Jessica Geraldo Schwengber – författare

This volume embarks on a research journey that focuses on the processes of economic and social value creation in the 21st century. Given that value creation is increasingly organized in networks consisting of businesses, governments, academia, civil society, and other societal stakeholders, the contributions address various aspects of and challenges in governing cooperation in value-creating networks. Exploring topics such as relational rationality, cultural complexity, shared value creation, and relational contracts, this book reveals the mechanisms and processes involved in governing the complexities of inter-sectoral relationships in a networked society. Given its scope and focus, this book will appeal to scholars of economics, economic sociology, organizational studies, and related fields.

This book critically examines existing organizational learning theories that often center on employees and adopt a neo-classical organizational view. In this book, organizational learning (OL) is conceptualized from a relational governance perspective. Departing from the relational economics approach, it describes organizations as dynamic nexuses of stakeholders'' resources and interests, extending beyond conventional intra-organizational contexts to encompass an open systems view. By viewing organizations as independent entities, distinct from individual stakeholders, the author introduces the concept of transactions as the fundamental unit of analysis in organization theory. Stakeholders contribute diverse rationalities, and OL emerges as the process of relationalizing these rationalities, enabling multi-contextual transactions within organizations.

This book sheds light on epistemological and ontological challenges in OL literature, such as the OL paradox and anthropomorphism. To address these issues, the author advocates a shift from methodological individualism to methodological relationism, wherein OL becomes a micro-meso-relational process involving both stakeholders and the organization as an entity. Combining conceptual insights with empirical evidence from a multinational company''s case study, the book showcases how relational learning can be practically applied in organizations. The findings corroborate the conceptual framework, supporting the notion of organizations as resource-rich nexuses and learning as a comprehensive relational process involving both entities and stakeholders. This book offers an essential contribution to the field. It appeals to scholars and practitioners interested in organizational studies, corporate governance, and relational economics.

This book explores how economic and social values are created through dynamic, non-linear interactions within cooperative networks. Emphasizing the importance of relations and networks in value creation, the book discusses critical issues such as the relational nature of the firm, relational management and leadership as well as relational philosophy. This includes topics such as network models, stakeholder management, relational contracts, cooperative economics as well as philosophical questions related to relational ontology, epistemology and methodology, inter alia.

Written by leading scholars, the contributions highlight the need for new business models and governance mechanisms that integrate resources across different economic and social systems, advocating for a relational approach to economic theory. In turn, the book argues for a network-based, integrative view of businesses, suggesting that economic success is increasingly dependent on the ability to navigate and foster complex relationships within a globalized context.

Rich in theoretical and empirical insights, this book is essential reading for academics, policymakers, and business leaders interested in the future of economic thought and practice. It provides a comprehensive overview of the relational paradigm. The book is an invitation to join the conversation on how relational perspectives can transform our understanding of economics, governance, and organizational dynamics.