Research On Evolution Of Network Organization Based On Co-opetition

Since 1980s more and more enterprises realize that it's difficult to adapt to the tremendous environmental change by their own strengths under the uncertain global competition. So the concept of complete competition is supplanted by cooperation-competition. On the basis of competition, enterprises seek wide-ranging cooperation, which bears the features of networking and thus network organization emerged. At present these flexible network organizations, such as industrial cluster, strategic alliance, supply chain and virtual enterprise, play more and more important role in the modern economy. Cooperation-competition, as a strategy creating value by cooperating with competitors, has been becoming a new competitive concept and model that has drawn the attention of network organization researchers. Co-opetition is the integration of competition and cooperation, while gaining competitive advantages from cooperation could be the most meaningful one.Based on the concept of cooperation and competition, this dissertation starts with the complexity of the evolution of network organization and explores its dynamic mechanism and approaches to gain competitive advantages. The study has made the following contributions.First, it puts forward the two-dimensional framework of co-opetition strategy which not only represents the various states of cooperation-competition but also defines cooperation-leading co-opetition and competition-leading co-opetition as per co-opetition equilibrium to lay the foundation of the dissertation.Second, by constructing the potential model of organization evolution and the orbit model of network organization operation based on catastrophe theory, it clarifies the complexity of the evolution of network organization. And redefine network organization as an organization system with network structure and evolution complexity which constitutes the independent entities under featuring of initiative and adaptability under the co-opetition.Third, it presents the dynamic model of the evolution of network organization. By the stability theory analysis and software simulation, it comes up that co-opetition is the source power of the evolving of network organization; and the evolution of network organization is related to the largest scale of members under resource constraints. These illustrate that network organization can take shape by strengthening effective cooperation and lessening detrimental competition; and giving rein to group advantage and resource complementation can help the members to further develop under limited resource.Fourth, by using NetLogo, it establishes the complex adaptive system model and simulates the process of the strategic co-opetition selection of the members of network organization. And, according to the emergence phenomenon, it states that the willingness to cooperate would be affected by historical information, cognition ability and environment adjusts the developing strategy of network organization.Fifth, the present dissertation puts forward the theoretical model that displays the role played by willingness to cooperate for members of network organization to gain competitive advantages. Empirical research using structural equation finds that the member of network organization increases willingness to cooperate by trust-aware of history, union demand and earnings estimate showing initiative, and it would elevate its competitive advantage more effectively with the more role of mediator variable: the strength of network ties, organization learning and technological innovation.