Comparing Classifications of Inter-organizational Relationships and Inter-organizational Networks

The formation and diffusion of networks between institutions, organizations, and firms is a clear trait of modern societies and economies. This fact is challenging both economic and management sciences and political sciences to develop a good theory to explain why and how this phenomenon is taking place. During the last four decades, a plethora of theories has been advanced and has produced a huge number of contributions, thus making this research field very complicated and characterized by basic concepts like coordination, cooperation, and collaboration which are not univocally or clearly defined. In this paper, six general classification schemas are discussed, and their theoretical references and major points of strength and weaknesses are underlined. This work can shed light on the state of the art, evidence the main contradictions and unsolved problems, and thus hopefully contribute to further developments.