Authors: Anne Jalkala; Harri Ryynänen; Lauri Lättilä; Samuli Kortelainen
Industrial marketing research has recently focused on managers’ “network pictures”. Network pictures are a manager’s subjective mental representations of their relevant business environment. However, longitudinal research on changes in network pictures is scarce, although the concept is found at the core of networking and thus impacts network outcomes. Constant change in a network places a high emphasis on a manager’s ability to make sense of network changes and revise the network picture. This study contributes to the discussion on the relation between network pictures, networking, and network outcomes by researching a manager’s ability to revise the network picture in differing business environments. The issue is approached through simulation, and more specifically using agent based modeling. We propose that a manager who can revise the network picture faster benefits more in a dynamic business environment than one who can only do so slowly. However, in a business environment with a greater trend for change, the gap between the fast and slow reviser narrows. In addition, the combination effects of the variables of interval time and trend indicate the business environments in which a slow reviser of network pictures gains on the fast reviser. That occurs in cases where the interval time of changes is either extremely low or high, or when the trend of changes rises.
Journal: n.a. (n.a. – n.a.)
Web Address: n.a.
Publish Year: 2012
Conference: Rome, Italy (2012)