Cultural differences in an interorganizational network: Shared public relations firms among Japanese and American companies

This article investigates the impact of national culture on interorganizational relationships among the organizations. Thirty-five companies which have stock offerings in U.S (17 Japanese and 18 American) were matched by their business types. The interorganizational network was defined as the number of shared public relations firms among the companies.A network analysis revealed that the network of shared public relations firms was loosely connected and American companies were more central. The companies were generally clustered into two groups, one composed of the Japanese companies and another of the American companies. However, the results also showed that some companies that had the same business type were more tightly clustered than others within the group. These results indicated that the network structure of shared public relations firms was influenced by the differences in national cultures as well as the companies' business types.     

Exchange and Power in Networks of Interorganizational Relations*

An extension of the exchange model for the analysis of interorganizational relations is developed, incorporating into the model recent developments in exchange theory. Organizational interactions are viewed as networks of exchange relation, and various forms of interorganizational activity such as merger and coalition or alliance formation are analyzed in relation to power and position in the network. Linkages between various types of exchange networks and what economists refer to as market structures are examined. Finally, previous criticisms of exchange formulations are reviewed, and directions for future theoretical and empirical work concerning networks of interorganizational relationships are discussed.     

The Parameters of Agency-School Social Work Educational Planning

Abstract

Reduced financial support and increased service demand have led many human service administrators to undertake coordination activities with other organizations in order to maintain services for clients. Many social work administrators have little understanding of interorganizational theory and techniques. This paper suggests, from a political economy perspective, that interorganizational theory and practice skills should be further developed in the social work administration curriculum. As a step in this direction, the paper first identifies key interorganizational concepts and research. Factors crucial to successful coordination are then summarized, and strategies for promoting successful coordination are detailed, with attention to benefits and costs of each strategy. Finally, the paper describes several alternative ways to integrate interorganizational content in the social work administration classroom and field placement.     

Interorganizational network portfolios of nonprofit organizations: Implications for collaboration management

Increasingly, nonprofit organizations engage in interorganizational collaboration to address large‐scale social problems. Scholarship typically focuses on the characteristics of both within‐sector and cross‐sector partnerships of two collaborating organizations or all partnering organizations involved in a collaboration, but we know little about the patterns of interorganizational relationships that single nonprofit organizations maintain. This research draws upon surveys from 452 nonprofits and introduces nonprofit network portfolios, which we define as the number, integration, intensity, and duration of relationships that nonprofits purposefully develop with other organizations. Using 12 network measures, Ward cluster analysis revealed three distinct network portfolios: restricted within‐sector (n = 319, 70.58%), which included limited collaboration and prioritized within‐sector partnerships; robust within‐sector (n = 80, 17.70%), which included more nonprofit partnerships than restricted within‐sector portfolios; and cross‐sector (n = 53, 11.72%), which had a rich assemblage of integrative partnerships with nonprofits, businesses, and government agencies. Further, nonprofits that maintained each type of portfolio differed in their revenue and social mission, suggesting these factors are related to the types of collaboration that nonprofits maintain. This study makes contributions to existing research on interorganizational networks and cross‐sector collaboration and suggests practical and policy implications for nonprofit network management.     

The institutional antecedent to firms’ interorganizational network portfolios: Evidence from China

Although the amount of research on interorganizational networks has increased significantly in recent years, few studies have examined the antecedents to interorganizational network portfolios—organizations’ configuration of their relationship networks with other organizations. To address this gap, this study examines how firms’ interorganizational network portfolios vary across three types of ownership structures (i.e., state-owned, private, and multinational enterprises) in China. Cluster analysis of the data on 212 leading firms operating in China revealed two types of network portfolios firms maintain. Specifically, firms maintaining robust cross-sector portfolios had more extensive networks with organizations in the nonprofit and public sectors than firms maintaining limited cross-sector portfolios. Moreover, regression results suggested that firms across different ownership structures had distinct numbers and types of organizational partners, particularly nongovernmental organization (NGO) partners. Theoretical and practical implications are derived from the findings.     

Relational collaboration among spatial multipoint competitors

The presence of network ties between multipoint competitors is frequently assumed but rarely examined directly. The outcomes of multipoint competition, therefore, are better understood than their underlying relational mechanisms. Using original fieldwork and data that we have collected on an interorganizational network of patient transfer relations within a regional community of hospitals, we report and interpret estimates of Exponential Random Graph Models (ERGM) that specify the probability of observing network ties between organizations as a function of the degree of their spatial multipoint contact. We find that hospitals competing more intensely for patients across multiple geographical segments of their market (spatial multipoint competitors) are significantly more likely to collaborate. This conclusion is robust to alternative explanations for the formation of network ties based on organizational size differences, resource complementarities, performance differentials, and capacity constraints. We show that interorganizational networks between spatial multipoint competitors are characterized by clear tendencies toward clustering and a global core-periphery structure arising as consequences of multiple mechanisms of triadic closure operating simultaneously. We conclude that the effects of competition on the structure of interorganizational fields depends on how markets as physical and social settings are connected by cross-cutting network ties between competitors.     

Underlying processes of SCCT: Mediating roles of preventability,blame, and trust

Despite the prevalence of the situational crisis communication theory (SCCT; Coombs, 2007) in crisis communication research, few SCCT-based studies have examined how different crisis types affect post-crisis reputation. This study, therefore, attempts to uncover the underlying processes of SCCT. Specifically, this study examined preventability, blame, and trust as potential mediators of crisis type and organizational post-crisis reputation. A between-subjects experimental study (crisis type: victim vs. accidental vs. preventable) was conducted with 329 college students. The results revealed that crisis type had no direct effects on reputation, but it did affect preventability, blame, and trust. More significantly, the results showed that crisis type indirectly affected reputation in two distinct ways: (1) via a sequence of preventability and blame and (2) via trust. The study includes a discussion of theoretical and practical implications.     

Interlocks in the Netherlands: Stability and careers in the period 1960–1980

The article is oriented towards the dynamics behind the network of interlocking directorates. In the interorganizational perspective the stability of different types of interlocks/lines between corporations is of strategic importance; in the intraclass perspective, the carriers of persons. The article therefore analyzes both. It shows that particularly primary interlocks (interlocks between the corporation in which the multiple director has an inside position and the other corporations in which he has outside positions) as well as multiple interlocks between corporations are considerably more stable than other interlocks. They are most likely being used for interorganizational purposes. Most of the interlocks however are generated by a very specific career pattern in which an executive position in a large corporation is almost a prerequisite to obtain many directorships.     

The concept of horizontal hierarchy and the organization of interorganizational networks: A comparative analysis

This paper is an attempt to describe the organization of interorganizational fields with the concept of horizontal hierarchy. It specifies certain structural properties of interorganizational field based on different types of linkages between organizations, and develops testable hypotheses by focusing on the interrelationships between the properties of these linkages within the conceptual definition of horizontal hierarchy. These hypotheses are later tested on data collected from manpower organizations in 17 communities of a large midwestern state.     

Eine integrative Theorie des Problemlösens in Gruppen III: Sozio-emotionale Regulation,Konflikte und Kompetenzbedrohungen

This paper is the third paper in a three-part article series presenting an integrative theory of problem solving in groups on the basis of theory and research on group processes, problem solving, and decision making. Problem solving in groups is differentiated into three focuses of action, namely taskwork, group organisation and socio-emotional regulation. In the present paper, aspects of socio-emotional regulation are addressed. Three types of problems are differentiated in the domain of socio-emotional regulation: task-related conflict, socio-emotional conflict and competence impairment. Causes and consequences of task-related conflict, socio-emotional conflict and competence impairment are discussed. For each of the three problem types, recommendations for successful action are established taking into account situational constraints and attributes of the group members. Furthermore, the performance-enhancing effect of self reflection in problem solving groups is discussed.     

Networks of social capital: Extending a public relations model of civil society in Peru

Scholars have argued that public relations can and indeed must be used to improve society. This article builds on the work of Taylor and Doerfel (2005), who advocated for the continued study of civil society through the lens of public relations theory. This study contributes to a normative public relations model of civil society by examining how interorganizational relationships, which may initially be established for purposes of resource exchange, benefit civil society through the creation and maintenance of social capital. The study examined a segment of Peruvian civil society dedicated to media development, as media is a key partner in building civil society (Taylor, 2009). The results of the study help to explain how interorganizational relationships contribute to the creation of social capital in a civil society network, and how certain network positions are integral to maintaining the social capital of a community of actors. Implications for the role of public relations in building and maintaining networks of interorganizational communities are discussed.     

Traditional versus Western perceptions of mental illness: women of Moroccan origin treated in an Israeli mental health center

This paper focuses on the problems encountered in providing Westernized psychiatric treatment to a population with traditional healing beliefs. The sample comprised women of Moroccan origin living in Israel undergoing treatment for psychiatric disorders (N=38), and their treating psychiatrists (N=9). Ethnographic interviews were conducted among both groups. The results revealed that the symptoms, perceptions of the illness, and problems encountered in the therapeutic relationship differed across three age groups, young women (20–30 years), more mature women (31–42 years), and older women (43–60 years). While cultural conflict appeared to affect the development of mental illness in each group, this was most pronounced among women in the middle age range. Moreover, problems in the therapeutic alliance were greatest in this age group. The data from the therapists indicated that they maintained a Western perspective in both their understanding and diagnoses of these patients' illnesses. The different perspectives of the therapists and each of the three groups of women are discussed. It is concluded that professionals treating traditional populations must avoid imposing Western standards, and consider the treatment in the context of cultural beliefs. The developmental stages of the individual, and the stage of acculturation must also be taken into account if treatment is to be effective.     

Interorganizational Power in a Canadian Community: a Replication

The Perrucci and Pilisuk community power study of a medium-sized midwestern U. S. city is replicated on a small Prairie Canadian resort town. The interorganizational basis for power, derived from overlapping executive memberships, is the perspective followed in both studies. Essentially the same results are found in both places. A well-defined elite structure exists capable of mobilizing interorganizational power resources.     

Negotiating Interorganizational Orders*

Strauss' (1978) negotiation paradigm is used to analyze interorganizational relations leading to development of a complex of eleven rehabilitation agencies. Analysis is based on records over a twenty-five year period and four years of participant observation and interviewing. The structural context for the negotiations is described in terms of over-lapping societal, communal, interorganizational, organizational, and interpersonal levels. The analysis points out the importance of covert, informal negotiations to interorganizational relations. The negotiators who initiated the process employed a strategy of multiple-linked negotiations in which they attempted to select negotiators from the other organizations and the issues to be negotiated. Stakes were manipulated according to a cost-reward-involvement formula. Problematic issues were dealt with in informal covert negotiations which preceded overt negotiations in a peer type council. Consideration of the negotiation process aids in understanding several problems in interorganizational relations: power and autonomy and the consequences of interlocking directorates. The negotiated order approach suggests several lines of additional research.     

Metatheorizing in sociology

This paper describes and makes the case for sociological metatheorizing, or the systematic study of sociological theory. Three types of metatheorizing are delineated on the basis of their end products: the attainment of a deeper understanding of theory, the creation of new theory, and the creation of an overarching theoretical perspective (a metatheory). The basic problems in metatheorizing are reviewed and it is concluded that the most basic difficulty has been the lack of a clear definition of the subfield. Some thoughts on the future of metatheorizing in sociology are offered.     

Grid-group cultural theory and the causal mechanism approach as requisite partners. Explaining enforcement decisions in West European labor inspection

As street-level bureaucrats, labor inspectors enjoy much autonomy and discretion in the performance of their job. To avoid this freedom being abused, two measures are often taken. First, supervisors keep oversight by inspecting case files. Second, labor inspectors are subjected to a competitive system of targets that encourages competition. These two measures resemble two subtypes of organizational control in grid-group cultural theory, respectively hierarchical and individualistic control. The impact of both types of control has been analyzed in an ethnographic case study in four field organizations of West European labor inspection. The overarching grid-group cultural theory framework was particularly valuable to illustrate how tensions between hierarchical and individualistic control lead to inconsistencies in the enforcement styles that labor inspectors apply. However, it did not seem sufficient to explain why labor inspectors apply a hierarchical enforcement style in some investigations and an individualistic enforcement style in others. This paper illustrates how the integration of grid-group cultural theory with two middle-range theories in the causal mechanism approach (i.e. moral disengagement and role strain theory) could provide such proximate explanations and thus strengthen the explanatory power of grid-group cultural theory.     

Effective strategies for responding to rumors about risks: The case of radiation-contaminated food in South Korea

This experimental study explores how governments should respond to rumors about national-level risk issues. Informed by research in rumor psychology and risk/crisis communication, it investigates whether type of rumor and rumor response strategy have main and interaction effects on reducing rumor beliefs and intention to disseminate rumor. The two featured rumor types are the bogie rumor, which highlights feared outcomes, and the wedge rumor, which aims to reinforce differences between rival groups. Derived from Situational Crisis Communication Theory, the three response strategies examined are refuting the rumor, denying it, and attacking its source. Data were drawn from part of a large-scale online experiment, and the sample of the analysis was 942 South Korean adults. The experiment had a between-subjects design of 2 rumor type (wedge vs. bogie) x 3 government response strategies (refutation, denial, attack the attacker). Results show that all three rumor response strategies significantly reduced rumor beliefs, but only the refutation strategy significantly reduced intention to disseminate the rumor. Rumor type (bogie) and response strategies (refutation) had main, but not interaction, effects on reduction of intention to disseminate the rumor.     

The dual nature of materialism. How personality shapes materialistic value orientation

This article presents two empirical studies examining different types of materialism as identified in an analysis of connections between materialism and HEXACO personality traits. Two groups of materialistic subjects and one non-materialistic group were revealed in both studies. In one group, a high level of materialism was accompanied by low levels of honesty-humility, agreeableness, and emotionality and higher levels of extraversion (Peacock type). In the second group, materialism was found alongside lower levels of honesty-humility, agreeableness and extraversion but higher levels of emotionality (Mouse type). “Peacocks” were more prone than “Mice” to look for immediate financial gains and ostentatious consumption, whereas “Mice” were more anxious and insecure in their ambivalent attitudes to money and were more concerned about their financial futures. Despite the similar importance attached to material possessions, the two types of materialism should be considered separately in future research.     

A balance theory approach to group problem solving

This paper presents a conceptualization of group problem solving based on Heider's balance theory [Cartwright, D., Harary, F., 1956. Structural balance: a generalization of Heider's theory. Psychological Review 63, 277–292; Heider, F., 1946. Attitudes and cognitive organization. Journal of Psychology 21, 107–112; Heider, F., 1958. The Psychology of Interpersonal Relations. Wiley, New York], in which the problem solving process is viewed as a struggle toward increasing structural balance. Balance theory provides a means of representing problems that captures both gestalt restructuring and incremental search aspects of the problem solving process. An experimental method based on a flexible card categorization task operationalizes this conceptual view in a group problem solving situation. Results of an experiment investigating the effects of certain properties of problem structure on group problem solving behavior and performance are reported.     

Interdisciplinary and Interorganizational Concerns in the Development of Technology for Physically Disabled Persons

This paper focuses on interdisciplinary and interorganizational concerns which are involved in the development of technology which will be of use to physically disabled persons. The paper is divided into five parts: (1) The concepts, 'interdisciplinary' and 'interorganizational' are described and defined. (2) Then, a number of concerns and problems involved in interdisciplinary and interorganizational work are identified. (3) From parts 1 and 2, an interdisciplinary/interorganizational framework is developed. (4) This framework is then used to analyze some problems and to examine possible solutions, focusing on the development of technology for physically disabled persons. (5) The paper ends with conclusions and recommendations.