Paper info

Micro-processes in macro-organizing: the social construction of a strategic network

Eva. A. Sandberg

The paper was published at the 18th IMP-conference in Perth, Australia in 2002.

This paper introduces a social constructionist perspective on the study of the "hub" firm ina strategic network. The paper focuses on the empirical content in an evolutionary processby highlighting how the network came into being, and by mapping out the concrete meansby which it was constructed. It also elucidates how macro conditions are interconnectedwith micro-processes. By integrating social constructionist concepts with concepts fromthe theory of organizational evolution, an analytical framework is elaborated. Thisframework is then applied to a biographical chronology of the empirical data. The resultsuggests that prior inter-personal relations are essential for the genesis and maintenanceof strategic inter-organizational cooperation. The results indicate further that imitation ofprior strategic networks is an important generic process that brings speed, rationality andlegitimacy to the network. Finally, the study gives substantial examples of how proceduresand rules at the macro-level influence the design and activity structure of the network.