Design beyond dyads: understanding the governance of interorganizational project networks

Purpose This Special Issue, titled “Design beyond Dyads: Understanding the Governance of Interorganizational Project Networks,” synthesizes the critical network governance challenges and mechanisms within inter-organizational project (IOP) networks operating in unstable and competitive environments. By addressing the current fragmentation in literature and drawing on eight included papers, we argue that the network governance challenges of IOPs cannot be adequately addressed through bilateral or project-specific governance mechanisms. Instead, these challenges are more likely to be resolved through network-level governance mechanisms. Accordingly, we aim to develop a network-level understanding of how IOPs can be governed as enduring, semi-permanent organizations. Design/methodology/approach The articles featured in this special issue employ a diverse range of theoretical lenses and methodologies to capture the complex dynamics of governance of IOPs. We synthesize the findings of these articles and theorize them together with the existing literature on governance of IOPs. Findings Applying the 4M lens (multiplicity, multilevel structure, metaorganizations and multitemporal nature), we identify and theorize a set of distinctive network governance challenges inherent to IOPs. Our analysis shows that these challenges cannot be reduced to bilateral or project-level tensions, but instead governance strategies emerge from the structural, organizational and temporal complexity of IOP networks. Based on these findings, we propose an integrated governance framework that specifies how network governance mechanisms can be deliberately sequenced to address these challenges. We also present the revised model by incorporating special issue findings. The synthesis also enables us to articulate a forward-looking research agenda that advances the study of IOPs as enduring, semi-permanent networked organizations. Originality/value This special issue positions the IOP network not as a series of isolated islands, but as a collection of nodes within a shared, ongoing timeline. It contributes to the literature on governance of IOP networks by offering a path for tailoring macro-level and micro-level mechanisms to network governance challenges, thereby driving long-term success of both projects and project-based organizations.