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

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

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

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

Dust properties in M31.I.Basic properties and a discussion on age-dependent dust heating

Context. Spitzer Space Telescope observations and dust emission models are used to discuss the distribution of dust and its characteristics in M31. Together with GALEX FUV, NUV, and SDSS images we studied the age dependence of the dust heating process. Methods.Spitzer IRAC/MIPS maps of M31 were matched together and compared to dust emission models allowing to constrain the dust mass, the intensity of the mean radiation field, the abundance of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAH) particles. The total infrared emission (TIR) was analyzed in function of UV and Optical colors and compared to predictions of models which consider the age-dependent dust heating. Results. We demonstrate that cold-dust component emission dominates the infrared spectral energy distribution of M31. The mean intensity of the radiation field heating the dust is low (typically U<2, where U=1 is the value in the solar surrounding). Due to the lack of submillimetric measurements the dust mass (M_{dust}) is only weakly constrained by the infrared spectrum. We show that across the spiral-ring structure of M31 a fraction >3% of the total dust mass is in PAHs. UV and optical colors are correlated to (TIR/FUV) ratios in \sim 670 pc-sized regions overall the disk of M31, although deviating from the IRX-beta relationship for starburst galaxies. We derived that in 83% of the regions analyzed across the 10kpc ring more than 50% of the energy absorbed by the dust is rediated at \lambda > 4000 \AA and that dust in M31 appears mainly heated by populations a few Gyr old even across the star-forming ring. The attenuation is varying radially peaking near 10kpc and decreasing faster in the inner regions of M31 than in the outer regions. We finally derived the attenuation map of M31 at 6"/px resolution (\sim 100 pc/px along the plane of M31).[abridged]Comment: 21 pages, 18 figures, accepted for publication in A&A. Only low resolution images included, full resolution images will be avaiable in the journal electronic version. Fig.14 and Fig.17 will be avaiable via CD

On the cavity method for decimated random constraint satisfaction problems and the analysis of belief propagation guided decimation algorithms

We introduce a version of the cavity method for diluted mean-field spin models that allows the computation of thermodynamic quantities similar to the Franz-Parisi quenched potential in sparse random graph models. This method is developed in the particular case of partially decimated random constraint satisfaction problems. This allows to develop a theoretical understanding of a class of algorithms for solving constraint satisfaction problems, in which elementary degrees of freedom are sequentially assigned according to the results of a message passing procedure (belief-propagation). We confront this theoretical analysis to the results of extensive numerical simulations.Comment: 32 pages, 24 figure

The emergence of Vibrio pathogens in Europe: ecology, evolution, and pathogenesis

Global change has caused a worldwide increase in reports of Vibrio-associated diseases with ecosystem-wide impacts on humans and marine animals. In Europe, higher prevalence of human infections followed regional climatic trends with outbreaks occurring during episodes of unusually warm weather. Similar patterns were also observed in Vibrio-associated diseases affecting marine organisms such as fish, bivalves and corals. Basic knowledge is still lacking on the ecology and evolutionary biology of these bacteria as well as on their virulence mechanisms. Current limitations in experimental systems to study infection and the lack of diagnostic tools still prevent a better understanding of Vibrio emergence. A major challenge is to foster cooperation between fundamental and applied research in order to investigate the consequences of pathogen emergence in natural Vibrio populations and answer federative questions that meet societal needs. Here we report the proceedings of the first European workshop dedicated to these specific goals of the Vibrio research community by connecting current knowledge to societal issues related to ocean health and food security

Novel role for the innate immune receptor toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) in the regulation of the wnt signaling pathway and photoreceptor apoptosis

Recent evidence has implicated innate immunity in regulating neuronal survival in the brain during stroke and other neurodegenerations. Photoreceptors are specialized light-detecting neurons in the retina that are essential for vision. In this study, we investigated the role of the innate immunity receptor TLR4 in photoreceptors. TLR4 activation by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) significantly reduced the survival of cultured mouse photoreceptors exposed to oxidative stress. With respect to mechanism, TLR4 suppressed Wnt signaling, decreased phosphorylation and activation of the Wnt receptor LRP6, and blocked the protective effect of the Wnt3a ligand. Paradoxically, TLR4 activation prior to oxidative injury protected photoreceptors, in a phenomenon known as preconditioning. Expression of TNFα and its receptors TNFR1 and TNFR2 decreased during preconditioning, and preconditioning was mimicked by TNFα antagonists, but was independent of Wnt signaling. Therefore, TLR4 is a novel regulator of photoreceptor survival that acts through the Wnt and TNFα pathways. © 2012 Yi et al

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