Authors
Candace Jones, William S Hesterly, Karin Fladmoe-Lindquist, Stephen P Borgatti
Publication date
1998/5/1
Journal
Organization Science
Volume
9
Issue
3
Pages
396-410
Publisher
INFORMS
Description
Constellations—alliances among multiple firms—are used to perform complex, customized work in professional service. We examine two tensions inherent in multi-party collaborative work: managing hybrid systems, which are composed of individual and group tasks and outcomes, and aligning partners' logics of action. These two tensions provide firms the strategic choice with emphasizing individual or collective advantage. When constellation members pursue an individualist strategy, they employ an entrepreneurial logic. Constellations are a vehicle for honing their firm-distinctive expertise and enhancing their own opportunities. Given these firms' need for exposure to new learning and new markets from different partners and clients, the stability of the constellation is not of primary importance. This strategy promotes membership shifts in constellations and requires governance mechanisms for coordinating …
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Scholar articles
C Jones, WS Hesterly, K Fladmoe-Lindquist… - Organization Science, 1998