A generic model to handle complexity in collaborative networks

The importance of joining collaborations and maintaining relationships has significantly increased for industrial companies due to the globalisation of markets and the ongoing specialisation of companies. Consequently, adjustments in organizational structures are required by companies to fit the characteristics of industrial collaborations. With this, the complexity of collaborations in highly dynamic environments is increasing but often underestimated. This research is based on an EU founded project with the main goal to enlarge the knowledge of complexity in collaborative networks. In this paper we show the results of a questionnaire based survey identifying problems arising in such collaborative networks. Furthermore we link these problems to different system characteristics (e.g. network structure, trust, degree of commitment, coordination, change, etc.) and show how the problems and system characteristics influence each other based on case studies in two different collaborative networks. The research results in a generic model for complexity (GeMoC) in collaboration networks which is based on Beer's viable system model and identifies white spots in the existing complexity research literature.