Between Self-Organizing and Accelerating Networks: Untangling the multilevel of strategic networks

Abstract

This paper aims to detect the crucial determinants and processes that shape the emergence and evolution of interfirm network cognitive morphology. We pinpoint three relatively distinct but coexistent levels which define the fundamental structure of the network: the microsystemic (or the single firm) level; the mesosystemic (or the groups of firms within the network) level; and the macrosystemic (or the overarching network) level. Then, we integrate the complex system perspective (Morin, 1977; Prigogine and Stengers, 1984; Anderson, 1999) applied to networks with studies regarding theoretical models that elucidate network structuring and dynamics cultivated in the new “science of networks” (Barabási, 2002; Buchanan, 2002; Watts, 2003) in such a way to typify the mesosystemic level as an accelerating network and the macrosystemic level as a selforganizing network. Finally, we represent multilevel network cognitive dynamics by means of a three-level cognitive shape that we term ‘network cognitive domain’ and dissect the correspondent multilevel governance scope of the network cognitive sub-domains.