Enabling factors for developing a social services network

ABSTRACT

This paper discusses the main factors contributing to the development of networks between public, nonprofit and private organizations providing social services. Industrial marketing and purchasing literature was mobilized to analyze those networks, and a case study research was used to discuss how actors, activities and resources are interrelated to produce a collective and cooperative action to provide social services to population. The research has contributions for theory and practice. First, the ongoing interaction and exchange, through the implementation of collective activities leads to building ties and stable relationships that contribute to the mobilization of stakeholders. Second, the informality of interactions facilitates relationship building among stakeholders insofar as it facilitates the coordination and cooperation in the network, reinforcing trust relationships. Finally, performing collective activity requires that the actors interact, share resources, adapt their internal structures and develop interdependencies between actors, resources and activities, leading to the development of the perceived network value.

KEYWORDS:

• Networks
• relationships
• interaction
• social services
• third sector

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

Teresa Proença gratefully acknowledges financial support from FCT Fundação para a Ciencia e Tecnologia (Portugal), national funding through research grant (UID/ECO/04105/2013). João Proença gratefully acknowledges financial support from FCT-Fundação para a Ciencia e Tecnologia (Portugal), national funding through research grant (UID/SOC/04521/2013).