Planned and spontaneous orders in the emerging network society

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of the emergence of the network society from the perspective of planned and spontaneous order. Design/methodology/approach – Conceptual analysis based on extensive familiarization with literature. Findings – The network society does not increase either planned or spontaneous ordering of economic activity, but their interplay. Research limitations/implications – The paper produces a number of research implications at global, industry, relationship and firms levels of analysis. Practical implications – Businesses should craft practical strategies and policies on the assumption of constant change, build networking capabilities and be reactive to discontinuities in technologies and business models. Originality/value – The paper is a unique multi‐level account of the impact of the network society on the type of economic ordering it creates.