Network picturing: An action research study of strategizing in business networks

What is it about?

The paper is concerned with how managers understand their surrounding network and what strategic actions they take based on this insight. Recent research in the areas of network management and business relationships shows increasing interest in the interplay between cognition and action, particularly on how managers relate perceptions about their business network (“network picturing”) to decision-making and strategizing activities. In this study, we apply a novel research approach combining process research and action research methodology.

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Why is it important?

The paper provides a conceptual process exercise as an example of how this insight can be relevant for managers in their decision-making processes. The findings add new insight in the field of network strategy and network picturing: Network picturing represents a way to understand the boundaries of the firm and how this understanding affects managers' decisions. This differs from the fundamental distinction between the external and the internal environments of classical strategy analysis.