Inter-organizational networks face a unique challenge: balancing autonomy—where each organization maintains its own agenda and resources—with the necessity of collaborating towards a shared goal. Achieving this requires experimentation with innovative governance structures that lie outside traditional hierarchies while still enabling efficient coordination. In this presentation, we will explore academic research on various forms of network governance and the factors that influence the selection of one governance structure over another. We will also examine the practical implications these governance forms have on everyday managerial tasks, particularly in managing conflicting demands such as accountability versus autonomy, unity versus diversity, and others.
The research was a part of SCOOP program. SCOOP is a research and training centre dedicated to the interdisciplinary study of sustainable cooperation as a key feature of resilient societies. It is a collaboration of five Dutch universities across four disciplines: sociology, psychology, history, and philosophy.
You can find the summary of Aliona Ignatieva's PhD thesis here:
Aliona Ignatieva - PhD thesis overview