Network Relations and Loss of Organizational Autonomy

A fundamental premise of resource dependence theory is that organizations tend to avoid interorganizational relations which com- promise their autonomy. This study examined the frequency with which organizations in a population established interorganizational relationships as a function of five different types of network relations that varied in the degree to which they required organizations to relinquish autonomy. The findings failed to support the assumption that organizational independence is a primary consideration in the decision to establish or forego interorganizational relations.