Interorganizational networks: The convergence of cooperative Competitors

This paper extends organizational communication research by considering external organizational issues. It analyzes the interorganizational network of real estate companies and the relationship of their network positions to organization‐level perceptions about the system. The network is divided into: (1) one group of organizations that were sparsely connected, and (2) stand‐alone organizations that were isolated from the prevailing group and each other. This interorganizational network analysis is grounded in institutionalization and resource dependence theory, vis‐à‐vis overlapping perceptions of the system, elicited by answers to open‐ended interviews. Results indicate institutionalized perceptions occurred for the group‐member organizations through indirect exposure to information in the environment. Specifically, organizations who shared similar roles in the network have convergent interpretations. These data support Mizruchi's (1993) theory that prominent organizations are more similar than those who have more peripheral roles in a network.