Presenting 17 tools developed through rigorous design science research, this book bridges the relevance gap within network management. In so doing, it proposes a novel system-framework and establishes a path towards a networks-as-practice view on inter-organizational relationships. The systems-framework builds on three institutionalized business practices: Networks-as-coordinated social systems, Networks-as-knowledge-creating platforms, and Networks-as-value-generating entities. Through these tools, Towards Relational Business Practices intends to propose a new managerial praxis and provoke new and improved frameworks and models for network management.

Presenting 17 tools developed through rigorous design science research, this book bridges the relevance gap within network management. In so doing, it proposes a novel system-framework and establishes a path towards a networks-as-practice view on inter-organizational relationships. The systems-framework builds on three institutionalized business practices: Networks-as-coordinated social systems, Networks-as-knowledge-creating platforms, and Networks-as-value-generating entities. Through these tools, Towards Relational Business Practices intends to propose a new managerial praxis and provoke new and improved frameworks and models for network management.

Bazaar of Opportunities for New Business Development goes beyond the paradigm of open innovation and underlines the variety of opportunities that firms may have in innovation and new business development with external actors. This book shows readers that firms can interact, innovate, and do business with different known and unknown actors, both formally and informally, and use different levels of openness within interorganizational innovation processes. External actors, however, also mean additional risks for the firm that they should manage. The subtitle of book, Bridging Networked Innovation, Intellectual Property and Business, addresses the guidance and perspectives that the book will provide in order to better prepare the reader for innovation with external actors.Bazaar of Opportunities has a multidisciplinary approach to the subject, bringing innovation, business, legal and network management perspectives together. The findings are based on state-of-the-art practices of innovative firms in Europe, empirical data collected through interviews and case studies. Through this multidisciplinary approach and the empirical findings, the reader may gain insight on how to be successful in open and networked innovation.

Workbook for Opening Innovation - Bridging Networked Business, Intellectual Property and Contracting focuses on the implementation of phenomena, theories and ideas presented in the book Bazaar of Opportunities for New Business Development - Bridging Networked Innovation, Intellectual Property and Business. In these two books we go beyond the paradigm of open innovation and underline the variety of opportunities that firms may have in innovation and new business development with external actors.This workbook presents practical tools for managers to utilize so that they are better prepared for innovation with external actors and, accordingly, they can then successfully implement open and networked innovation in their business. The workbook includes a guide for collaboration within networked innovation and business, a guide for making IP strategy, and a guide for contracting (including checklists supporting the contracting).