakout session 'Microbiological risk assessment' held at the EFSA 2nd Scientific Conference 'Shaping the Future of Food Safety, Together' (Milan, Italy, 14–16 October 2015). Discussions focussed on the estimation of the global burden of food-borne disease, the prioritisation of microbiological risks taking into account uncertainty, the challenges in risk assessment when dealing with viruses, the contribution of typing methods to risk assessment and approaches to deal with uncertainty in risk assessment in emergency situations. It was concluded that the results of the global burden of food-borne disease study provide, for the first time, a comprehensive comparison of risks due to different hazards and this will be an important input to food safety strategies at the global, regional and national levels. Risk ranking methodologies are an important tool for priority setting. It is important to consider the underestimation (e.g. due to bias in reporting). Typing methods for microbial hazards inevitably impact on risk assessment and can have an important influence on the accuracy of source attribution studies. Due to their high genetic diversity and the limitations of current diagnostic methods, it is still challenging to obtain robust evidence for food-borne outbreaks caused by viruses and more research is needed on the use of whole genome sequencing in this area. The lessons learnt from the recent enterohaemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) outbreak in Germany include the need for more effective and timely connections within and between institutions as responses unfold

Low Q2Q^2, Low xx Region in Electroproduction −- an Overview

We summarise existing experimental and theoretical knowledge on the structure function $F_2$ in the region of low $Q^2$ and low $x$. The constraints on the behaviour of structure functions in the limit $Q^2=0$ are listed. Phenomenological low $Q^2$ parametrisations of the $F_2$ are collected and their dynamical content is discussed. The high energy photoproduction and nuclear shadowing are also briefly described. Recent update of the low $Q^2$, low $x$ experimental data is given.Comment: 28 pages Warsaw university preprint number IFD/1/199

Shared genetic risk between eating disorder- and substance-use-related phenotypes:Evidence from genome-wide association studies

First published: 16 February 202