Networks in Action: the Individuals’ Contribution Against Fuzzy Management Practice Federica Segato, PhD candidate (federica.segato@polimi.it) Department of Management, Economics and Industrial Engineering Politecnico di Milano, Italy Cristina Masella, Full Professor Department of Management, Economics and Industrial Engineering Politecnico di Milano, Italy Abstract Public service delivery relies increasingly upon collaborative inter-organizational forms, and public managers often recurred to institutional impositions to foster their creation. Lately, the evidence that command-and-control styles are ineffective in multiorganizational environments is spreading, by increasing the importance of addressing the actors’ voluntariness and motivations. This study explores the implications of bounded voluntariness (i.e. a condition in which institutional pressure by public managers still endures, although participation and commitment to the network are up to the actors’ will) on the network management, at both the strategic (“management of networks”) and operational level (“management in networks”). A multiple case study has been conducted on three inter-organizational networks of healthcare providers, created to provide care to chronic patients. The results show that three levels of managers are present in these networks, neither of whom exerts full control over them. This fuzzy management condition hinders the harmonization of the actors’ goals and the efficiency of the activities; surprisingly enough, it does not appear to be detrimental toward the ability of the networks to reach their expected goal, as soon as trust among actors is respected. This study is expected to give empirical insights to the mostly conceptual literature about network management.

Networks in Action: the Individuals’ Contribution Against Fuzzy Management Practice

SEGATO, FEDERICA;MASELLA, CRISTINA
2014-01-01

Abstract

Networks in Action: the Individuals’ Contribution Against Fuzzy Management Practice Federica Segato, PhD candidate (federica.segato@polimi.it) Department of Management, Economics and Industrial Engineering Politecnico di Milano, Italy Cristina Masella, Full Professor Department of Management, Economics and Industrial Engineering Politecnico di Milano, Italy Abstract Public service delivery relies increasingly upon collaborative inter-organizational forms, and public managers often recurred to institutional impositions to foster their creation. Lately, the evidence that command-and-control styles are ineffective in multiorganizational environments is spreading, by increasing the importance of addressing the actors’ voluntariness and motivations. This study explores the implications of bounded voluntariness (i.e. a condition in which institutional pressure by public managers still endures, although participation and commitment to the network are up to the actors’ will) on the network management, at both the strategic (“management of networks”) and operational level (“management in networks”). A multiple case study has been conducted on three inter-organizational networks of healthcare providers, created to provide care to chronic patients. The results show that three levels of managers are present in these networks, neither of whom exerts full control over them. This fuzzy management condition hinders the harmonization of the actors’ goals and the efficiency of the activities; surprisingly enough, it does not appear to be detrimental toward the ability of the networks to reach their expected goal, as soon as trust among actors is respected. This study is expected to give empirical insights to the mostly conceptual literature about network management.
2014
1st ANNUAL EDIM PhD CONFERENCE Research Challenges in Contemporary Management Engineering
9788864930220
network management; public service networks; chronic care
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11311/959977
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