• Work

• External Shocks

• Reshaping organizational forms

Only a select group of interorganizational networks become effective, and even less manage to remain effective sustainably over time. Extant literature discusses the effectiveness of interorganizational networks, but much less academic work focuses on which factors contribute to their sustainability. We suggest a goal-framing approach to theorize about interorganizational actors’ motivations for sustained collaboration in interorganizational networks. Empirically, we interviewed 15 individuals representing their organizations in a successful interorganizational network operating in the health care sector in the North of The Netherlands. Thematic analysis of their motivations results in seven themes underlying their motivation to collaborate. Three themes strengthen the gain-orientation of organizations (coordinating action, flexibility, and structural redundancy), and four themes emphasize normative aspects of collaboration (fairness, identities, legitimacy, and material proof of joint production). We argue the normative aspects play a key role in curbing the salience of the gain goal-frame, in order to avoid free-riding behavior and abuses of opportunities. Together, these findings indicate that collaboration in interorganizational networks is sustainable when it manages to balance the gain goal-frames and normative goal-frames in its organizational members in a form of mild solidarity.

Which conditions do organizational actors identify for their sustainable participation in interorganizational networks?

• Collected during project

• Interview

Yes

• .docx
• ATLAS.ti file

• Unstructured

• Dutch

01/10/2021

30/11/2021

Netherlands

Groningen

Drenthe

01/10/2021

30/11/2021

There are no conflicts of interest in the data collection, analysis, or description.