Angel Saz-Carranza

Paradox and Collaboration in Network Management

Qualitative evidence from action networks is used to answer the research question, How do leaders of successful networks manage collaboration challenges to make things happen? This study of two urban immigration coalitions in the United States found that their leaders developed practices as a response to two paradoxical requirements of network collaboration: managing unity and diversity when doing inward work and confrontation and dialogue when doing outward work. By illuminating how leaders responded to these complex demands inherent in action networks, the authors open up the black box of managing whole networks of organizations and underscore the role of leadership in interorganizational collaboration.

Managing Competing Institutional Logics in Public–Private Joint Ventures

Abstract Cross-sector inter-organizational partnerships, alliances and networks have become extremely popular. Yet, we may expect competing societal-level institutional logics to play an important role in cross-sector alliances, hence making their management central to alliance success. This article responds to the general research question: How do participants of public–private joint ventures manage competing institutional logics? Based on in-depth interviews we empirically characterize two competing logics in a cross-sector collaborative and identify two practices used to cope with them.

Development Education and Engineering: A Framework for Incorporating Reality of Developing Countries into Engineering Studies.

Purpose – To show the key points of a development education program for engineering studies fitted within the framework of the human development paradigm.Design/methodology/approach – The bases of the concept of technology for human development are presented, and the relationship with development education analysed. Special attention is dedicated to the role of case studies in engineering courses. After that, the development education program pushed by the Civil Engineering School of Barcelona and Engineering without Borders is explained, focusing on two major contributions: two optional courses about international aid and development and nine classroom case studies about different technologies used in real co‐operation projects.Findings – This work provides a conceptual basis for incorporating development education into engineering studies, a general overview of different activities promoted in Spanish technical universities and practical information about optional courses and classroom case studies.Rese...

Institutional Sources of Distrust in Government Contracting

Abstract This interview-based study explores trust in public–private co-operation by addressing the research questions: What are the main sources of distrust in public–private contracting? And why? We compare two Spanish social services subfields: one with high levels of cross-sector distrust and another one with low distrust between public and private sectors. We conclude that the sources of the identified cross-sector distrust are institutional: insufficient regulation and legislation, lack of business certification, and low local government administrative capacity. The article is a pioneering exploration of the under-researched theme of institutional distrust and its effect on public–private co-operation management.

The dynamics of public networks

Purpose – This paper, by carrying out a review of the existent literature, tries to answer the question: what is the process an inter‐organizational public network undergoes?Design/methodology/approach – First, different linear‐sequential network process models proposed by different scholars and disciplines are reviewed. Thereafter, grounded on the existing literature, some basic dimensions are identified, used to compare the different models proposed, highlighting complementarities and contradictions.Findings – Different authors expect contradictory evolutions of the relations between actors along the stages. Complementing linear process models with other types of approaches, e.g. dialectical models, may well synthesize the opposing findings.Originality/value – The gap in knowledge on public network process makes the study of network process both theoretically relevant and significant to practice. The main contribution of the paper is a comparative study of the conceptualizations of the process a network...

Uniting diverse organizations : managing goal-oriented advocacy networks

1. Introduction 2. Advocacy Networks in the U.S. Immigration Field 3. The Core of Goal-Directed Network Management: Uniting in Diversity 4. Building Power and Using It 5. Sustaining the Unity/Diversity Tension 6. Managing Interaction and Decision-Making in Diversity 7. Conclusion. Appendix 1: Research Design and Methodology. Notes. Bibliography. Index

The Development of the Governance of Regulatory Networks: The Case of the European Telecommunications Regulatory Network

Abstract Purpose of this Paper Networks are by now popular inter-organizational coordination modes. However, there is still much to know regarding how networks are governed and how their governance develops and changes through time. Design/Methodology/Approach This paper addresses the research question how does the governance form of networks develops over time by empirically studying the European telecommunications regulatory network using a case study approach. Findings We find that the network’s governance system is determined by the dialectical tension between network members (National Regulatory Agencies) and an external very influential body (the European Commission). This tension unifies the group in the classic external conflict–internal cohesion fashion. We also identify a second dialectical tension internal to the network among its members. The tensions are triggered by evaluations carried out by an external actor (the European Commission). In general, the process observed confirms the propositions that predict a formalizing of the governance as the network grows older. Research limitations/Implications This research is based on a single case, a broader analysis of other regulatory networks among network industries at the European Union level will help researchers to establish a more comprehensive picture on the development of the governance form of this specific subset of goal-directed networks.

Devising Strategic Plans to improve Organizational Performance of Intergovernmental Organizations

This article discusses how intergovernmental organizations (IGOs) can use different strategic planning approaches in devising strategic plans to improve organizational performance. Six strategic planning approaches from the business sector are highlighted in this study. Each of the strategic planning approaches specifically addresses a core aspect of the strategic planning process. Thus, this article posits that an IGO must choose the most appropriate strategic planning approach depending on its specific organizational design features: membership, control, scope, centralization, flexibility, and independence. We argue that an IGOs design features affect its decision-making, organizational performance orientation, and legitimacy, and these, in turn should determine whether it opts for member-driven, results-driven, or environment-driven strategies. This article also explores how IGOs can complementary combine distinct approaches to maximize the benefits from strategic planning by determining how one approach compensates the limitation of another in devising strategic plans. This article ultimately produces a framework to provide propositions for researchers, and a tool for IGO leaders to identify the optimum strategic planning approach to help improve organizational performance.

A configurational analysis of board involvement in intergovernmental organizations

Manuscript Type. Empirical. Research Issue. Research on board involvement has evolved and shifted towards seeking the appropriate role these boards should play in the strategy process. Current theoretical debates and inconclusive empirical findings in the literature point to an unresolved issue regarding the level of board involvement that is conducive to effective strategy formulation. This study aims to identify the levels of board involvement that are associated with highly effective and less effective strategy formulation. Research Findings. We examine the boards of 16 intergovernmental organizations by conducting an inductive fuzzy‐set qualitative comparative analysis to identify different levels of board involvement that are associated with highly effective and less effective strategy formulation. Our results illustrate that both active and less active board involvement are associated with highly effective strategy formulation, while an intermediate level of board involvement is associated with less effective strategy formulation. Theoretical Implications. This study contributes to the literature seeking to understand board involvement in the strategy process. We build a multi‐dimensional board involvement framework consisting of board dynamics, the use of director resources, and context. We use the information‐processing perspective to elucidate the relationship between different levels of board involvement and effective strategy formulation. Practitioner Implications. Our findings suggest that the optimal level of board involvement in strategy formulation depends on an organizations complexity, a factor which determines its information‐processing needs.

Accountability Elements in Nonprofits

“NGOs are influential. Nevertheless, in the future, their lack of accountability and legitimacy will curtail — or, at least, restraint — their influence capabilities.” Many of the people who collaborate with or work at nonprofit organizations will surely agree with this statement by University of Oxford Professor Alan M. Rugman (2001). Civil society organizations still need to prove to a significant share of western societies that they are not mere charitable institutions, service providers or anti-establishment activists.