Managing strategic networks. The strengths of a core-periphery network architecture

This paper is part of a larger survey of Italian design-intensive furnishings manufacturers that compete by leveraging a network of collaborative relationships with external designers. Among these ¿central firms¿, three are being studied longitudinally, with reference to the following areas of inquiry: organizational vision; partners¿ selection; network management. Here I refer to the last area. Founding on the relational behavior of the three central firms over a (approximately) 30-years time span, I advance that the ability to leverage a ¿dual¿ network architecture, integrating a large ¿periphery¿ of weak ties with a narrow ¿core¿ of strong ties, is a distinctive relational capability of the central firm.