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
