The literature has mainly concentrated on several and often seemingly contradictory social antece... more The literature has mainly concentrated on several and often seemingly contradictory social antecedents of effective innovation in business networks so far. This theoretical diversity stems from views such as the resource dependence theory, the agency theory, the collaborative networks literature, the knowledge network view, the institutional theories and the organisational ecology theories. These six views have developed almost independently so far, with only partial reciprocal integration. A reason is that the key success factors identified in each theory are potentially contradictory with those identified in other theories. For example, the forces allowing coordination according to the collaborative networks theory (i.e. trust and reciprocation) inhibit, and are inhibited by, the forces allowing coordination according to the resource dependence theory (i.e. power and control). The in-depth study of such paradoxes is in its infancy; this results in a very relevant gap between schol...
This theory-building paper focuses on a specific type of ICT-enabled participatory network, where... more This theory-building paper focuses on a specific type of ICT-enabled participatory network, where citizens actively cooperate with an organisation (typically but not necessarily a public administration) to enhance the livability of their urban or rural environment. We have called these systems 'citizens to problem-solving organisation (C2PSO) networks' and argue that they are set to play a role of growing importance in some of the emerging urban and rural livability challenges. The authors present three different explorative case studies that focus on health, safety, independent living for the elderly, and mobility as indicators of place livability. The recurrent organisational factors identified in the case studies translate into key elements of success, the analysis of which highlighted three novel constructs as possible antecedents of improved livability in the living settings of C2PSO networks. The proposed constructs describe the organisational effectiveness of the network and the sustainability of the cooperative processes involved, and, in the authors' opinion, are a useful complement to the extant literature. For each novel construct, a quantitative measurement scale for survey questionnaires is developed and then discussed with experts for face validity. The paper closes with the description and discussion of a testable cause-effect model before presenting the authors' conclusions.
Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to shed light on how the relational capital of the IT depar... more Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to shed light on how the relational capital of the IT department creates value in organizations. In addition, the paper presents a multi-dimensional scale to measure and manage relational capital in the IT department. Design/methodology/approach: In the first, explorative phase of the study, interviews and focus groups were conducted in order to develop a new measurement scale, which was subsequently tested through a survey questionnaire (212 respondents). Findings: This research suggests that the relational capital of the IT department is a very important resource for the creation of strategic value. The statistical analysis conducted for this study confirmed the validity and reliability of the novel scale developed to measure this resource. Finally, thanks to factor analysis, five dimensions for the scale were identified. Research limitations/implications: Data were collected in northern Italy only. Further studies are advisable to confirm the validity of the constructs and scale. Practical implications: The questionnaire presented in this study can be used to monitor the effectiveness of the interactions between the IT department and the other key actors involved in IT-enabled innovation. The adoption of this scale and its possible adaptation to specific, evolving business contexts may enhance the practitioner’s understanding of the role of relational capital in the value creation process. Originality/value: The paper contributes to the “third stage” of intellectual capital research by concentrating on an intra-organizational level of analysis, which has been overlooked in the literature to date.
Purpose – This paper aims to explore whether and how the intellectual capital (IC) approach and c... more Purpose – This paper aims to explore whether and how the intellectual capital (IC) approach and concepts could be fruitfully adapted to study the smart city phenomenon from a managerial point of view. Design/methodology/approach – The compatibility between the smart city and the IC approach is explored thanks to a long-term, in-depth ethnographic exploration of the vast global community, which is created around the smart city movement. Large amounts of information were collected over four years through the in-depth analysis of five representative European case studies. Data gathering methods are diverse and include participant observation, non-participant observation, document collection and action research. In addition, more than 100 further international cases were investigated through website analysis, social network analysis and report analysis. The resulting vast text database was analysed through computer-assisted coding to allow data triangulation and bottom-up identification of emergent concepts. Findings – The analysis suggests that the smart city and IC views are highly compatible, and the systematic adoption of the IC approach could be very useful to study the managerial implications of the smart city phenomenon. On the other side, in order to effectively analyse a smart city context through the IC lens, the traditional IC framework needs to be extended for: (1) expected outcomes, which should also include sustainability, resilience and quality of life; (2) categories of key resources, which should also include institutional capital and environmental capital; (3) units of analysis, which should also include territorial systems, such as transportation or waste; and (4) key managerial challenges implied, which should include knowledge management, network management and project portfolio management. Thanks to these findings, this paper enlarges the conceptual horizon of IC through cross-fertilization with the smart city approach. As a final result, a smart city intellectual capital (SC-IC) framework is proposed. Originality/value – The SC-IC framework allows for a clear definition of the smart city organisation, as a new knowledge-based, project-oriented, network-shaped type of organisation. According to this view, the mission of a smart city organisation is to leverage SC-IC resources far beyond its own boundaries, in order to strengthen competitiveness, sustainability and the quality of life at the level of city system(s). Therefore, the SC-IC framework provides smart city research with a consistent rooting in management studies and identifies the key management challenges implied in the smart city phenomenon. Further, this paper contributes to the fourth stage of IC research.
The literature has mainly concentrated on several and often seemingly contradictory social antece... more The literature has mainly concentrated on several and often seemingly contradictory social antecedents of effective innovation in business networks so far. This theoretical diversity stems from views such as the resource dependence theory, the agency theory, the collaborative networks literature, the knowledge network view, the institutional theories and the organisational ecology theories. These six views have developed almost independently so far, with only partial reciprocal integration. A reason is that the key success factors identified in each theory are potentially contradictory with those identified in other theories. For example, the forces allowing coordination according to the collaborative networks theory (i.e. trust and reciprocation) inhibit, and are inhibited by, the forces allowing coordination according to the resource dependence theory (i.e. power and control). The in-depth study of such paradoxes is in its infancy; this results in a very relevant gap between schol...
World Review of Entrepreneurship Management and Sustainable Development
In this paper, we present a novel manner of inter-firm networking that is emerging in Italy, base... more In this paper, we present a novel manner of inter-firm networking that is emerging in Italy, based on the contratto di rete (business-network contract). This is a recently established form of business-network agreement, which allows flexible but institutionally founded inter-firm collaboration. Through a comparative study, we investigate three successful cases of these new-generation business networks; the analysis outlines under what conditions the network contract can be leveraged to improve the ability of the participating firms to face the new global competitive environment. rnSome common interesting success factors are identified in the three cases under study, such as: the shared belief that a new way of doing business is needed; the reciprocal trust between firms; the commitment and personality of the entrepreneurs involved; the balance of cooperation and competition in intra-network relationships; and the co-evolving perception of network success.rnThe partnering firms under...
ABSTRACT This theory-building paper focuses on a specific type of ICT-enabled participatory netwo... more ABSTRACT This theory-building paper focuses on a specific type of ICT-enabled participatory network, where citizens actively cooperate with an organisation (typically but not necessarily a public administration) to enhance the livability of their urban or rural environment. We have called these systems 'citizens to problem-solving organisation (C2PSO) networks' and argue that they are set to play a role of growing importance in some of the emerging urban and rural livability challenges. The authors present three different explorative case studies that focus on health, safety, independent living for the elderly, and mobility as indicators of place livability. The recurrent organisational factors identified in the case studies translate into key elements of success, the analysis of which highlighted three novel constructs as possible antecedents of improved livability in the living settings of C2PSO networks. The proposed constructs describe the organisational effectiveness of the network and the sustainability of the cooperative processes involved, and, in the authors' opinion, are a useful complement to the extant literature. For each novel construct, a quantitative measurement scale for survey questionnaires is developed and then discussed with experts for face validity. The paper closes with the description and discussion of a testable cause-effect model before presenting the authors' conclusions.
The literature has mainly concentrated on several and often seemingly contradictory social antece... more The literature has mainly concentrated on several and often seemingly contradictory social antecedents of effective innovation in business networks so far. This theoretical diversity stems from views such as the resource dependence theory, the agency theory, the collaborative networks literature, the knowledge network view, the institutional theories and the organisational ecology theories. These six views have developed almost independently so far, with only partial reciprocal integration. A reason is that the key success factors identified in each theory are potentially contradictory with those identified in other theories. For example, the forces allowing coordination according to the collaborative networks theory (i.e. trust and reciprocation) inhibit, and are inhibited by, the forces allowing coordination according to the resource dependence theory (i.e. power and control). The in-depth study of such paradoxes is in its infancy; this results in a very relevant gap between schol...
This theory-building paper focuses on a specific type of ICT-enabled participatory network, where... more This theory-building paper focuses on a specific type of ICT-enabled participatory network, where citizens actively cooperate with an organisation (typically but not necessarily a public administration) to enhance the livability of their urban or rural environment. We have called these systems 'citizens to problem-solving organisation (C2PSO) networks' and argue that they are set to play a role of growing importance in some of the emerging urban and rural livability challenges. The authors present three different explorative case studies that focus on health, safety, independent living for the elderly, and mobility as indicators of place livability. The recurrent organisational factors identified in the case studies translate into key elements of success, the analysis of which highlighted three novel constructs as possible antecedents of improved livability in the living settings of C2PSO networks. The proposed constructs describe the organisational effectiveness of the network and the sustainability of the cooperative processes involved, and, in the authors' opinion, are a useful complement to the extant literature. For each novel construct, a quantitative measurement scale for survey questionnaires is developed and then discussed with experts for face validity. The paper closes with the description and discussion of a testable cause-effect model before presenting the authors' conclusions.
Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to shed light on how the relational capital of the IT depar... more Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to shed light on how the relational capital of the IT department creates value in organizations. In addition, the paper presents a multi-dimensional scale to measure and manage relational capital in the IT department. Design/methodology/approach: In the first, explorative phase of the study, interviews and focus groups were conducted in order to develop a new measurement scale, which was subsequently tested through a survey questionnaire (212 respondents). Findings: This research suggests that the relational capital of the IT department is a very important resource for the creation of strategic value. The statistical analysis conducted for this study confirmed the validity and reliability of the novel scale developed to measure this resource. Finally, thanks to factor analysis, five dimensions for the scale were identified. Research limitations/implications: Data were collected in northern Italy only. Further studies are advisable to confirm the validity of the constructs and scale. Practical implications: The questionnaire presented in this study can be used to monitor the effectiveness of the interactions between the IT department and the other key actors involved in IT-enabled innovation. The adoption of this scale and its possible adaptation to specific, evolving business contexts may enhance the practitioner’s understanding of the role of relational capital in the value creation process. Originality/value: The paper contributes to the “third stage” of intellectual capital research by concentrating on an intra-organizational level of analysis, which has been overlooked in the literature to date.
Purpose – This paper aims to explore whether and how the intellectual capital (IC) approach and c... more Purpose – This paper aims to explore whether and how the intellectual capital (IC) approach and concepts could be fruitfully adapted to study the smart city phenomenon from a managerial point of view. Design/methodology/approach – The compatibility between the smart city and the IC approach is explored thanks to a long-term, in-depth ethnographic exploration of the vast global community, which is created around the smart city movement. Large amounts of information were collected over four years through the in-depth analysis of five representative European case studies. Data gathering methods are diverse and include participant observation, non-participant observation, document collection and action research. In addition, more than 100 further international cases were investigated through website analysis, social network analysis and report analysis. The resulting vast text database was analysed through computer-assisted coding to allow data triangulation and bottom-up identification of emergent concepts. Findings – The analysis suggests that the smart city and IC views are highly compatible, and the systematic adoption of the IC approach could be very useful to study the managerial implications of the smart city phenomenon. On the other side, in order to effectively analyse a smart city context through the IC lens, the traditional IC framework needs to be extended for: (1) expected outcomes, which should also include sustainability, resilience and quality of life; (2) categories of key resources, which should also include institutional capital and environmental capital; (3) units of analysis, which should also include territorial systems, such as transportation or waste; and (4) key managerial challenges implied, which should include knowledge management, network management and project portfolio management. Thanks to these findings, this paper enlarges the conceptual horizon of IC through cross-fertilization with the smart city approach. As a final result, a smart city intellectual capital (SC-IC) framework is proposed. Originality/value – The SC-IC framework allows for a clear definition of the smart city organisation, as a new knowledge-based, project-oriented, network-shaped type of organisation. According to this view, the mission of a smart city organisation is to leverage SC-IC resources far beyond its own boundaries, in order to strengthen competitiveness, sustainability and the quality of life at the level of city system(s). Therefore, the SC-IC framework provides smart city research with a consistent rooting in management studies and identifies the key management challenges implied in the smart city phenomenon. Further, this paper contributes to the fourth stage of IC research.
The literature has mainly concentrated on several and often seemingly contradictory social antece... more The literature has mainly concentrated on several and often seemingly contradictory social antecedents of effective innovation in business networks so far. This theoretical diversity stems from views such as the resource dependence theory, the agency theory, the collaborative networks literature, the knowledge network view, the institutional theories and the organisational ecology theories. These six views have developed almost independently so far, with only partial reciprocal integration. A reason is that the key success factors identified in each theory are potentially contradictory with those identified in other theories. For example, the forces allowing coordination according to the collaborative networks theory (i.e. trust and reciprocation) inhibit, and are inhibited by, the forces allowing coordination according to the resource dependence theory (i.e. power and control). The in-depth study of such paradoxes is in its infancy; this results in a very relevant gap between schol...
World Review of Entrepreneurship Management and Sustainable Development
In this paper, we present a novel manner of inter-firm networking that is emerging in Italy, base... more In this paper, we present a novel manner of inter-firm networking that is emerging in Italy, based on the contratto di rete (business-network contract). This is a recently established form of business-network agreement, which allows flexible but institutionally founded inter-firm collaboration. Through a comparative study, we investigate three successful cases of these new-generation business networks; the analysis outlines under what conditions the network contract can be leveraged to improve the ability of the participating firms to face the new global competitive environment. rnSome common interesting success factors are identified in the three cases under study, such as: the shared belief that a new way of doing business is needed; the reciprocal trust between firms; the commitment and personality of the entrepreneurs involved; the balance of cooperation and competition in intra-network relationships; and the co-evolving perception of network success.rnThe partnering firms under...
ABSTRACT This theory-building paper focuses on a specific type of ICT-enabled participatory netwo... more ABSTRACT This theory-building paper focuses on a specific type of ICT-enabled participatory network, where citizens actively cooperate with an organisation (typically but not necessarily a public administration) to enhance the livability of their urban or rural environment. We have called these systems 'citizens to problem-solving organisation (C2PSO) networks' and argue that they are set to play a role of growing importance in some of the emerging urban and rural livability challenges. The authors present three different explorative case studies that focus on health, safety, independent living for the elderly, and mobility as indicators of place livability. The recurrent organisational factors identified in the case studies translate into key elements of success, the analysis of which highlighted three novel constructs as possible antecedents of improved livability in the living settings of C2PSO networks. The proposed constructs describe the organisational effectiveness of the network and the sustainability of the cooperative processes involved, and, in the authors' opinion, are a useful complement to the extant literature. For each novel construct, a quantitative measurement scale for survey questionnaires is developed and then discussed with experts for face validity. The paper closes with the description and discussion of a testable cause-effect model before presenting the authors' conclusions.
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Design/methodology/approach: In the first, explorative phase of the study, interviews and focus groups were conducted in order to develop a new measurement scale, which was subsequently tested through a survey questionnaire (212 respondents).
Findings: This research suggests that the relational capital of the IT department is a very important resource for the creation of strategic value. The statistical analysis conducted for this study confirmed the validity and reliability of the novel scale developed to measure this resource. Finally, thanks to factor analysis, five dimensions for the scale were identified.
Research limitations/implications: Data were collected in northern Italy only. Further studies are advisable to confirm the validity of the constructs and scale.
Practical implications: The questionnaire presented in this study can be used to monitor the effectiveness of the interactions between the IT department and the other key actors involved in IT-enabled innovation. The adoption of this scale and its possible adaptation to specific, evolving business contexts may enhance the practitioner’s understanding of the role of relational capital in the value creation process.
Originality/value: The paper contributes to the “third stage” of intellectual capital research by concentrating on an intra-organizational level of analysis, which has been overlooked in the literature to date.
Design/methodology/approach – The compatibility between the smart city and the IC approach is explored thanks to a long-term, in-depth ethnographic exploration of the vast global community, which is created around the smart city movement. Large amounts of information were collected over four years through the in-depth analysis of five representative European case studies. Data gathering methods are diverse and include participant observation, non-participant observation, document collection and action research. In addition, more than 100 further international cases were investigated through website analysis, social network analysis and report analysis. The resulting vast text database was analysed through computer-assisted coding to allow data triangulation and bottom-up identification of emergent concepts.
Findings – The analysis suggests that the smart city and IC views are highly compatible, and the systematic adoption of the IC approach could be very useful to study the managerial implications of the smart city phenomenon. On the other side, in order to effectively analyse a smart city context through the IC lens, the traditional IC framework needs to be extended for: (1) expected outcomes, which should also include sustainability, resilience and quality of life; (2) categories of key resources, which should also include institutional capital and environmental capital; (3) units of analysis, which should also include territorial systems, such as transportation or waste; and (4) key managerial challenges implied, which should include knowledge management, network management and project portfolio management. Thanks to these findings, this paper enlarges the conceptual horizon of IC through cross-fertilization with the smart city approach. As a final result, a smart city intellectual capital (SC-IC) framework is proposed.
Originality/value – The SC-IC framework allows for a clear definition of the smart city organisation, as a new knowledge-based, project-oriented, network-shaped type of organisation. According to this view, the mission of a smart city organisation is to leverage SC-IC resources far beyond its own boundaries, in order to strengthen competitiveness, sustainability and the quality of life at the level of city system(s). Therefore, the SC-IC framework provides smart city research with a consistent rooting in management studies and identifies the key management challenges implied in the smart city phenomenon. Further, this paper contributes to the fourth stage of IC research.
Design/methodology/approach: In the first, explorative phase of the study, interviews and focus groups were conducted in order to develop a new measurement scale, which was subsequently tested through a survey questionnaire (212 respondents).
Findings: This research suggests that the relational capital of the IT department is a very important resource for the creation of strategic value. The statistical analysis conducted for this study confirmed the validity and reliability of the novel scale developed to measure this resource. Finally, thanks to factor analysis, five dimensions for the scale were identified.
Research limitations/implications: Data were collected in northern Italy only. Further studies are advisable to confirm the validity of the constructs and scale.
Practical implications: The questionnaire presented in this study can be used to monitor the effectiveness of the interactions between the IT department and the other key actors involved in IT-enabled innovation. The adoption of this scale and its possible adaptation to specific, evolving business contexts may enhance the practitioner’s understanding of the role of relational capital in the value creation process.
Originality/value: The paper contributes to the “third stage” of intellectual capital research by concentrating on an intra-organizational level of analysis, which has been overlooked in the literature to date.
Design/methodology/approach – The compatibility between the smart city and the IC approach is explored thanks to a long-term, in-depth ethnographic exploration of the vast global community, which is created around the smart city movement. Large amounts of information were collected over four years through the in-depth analysis of five representative European case studies. Data gathering methods are diverse and include participant observation, non-participant observation, document collection and action research. In addition, more than 100 further international cases were investigated through website analysis, social network analysis and report analysis. The resulting vast text database was analysed through computer-assisted coding to allow data triangulation and bottom-up identification of emergent concepts.
Findings – The analysis suggests that the smart city and IC views are highly compatible, and the systematic adoption of the IC approach could be very useful to study the managerial implications of the smart city phenomenon. On the other side, in order to effectively analyse a smart city context through the IC lens, the traditional IC framework needs to be extended for: (1) expected outcomes, which should also include sustainability, resilience and quality of life; (2) categories of key resources, which should also include institutional capital and environmental capital; (3) units of analysis, which should also include territorial systems, such as transportation or waste; and (4) key managerial challenges implied, which should include knowledge management, network management and project portfolio management. Thanks to these findings, this paper enlarges the conceptual horizon of IC through cross-fertilization with the smart city approach. As a final result, a smart city intellectual capital (SC-IC) framework is proposed.
Originality/value – The SC-IC framework allows for a clear definition of the smart city organisation, as a new knowledge-based, project-oriented, network-shaped type of organisation. According to this view, the mission of a smart city organisation is to leverage SC-IC resources far beyond its own boundaries, in order to strengthen competitiveness, sustainability and the quality of life at the level of city system(s). Therefore, the SC-IC framework provides smart city research with a consistent rooting in management studies and identifies the key management challenges implied in the smart city phenomenon. Further, this paper contributes to the fourth stage of IC research.