Managing interorganizational interactions for social impact: A study of two antibiotics R&D networks

This paper relies on a comparative case study of two antibiotics R&D networks, ENABLE and CARB-X, to understand how interorganizational interactions can be managed to achieve social impact. In particular, we investigate (1) how particular management mechanisms and interorganizational interactions relate to the network’s intended social impact, and (2) how these management mechanisms influence interorganizational interactions. We find that (1) the intended social impact influences the choice of management mechanisms from the very start of a partnership and orients the kind of interactions occurring within the network, and (2) that management mechanisms can shape the interactions unfolding in the network, but that the structural elements of these interactions also make these mechanisms more or less applicable to the network. We contribute to the Industrial Marketing & Purchasing (IMP) view with a model of managing networks building on the three concepts of: intended social impact, management mechanisms, and interorganizational interactions.