Designing for commitment in regional strategic networks

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to model the impact of structural factors and activities on commitment in a regional strategic network (RSN) context. Design/methodology/approach – A longitudinal case study examines two regional strategic networks acting in different business areas in mid Sweden. Findings – Competition‐neutral, social, and personal goals were found to be powerful drivers promoting shared values and commitment among competitors, whereas business‐related goals worked well for complementary firms, providing a more stable basis for network commitment. In the RSN with a large number of members, sensitivity to absence was low, but it took longer for members to get to know one another, slowing commitment development. The RSN including members with complementary resources proved a more favorable setting than did the RSN including competitors, and frequent activities that favored social relationship development increased commitment. Research limitations/implications – This study identifies important factors influencing the development of commitment in network contexts, but is limited to two cases. The topic merits further research: other factors need consideration, and the factors discussed here should be evaluated in other contexts. Practical implications – The impact on network commitment of the factors discussed here needs to be considered by RSN initiators and hubs. Originality/value – Few studies treat commitment in RSN contexts. This paper addresses this deficit by identifying structural factors and activities that influence commitment development.