A tentative framework for analyzing integration in collaborative manufacturing network settings: a case study

It is important for small and medium-sized corporations to collaborate in networks in order to develop capacity, capability, and competence to perform product development and become suppliers of complete systems. The purpose of this case study is to identify barriers and to develop an analytical framework of inter-organizational collaboration in network settings. In this paper we present a tentative four-dimensional framework in terms of surface of integration, scope of integration, time horizon of integration, and intensity of integration. This framework can be used to analyze how network settings are developed, in terms of structural design of the network, the design of the workflow in collaborative settings, and the aspects of handling the psychological and social boundaries between people. (c) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.