NETWORKS, KNOWLEDGE AND COMPLEXITY : an Inquiry into the Architectural Dynamics of Strategic Networks

Abstract

The purpose of the book is to provide an interpretative framework helping to understand the emergence and development of strategic networks and their multilevel architectures. Drawing on three complementary theoretical approaches (strategic network theory, the knowledge-based theory of the firms, and complexity theory), the book considers strategic networks as complex dynamic networks of knowledge, resources, and capabilities. This view is able to shed new light on the multilevel architecture epitomizing strategic networks and the specific processes of knowledge, resource, and capability transfer, sharing, and creation that occur within and between network levels. Accordingly, the volume clarifies the competitive ground and consequence of strategic networks' multilevel architecture and provides an in-depth investigation of the emergence and development of two strategic networks operating in different competitive and knowledge domains; i.e., STMicroelectronics and Toyota. The volume also scrutinizes the forces guiding network architecture dynamics. Agency and emergence are two forces underlying network dynamics, however the role and scope of each varies in relation to the evolutionary phase of the network and the architectural level of the strategic network taken into consideration. The volume delves into the theoretical background and the empirical relevance of the different forces underlying multilevel network evolution.