مطالعات مدیریت راهبردی (Dec 2023)
Review and analysis of complex systems business networking
Abstract
IntroductionOrganizations in some cases, such as Complex Products and Systems (COPS) do not have access to resources or the possibility and how to use them.Complex Products and Systems are such products and systems that strongly require strong engineering knowledge and high costs with a project organizational structure and customized based on technology networks, structures and engineering and infrastructure services. In other words, organizations active in the Complex Products and Systems industry need to be present in collaborative networks in order to meet their complex technological needs and because they must be equipped with a combination of complementary skills and expertise. Given the importance of networking in the Complex Products and Systems industry due to its basic features and the good literature that has been formed in this field of research in recent years, therefore, it is possible to use a review research to identify studied areas. future trends, and other areas of interest.Methodology The main purpose of this research is a systematic review and classification of the studied subjects, observable trends in studies, descriptive statistics of previous studies. The present study is a systematic review and citation research in which the steps of systematic review study of Denyer and Tranfield (2009) have been used. At first, after identifying the relevant keywords and confirming the experts, the search command was formed as TITLE-ABS-KEY ((“complex product systems” OR “complex products and systems” OR “complex capital goods” OR “complex Product-Service System”) and (“Collaborat*” OR “Network*” OR “cooperat*”)), and in the next step, the search command was executed and modified in the Scopus database, which finally produced 109 outputs.Results and Discussion The period of studied articles was from 1995 to 2021, published in 38 sources, the annual growth rate of articles from 2017 to 2021 has quadrupled, "Research Policy" journal is the first rank in this field by publishing 5 articles. Tae Yang Park published the most articles in the field and is in first rank and Hanyang University is with the highest number of organizational affiliations in this field, China with 12 scientific products is of the top country in the list of scientific products in this field. However, articles originating in the United Kingdom with 133 citations have the most citations to articles.Complex systems industries have denser and more complex network connections, which makes it difficult for transformative innovations. Therefore, equipping with communication capabilities can facilitate coordination to face this challenge [44]. Meanwhile, in line with Schumpeter's theory of creative destruction, radical innovations can completely erase the value of outdated technologies and competences and thus lead to the exit of the industry for backward companies. Recent research indicates that innovation flows from the business level to the network level. Innovation in the network is the result of the appropriate flow and its sharing between network members. One of the methods of knowledge transfer and circulation can occur in the form of complementary assets. For example, two companies, one of which has capabilities in raw material production and the other in its processing, can facilitate the flow of knowledge by properly transferring knowledge and participating in this process. Another type of innovation and knowledge flow can occur in the form of innovative division of labor. This is a kind of recombination of network members' knowledge with problems and solutions. As a result of creating such a recombination, the member companies of the network will find the ability to make what they could not make and provide alone. Of course, the importance of explicit and implicit knowledge should not be overlooked. Therefore, tacit knowledge, which is much lower in transmission power and rarely takes a written form, can be easily transferred in face-to-face and direct relationships in networks. That is, the greater the share of tacit knowledge, the more difficult it will be to transfer. Therefore, being in the network can promise more innovation for their members due to the access and variety of knowledge available in the networks. Conclusion After studying the theoretical foundations and holding meetings to present the articles, the five main topics discussed in the reviewed articles were identified, and the results of the answers to the articles were presented. The first theme is about the main factors of network stability in the complex systems industry, which include: the quality of the relationship between network actors, the degree of movement towards goals and achieving them in a flexible and cooperative atmosphere, the realization of a goal that each member has joined the network with the same motivation. Establishing two-way communication in a network, cooperation, solving the problem of resource dependence, appropriate actions in the field of strategic management, the presence of managers with basic skills in network management and the use of various tools to create a common understanding between members. Adaptability in the network in complex systems industries: participation and presence in networks and the formation of some interdependencies in networks, lead to changes in the business model of companies, which these changes occur due to adaptation to the network.The five main themes are identified as follows:How does network stability happen in the Complex Products and Systems industry?What are the dynamics of network adaptability in Complex Products and Systems industry?How is network management in Complex Products and Systems industry?How to create value in networks in Complex Products and Systems industry?How does innovation in the Complex Products and Systems industry occur?Due to the limitations of the research and access to the most original articles, because part of the validity of the research comes from the validity of the search and its articles, so from these outputs only articles and review studies and in English selected and the output was 68 articles. This number of articles was re-examined by two researchers and separately. The final output of the study was 47 original articles that were entered into Bibliometrics software to provide the most referenced resources, journals, universities, individuals and collaboration networks. And other related items to be identified.
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