Managing networks of twenty-first century organisations

On this topic, Bob Hudson w1x previously observed that ‘‘It is now de riguer to talk of the shift from hierarchy to network in public sector governance « but what is often lacking is an understanding of how to analyse network governance’’. In literature, many commentators indeed point out that networks are unlike markets and hierarchies. However, the current authors argue that such forms are not necessarily distinctive and might be overly inclusive, whereas when looking at inter-organisational relations, networks do not necessarily form a distinct category (superior in terms of flexibility, trust and innovation); they might still derive from market relations or hierarchical regulation. For such reasons, the book highlights that in order to understand the relationship between network structure and organisational performance, it is ‘‘necessary to examine the biases that particular types of relations might have to support certain kinds of performance’’. A balanced account of inter-organisational relations is therefore provided and tested throughout the chapters with explanatory purposes.