Collaborative Network Capacity

Abstract

This article argues that collaborative network success is a function of having the necessary social, knowledge, and financial capital, and the capacity to manage that capital through collaborative governance and knowledge management. This theory is examined through a comparative case study of two early childhood/school readiness networks. The evidence suggests that both collaborative governance and knowledge management enable collaborative networks to use their resources wisely and that organizational commitment to the network, the role of data collection and sharing, and the challenges of information technology all bear further investigation as important components of collaborative network capacity.

Key words:

• Interorganizational networks
• collaborative network capacity
• collaborative governance
• knowledge management

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The author would like to thank Joann Lindstrom for her assistance in transcribing and coding data, Tom Sinclair for his excellent feedback, and the reviewers for their thoughtful and constructive comments.

Notes

1 It can be argued that many aspects of the more commonly used human capital, such as skills and experience, are actually forms of knowledge capital.