Getting what you want – even if you are the boss – isn’t always easy. Almost every organization, big or small, works among a network of competing interests. Whether it’s governments pushing through policies, companies trying to increase profits, or even families deciding where to move house, rarely can decisions be made in isolation from competing interests both within the organization and outside it.
In this accessible and straightforward account, Hans de Bruijn and Ernst ten Heuvelhof cast light on multi-stakeholder decision-making. Using plain language, they reveal the nuts and bolts of decision-making within the numerous dilemmas and tensions at work. Drawing on a diverse range of illustrative examples throughout, their perceptive analysis examines how different interests can either support or block change, and the strategies available for managing a variety of stakeholders.
The second edition of Management in Networks incorporates a wider spread of international cases, a new chapter giving an overview of different network types, and a new chapter looking at digital governance and the impact of big data on networks.
This insightful text is invaluable reading for students of management and organizational studies, plus practitioners – or actors – operating in a range of contexts.
Chapter 1 our interconnected world and what it means for decision and policy making
Chapter 2 strategies for making decisions in networks – the process
Chapter 3 strategies for making decisions in networks – the content
Chapter 4 a process, not a project
Chapter 5 smart command and control
Chapter 6 strategic behaviour
Chapter 7 trust and rules of the game
Chapter 8 processes and content
Biography
Hans de Bruijn is Professor of Organization and Management at Delft University of Technology, the Netherlands. His research is on networked, multi-actor governance, both between and within organizations.
Ernst ten Heuvelhof is Professor of Public Administration at Delft University of Technology, the Netherlands. His research focuses on decision-making by actors – both public and private – who operate in networks and have diverse interests.
"In an increasingly interactive world knowledge of how networks operate and evolve, and how they can be managed effectively, is increasingly important to students and practitioners of public administration, public management and public policy. In the first edition of this excellent book, the authors developed the idea of "process management" - contrasting it with other forms of such as "project-based" management – highlighting the advantages of using a process lens as a guide to producing better public sector outcomes. In this thoroughly revised and expanded new edition, the authors continue this pursuit, adding detail and nuance to their analyses of the best (and not-so-good) strategies that can be used to enhance collaboration between public, civil society and other actors in the pursuit of public value and the public good."
Burnaby Mountain Chair, Department of Political Science, Simon Fraser University and Professor, Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore
"Management in Networks (second edition) is a fundamental guide for policy makers and managers who wants to consciously decide and act in today’s uncertain and complex world, where all decisions involve many actors, with different values and targets."
- Giovanni Azzone, Professor of Management and Rector Emeritus, Politecnico di Milano, Italy
