ICOPA Seminar with Prof Zuzana Murdoch (University of Bergen)

Getting in line: Managing temporal mismatches through synchronizing mechanisms in inter-organizational networks

Authors: Vibeke Kroken and Zuzana Murdoch

Abstract

How can inter-organizational networks govern and resolve mismatches in the temporal attributes of their members (such as their time horizon, pace, rhythm, and temporal orientation)? This is an important question because collaboration in inter-organizational networks is increasingly common, and the governability of such networks can be at risk when members have dissimilar temporal characteristics (i.e., a state of ‘a-synchronicity’). Building on interview and archival data covering three complex, inter-sectoral governance networks within the Norwegian Scenic Routes programme, we conduct an abductive longitudinal study into how inter-organizational network members (re)align – or ‘entrain’ – their temporal attributes. We identify both passive and active entrainment mechanisms as central to networks’ temporal coordination, and elucidate how network members exploit situation-specific sources of power to gain a dominant position in this coordination process. Our findings clarify the nature, conditions, and implications of temporal coordination within inter-organizational networks, which is vital to develop strategies that optimize the functioning of such networks.