Trigger Strategies for Standard Diffusion in Interorganizational Networks: A Conceptual Model and Simulation

When establishing a new technological standard, multiple actors often have to build coalitions to overcome the inertia of the emergent collaboration network and to mobilize decisive levels of support. The authors suggest that the emergence of a standard in a networked field can be strategically influenced by focusing only on a subset of all actors. The study defined the choice of a specific set of standard-initializing organizations as the trigger strategy. A conceptual model was developed from interorganizational collaboration as a network comprised of a set of heterogeneous, interconnected nodes, qualified by their group membership and size. The authors employed network simulations identifying the value of different trigger strategies. Data on a network of airline collaboration was used to illustrate the model. Under most conditions considered, the study found a strong triggering potential of interrelated core cliques in comparison to other trigger strategies. The results suggest that this strategy should receive more attention in the future.