Governance, strategy and management of international business networks in uncertain times: an introduction

In today’s turbulent and complex environments, international business networks (IBNs) in various forms (e.g., strategic alliances, franchise chains, export and licence relationships, cooperatives, global production networks, joint ventures, public-private partnerships, and digital platforms) are becoming increasingly important in helping multinationals to achieve competitive advantage. Owing to increased performance pressures in uncertain environments, firms embedded in networks are increasingly moving from cooperators to collaborators as value co-creators. The aim of this introductory article is to discuss how IBNs may mitigate uncertainty (emanating especially from disruptive digital innovations and global pandemics) through value, configuration and/or knowledge-driven governance, strategy, and management. In addition, we provide an overview of the articles included in the special issue on ‘Governance, Strategy and Management of International Business Networks in Uncertain Times’ detailing their specific contributions to enrich the contemporary scholarly discourse in this regard.