Should I Stay or Should I Go? A Qualitative Analysis of Legitimacy in a Shared Participant-Governed Network

ABSTRACT

This article investigates how legitimacy can be improved in a shared-participant type of network governance. These networks are governed by their members and are very common in the field of service organizations. Legitimacy refers to the extent to which a network can convince organizations that the network is valuable. Respondents affiliated with both participating and nonparticipating organizations are interviewed. The article concludes that strategies such as informational exchange, the improvement of network-level competencies, and conflict resolution are crucial for increasing the legitimacy of shared-participant governance.

KEYWORDS:

• Network legitimacy
• qualitative analysis
• shared-participant governance
• strategies