FROM AUTHORITY TO TRUST: THE RESOURCES OF NETWORK LEADERS

The aim of the paper is to advance discussion on network governance by bringing together theoretical discussions on network management and public sector coordination. The main argument of the paper is that the analysis of... [ view full abstract ]

The aim of the paper is to advance discussion on network governance by bringing together theoretical discussions on network management and public sector coordination. The main argument of the paper is that the analysis of network leadership with its special function of furthering collaboration and keeping the network as a whole together, requires a more detailed conceptualization of leader’s resources than has been available this far. The network leader’s resources can be defined as formal and informal means that underlie network leader’s ability to facilitate and guide interactions in the network and change network’s structural features in order to foster collaboration and to arrive at jointly agreed and committed outputs. Five core resources of network leaders become visible. These are authority, power, knowledge, exchange, and trust.