Network Governance: Social Mechanisms, Knowledge Benefits, and Performance Outcomes in Joint-Design Alliances. Paper nominated for the SMS Best Conference Paper Award.

Drawing on case study research of eight dyadic joint-design alliances and 14 collaborative ventures within them, this paper sheds light on the processes by which interorganizational relationships generate knowledge benefits and performance outcomes for partner firms. Specifically, the paper is aimed at offering a more systematic and comprehensive account of the processes of network governance , encompassing the following elements: the social mechanisms that characterize network governance and the mechanisms antecedents; the relationships among the mechanisms; how the social mechanisms influence the partners propensity to engage in knowledge-intensive initiatives within the relationships; the resulting knowledge benefits for partner firms; and how these benefits affect performance outcomes. The dynamics of the linkages among social mechanisms (and their antecedents), knowledge benefits, and performance, and in particular the feedback effects that reinforce over time these linkages, are also integrated into the above account.