The Keiretu is one type of network organization, and it can be considered as an affiliate enterprise with interlocking business and shareholdings relationships.
Published in Chapter:
Strategies for Virtual Work
Paul Jackson (Edith Cowan University, Australia) and Jane E. Klobas (Bocconi University, Italy, and University of Western Australia, Australia)
Copyright: © 2008
|Pages: 7
DOI: 10.4018/978-1-59904-885-7.ch203
Abstract
As capital searches for new markets, greater efficiencies and competitive advantage, time, space and the boundaries of the firm become strategic enablers rather than operational hindrances. Mass customization, the ability to develop and deliver exactly what a customer needs, requires intimacy with their operations and the active participation of customers and customer communities in the design of solutions (Venkatraman & Henderson, 1998). The mobilization and leveraging of knowledge resources to create ideal solutions requires building teams of experts who are motivated, empowered and connected. These experts can be at home, in other offices, in other companies, or in other countries. And the sourcing of assets required to support production and delivery is no longer sacred: complementarity of resources, configured in temporary networks, is sought, even if those resources come from competitors. The solution, the fit for the customer, is the key to success, not the historical reliability of the tried and true business process (Castells, 2001).