Managing Network Resources: Alliances, Affiliations, and Other Relational Assets

Today's firms are increasingly embedded in networks of alliances and other ties that influence their behavior and performance. In this, his first book on the subject, Ranjay Gulati examines the 'network resources' that arise from these ties, how successful firms manage these, and how they influence strategy, access to material resources, and perceptions of a firm's legitimacy held by key external parties such as investors and banks. The book synthesises Gulati's influential work on network dynamics from the last fifteen years, and presents the key findings from this extensive body of research. Gulati's insights are important for scholars, students, and practitioners interested in the behavior of firms in an increasingly networked economy. Ranjay Gulati is one of the leading theorists and researchers studying alliances and networks, and has written widely on the subject. His work has been published in leading academic journals such as Administrative Science Quarterly, and in the Harvard Business Review.

Table of Contents:
1: Conceptual Overview of the Book Part I: Network Resources and the Formation of New Ties 2: Network Resources and the Proclivity of Firms to Enter Into Alliances 3: Network Resources and the Choice of Partners in Alliances 4: The Contingent Role of Network Resources Emanating from Board Interlocks in Alliance Formation Part II: Network Resources and the Governance Sturcture of Ties 5: Network Resources and the Choice of Governance Structure in Alliances 6: The Architecture of Cooperation: The Role of Network Resources in Managing Coordination Costs and Appropriation Concerns in Strategic Alliances Part III: Network Resources and Performance 7: Network Resources and the Performance of Firms 8: The Multi-faceted Nature of Network Resources Part IV: Network Resources in Entrepreneurial Settings 9: The Effects of Network Resources arising from Upper Echelon Affiliations on Underwriter Prestige 10: The Contingent Effects of Network Resources 11: Future Directions for Research on Network Resources

About the Author :
Ranjay Gulati is the Michael L. Nemmers Distinguished Professor of Strategy and Organizations at the Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University. He has spent the last 15 years studying the network dynamics associated with the formation of interfirm strategic alliances, and has been published in leading journals such as American Journal of Sociology, Administrative Science Quarterly, Academy of Management Journal, Organization Science, and Harvard Business Review. He is the past-President of the Business Policy and Strategy Division at the Academy of Management, and was recently ranked as among the top 10 most cited scholars in Economics and Business over the last 10 years by ISI-Incite. The Economist Intelligence Unit recently listed him as among the top handful of business school scholars whose work is most relevant to management practice.

Review :
'This is a book I have been eager to see. Gulati has done a service to his colleagues in bringing together in one convenient reference so many of his influential papers. More than is possible in journal articles, the book provides an integrated view, in broader perspective, of Gulati's productive study of alliances as a network phenomenon.' Ronald S. Burt, Hobart W. Williams Professor of Sociology and Strategy, University of Chicago 'The past two decades have seen an enormous expansion of strategic alliances among firms, as globalization and information technology have enabled and encouraged boundary-breaching forms of organization. Through a dozen years' worth of research on the causes and consequences of alliance networks, Gulati has demonstrated the value of a network perspective for the contemporary corporation, and this book provides a comprehensive introduction to this perspective' Gerald F. Davis, Professor of Management and Organizations, Ross School of Business, University of Michigan