Leadership and collaboration in strategic alliances and networks

Purpose and goal

Strategic alliances and networks as collaborative organizational forms constitute a more complex context in comparison with more traditional hierarchal ones - for the management involved as well as for the employees and implies quite different operational and organisational conditions to be aware of at the strategic and operational level. The aim with the project Leadership and collaboration in strategic alliances and networks is to deepen the understandings of strategic collaborative processes between firms and organisations focussing on how the prerequisites and content of leadership/management is changed when collaborating in inter-organizational relationships. Expectations on the manager´s role, consequences for the working situation, conditions and relations in the business are discussed. The ambition is to explore, analyze and problematize these topics at different organizational levels.

Results and expected effects

While the amount of strategic collaborations and networks is continually growing, in private businesses as well as in public sector, it is important to deepen the knowledge, practical as well as theoretical, concerning the prerequisites and consequences for the management of these collaborations between organizations. The project has both practical and theoretical implications the aim is to develop the theoretical field and distribute the conclusions and recommendations to the academy as well as firms and organizations.

Approach and implementation

Two case studies, including observations and in-depth interviews at different organisational levels, will be conducted during 2009. Compilations of empirical findings, analysis/ comparisons, interpretations and report of results will take place during 2010. The study is conducted from a social constructivist/interpretive perspective.