Network of Networks
What is the Collective Impact of Collective Impact (and Other Network Models)?Findings from the Longitudinal Study of Community Systems of Health-Oriented Networks
Purpose-oriented networks and their environment: A population ecology of network domains
Inter-organizational Networks and Complex Problems: An Organizational Ecology of Network Domains
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As societal problems have increased in complexity, so too have the organizational forms we have created to manage them. Purpose-oriented networks have arisen to center-stage in the field of public management as a crucial, and increasingly prevalent forum for addressing complex or wicked public issues in local communities. Recently, scholars have identified the need for greater theorizing on environmental factors and their influence on purpose-oriented networks. Theories of population ecology aim to understand population level dynamics within organizational settings. In this study, we apply theories of organizational ecology to advance scholarship of network domains. Network domains are defined as populations of purpose-oriented networks active within the same mission and geographic area. Using a longitudinal bipartite dataset of 74 different purpose-oriented networks nested in three different geographic areas, we test a series of hypotheses drawn from population ecology concerning the impact of domain saturation on organizational and network-level outcomes. Analysis employs a combination of dynamic network modeling using stochastic agent-oriented models, as well case study and standard OLS regression techniques. Findings offer support for the relevance of population level dynamics in explaining network change over time. Specifically, findings indicate that the introduction of new networks into the domain attracts members away from existing networks and can lead to network dissolution. Findings further suggest that this effect is more pronounced in more saturated network domains. Implications for advancing a population ecology of networks is discussed as well as a cautionary tale for public and philanthropic initiatives which require the introduction of new networks as a requirement of funding.