The fast-paced, highly dynamic and uncertain environment puts forward higher requirements for organizations’ supply chain toughness and full-cycle product service. Constructing symbiosis has become an important strategy for organizations to grasp opportunities, create new demands and win the future. However, the relevant theoretical research is still in the exploratory stage, which is powerless for the development of practice.By systematically combing the relevant literature of symbiosis, this paper summarizes the time context, journal distribution, research methods, application theory and research objects of symbiosis research. Specifically, the quantity of literature on inter-organizational symbiosis has increased rapidly. The research on symbiosis reflects the characteristics of typical interdisciplinary research fields. In particular, we find that with the rapid development of the theory and practice of ecosystem, ecosystem symbiosis has become a hot topic. These findings lay the foundation for further revealing the key issues of symbiosis.The theoretical contribution of this paper is mainly reflected in three aspects: First, it analyzes the concept of symbiosis from the perspectives of process and outcome. Meanwhile, it refines the key dimensions of symbiosis. Second, it makes a comparative analysis between dual inter-organizational symbiosis and ecosystem symbiosis from three aspects, including symbiotic dimension, symbiotic effect and influencing factors. Based on the social network theory, the resource dependence theory, and so on, it explains the differences between them. On this basis, it finds that there are some limitations in existing studies, reflected in the concept, process and mechanism of the formation and evolution of symbiosis, and the lack of a comprehensive analytical framework. Third, based on the “5W1H” analytical framework, this study takes the formation and evolution of symbiotic relationship as the main topic, explores symbiosis from the perspective of integration, and proposes future research issues.In summary, this paper sheds light on the conceptual system and research context of symbiosis, reveals the differences between dual inter-organizational symbiosis and ecosystem symbiosis, and also provides directional guidance for deepening and promoting the theoretical research in related fields.
/ Journals / Foreign Economics & Management
Foreign Economics & Management
LiZengquan, Editor-in-Chief
ZhengChunrong, Vice Executive Editor-in-Chief
YinHuifang HeXiaogang LiuJianguo, Vice Editor-in-Chief
A Review and Prospects of Inter-orgnizational Symbiosis
Foreign Economics & Management Vol. 43, Issue 10, pp. 68 - 84 (2021) DOI:10.16538/j.cnki.fem.20210519.401
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Cite this article
Lu Shan, Cai Li, Zhan Tianyue, et al. A Review and Prospects of Inter-orgnizational Symbiosis[J]. Foreign Economics & Management, 2021, 43(10): 68-84.
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