Brokerage and governance for business networks: a metasynthesis-based discussion
- PDF / 604,964 Bytes
- 32 Pages / 439.37 x 666.142 pts Page_size
- 115 Downloads / 163 Views
Brokerage and governance for business networks: a metasynthesis-based discussion Birgit Leick1
· Susanne Gretzinger2
© Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2018
Abstract This article reviews and discusses empirical literature on the micromechanisms of Burt’s concept of brokerage for inter-firm business networks from a governance perspective. Using a combination of a literature review and a qualitative metasynthesis, research gaps are first identified in the literature about these micromechanisms and then filled with interpretations, stemming from a qualitative metasynthesis of 13 in-depth case studies on brokerage for business network environments. The paper discusses three related elements and their inter-relationship in the brokerage process: the enabling factors for brokerage in business networks; the brokerage activities, particularly the combination of “bonding”, “bridging”, exclusion, and moderation/negotiation in different network configurations; and the outcomes of brokerage for business networks. We argue that network managers should take care of these elements when using brokerage to govern business networks. For example, the positional factors of agents in the network who take over brokerage functions need to be monitored and a balance of their embeddedness in the network and independence of focal firms should be safeguarded. Moreover, activities associated with brokerage should be steered and controlled in order to generate network benefits such as a higher collaborative stance of the partaking firms or learning processes amongst them. Keywords Brokers · Brokerage · Structural holes · Network governance · Inter-firm business networks · Metasynthesis
& Birgit Leick [email protected] 1
Faculty of Business, Languages, and Social Sciences, Østfold University College, Halden, Norway
2
Department of Entrepreneurship and Relationship Management, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark
123
B. Leick, S. Gretzinger
1 Introduction Inter-firm business networks are typically conceptualised as an essential resource both for individual firms and the network as a system (Anderson and Jack 2002; Blyler and Coff 2003; Dyer et al. 2008; Arya and Lin 2007; Gulati 1999). Benefits resulting from easier access to resources and opportunities associated with the social relationships between firms allow those firms to efficiently co-ordinate interdependent tasks and raise collective action (Gargiulo and Benassi 2000). While social capital theorists such as Coleman (1988) claim that any kind of social ties facilitates some forms of social capital, certain structures and activities within the network relationships are obviously more advantageous than others in order to generate network benefits (Provan and Lemaire 2012). From a prescriptive stance, it is therefore essential to manage the social capital that resides in inter-firm business networks through adequate governance mechanisms that generate competitive advantages for firms and create value for the whole network. In this articl
Data Loading...
