This article reports an exploratory study of interorganizational cooperation among business organizations operating in an industry with a relatively large number of firms and a low level of concentration. Distinction is made between perceived need for and the emergence of cooperative relations. Four types of cooperative linkages are defined and, the extent of their existence is examined. Relationships between these and perceived task environmental attributes and organizational properties are reported. Possible motives for establishing cooperative links and organizational and industrywide barriers to cooperation are discussed.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Aiken, Michael, and Jerald Hage1968 'Organizational interdependence and intraorganizational structure'. American Sociological Review33:912-930.
2.
Akinbode, I. Adefolu, and Robert C. Clark1976 'A framework for analyzing interorganizational relationships'. Human Relations29:101-114.
3.
Assael, Henry1969 'Constructive role of interorganizational conflict'. Administrative Science Quarterly14:573-582.
4.
Assael, Henry1976 'The political role of trade associations' in Interorganizational Relations. W. M. Evan (ed.), 202-218. Harmondsworth : Penguin.
5.
Burns, Tom and G.M. Stalker1961The management of innovation. London : Tavistock.
6.
Caplow, Theodore1964Principles of organization. New York : Harcourt, Brace and World.
7.
Clark, Burton R.1965 'Interorganizational patterns in education'. Administrative Science Quarterly10:224-237.
8.
Downey, H. Kirk, and John W. Slocum1975 'Uncertainty: measures, research and sources of variation '. Academy of Management Journat18:562-578.
9.
Evan, William M.1966 'The organization set: toward a theory of interorganizational relations' in Approaches to organizational design. J. D. Thompson (ed.), 175-191. Pittsburgh: University of Pittsburgh Press.
10.
Emerson, Richard M.1962 'Power-dependence relations'. American Sociological Review27:31-40.
11.
Galbraith, Jay R.1977Organization design. Reading, Mass. : Addison-Wesley.
12.
Grønhaug, Kjell1979 'Power in organizational buying'. Human Relations32: 159-180.
13.
Guetzkow, Harold1966 'Relations among organizations' in Studies on behaviour in organizations. R. M. Bowers (ed.), 13-44. Athens, Ga.: University of Georgia Press.
14.
Hall, Richard H., John P. Clark, Peggy C. Giordano, Paul V. Johnson, and Martha Van Roekel1977 'Patterns of interorganizational relationships'. Administrative Science Quarterly22:457-475.
15.
Hirsch, Paul M.1975 'Organizational effectiveness and the institutional environment '. Administrative Science Quarterly20:327-344.
16.
Jacobs, David1974 'Dependency and vulnerability: An exchange approach to the control of organizations'. Administrative Science Quarterly19:45-59.
17.
Kotter, John P.1979 'Managing external dependence'. Academy of Management Review4:87-92.
18.
Lawrence, Paul R., and Jay W. Lorsch1967Organization and environment. Boston : Harvard University Press.
19.
Levine, Sol, and Paul E. White1971 'Exchange as a conceptual framework for the study of interorganizational relationships' in A sociological reader on complex organizations . A. Etzioni (ed.), 117-132. London : Holt, Rinehart and Winston.
20.
Litwak, Eugene, and Lydia F. Hylton1962 'Interorganizational analysis '. Administrative Science Quarterly6:395-420.
21.
Marrett, Cora Bagley1971 'On the specification of interorganizational dimensions '. Sociology and Social Research56:83-99.
22.
Metcalfe, J. Les1974 'Systems models, economic models and the causal texture of organizational environments: An approach to macro-organization theory'. Human Relations27:639-663.
23.
Metcalfe, J. Les1976 'Organizational strategies and interorganizational networks '. Human Relations29:327-345.
24.
Molnar, Joseph J. and David L. Rogers1979 'A comparative model of interorganizational conflict'. Administrative Science Quarterly24:405-425.
25.
Pfeffer, Jeffrey, and Hüseyin Leblebici1973 'Executive recruitment and the development of interfirm organizations'. Administrative Science Quarterly18: 449-461.
26.
Pfeffer, Jeffrey, and Phillip Nowak1976 'Joint ventures and interorganizational interdependence '. Administrative Science Quarterly21:398-418.
27.
Pfeffer, Jeffrey, and Gerald R. Salancik1978The external control of organizations . New York: Harper and Row.
28.
Phillips, Almarin1976 'A theory of interfirm organization' in Interorganizational relations. W. M. Evan (ed.), 17-26. Harmondsworth: Penguin .
29.
Provan, Keith G., Janice M. Beyer, and Carlos Krytbosch1980 'Environmental linkages and power in resource-dependence relations between organizations'. Administrative Science Quarterly25:200-225.
30.
Schmidt, Stuart M., and Thomas A. Kochan1977 'Interorganizational relationships: Patterns and motivations'. Administrative Science Quarterly22:220-234.
31.
Thompson, James D.1967Organizations in action. New York: McGraw-Hill.
32.
Turk, Herman1973 'Comparative urban structure from an interorganizational perspective'. Administrative Science Quarterly18: 37-55.
33.
Üsdiken, Behlül1980 'Örgütlerin çevre özeiliklerinin ölçülmesi üzerine' [On the measurement of the attributes of organizational environments]. Journal of the Faculty of Business (University of Istanbul)9/ 2:157-177.
34.
Üsdiken, Behlül, and Şükrü Aslanyürek1978 'Türkiye'de seyahat işletmeleri: Bugün ve yarm' [Travel firms in Turkey: Today and tomorrow]. Paper submitted to the 1978 Conferences of the Institute of Economic Geography and Tourism, Faculty of Economics, University of Istanbul, May.
35.
Van de Ven, Andrew H.1976 'On the nature, formation and maintenance of relations among organizations'. Academy of Management Review1/4:24-36.
36.
Whetten, David A., and Howard Aldrich1979 'Organization set size and diversity: people-processing organizations and their environments'. Administration and Society11:251-281.
37.
Whetten, David A., and Thomas K. Leung1979 'The instrument value of interorganizational relations: antecedents and consequences of linkage formation'. Academy of Management Journal22:325-344.
