Page - (000285) - in Knowledge and Networks

282 A third form of cooperation practiced within the network was employee-lending, that is, the temporary sharing of employees between the partner firms. Employees were used in the partner companies as consultants. When required, they also helped with the design of concepts for Internet purchasing systems. The amount of time spent as a temporary worker varied greatly. Some consultants were lent only for a specific project; others had been cooperating with the partner companies for several years. Lending employees was a widespread practice in the Comra.de network. The firms were then asked to state those members to which they had already deployed employees over the last years. Finally, the fourth form of cooperation was the project-cooperation network. Network members were asked to state those partner firms with whom they had Fig. 13.2 Four forms of cooperation in the Comra.de corporate network. From Glückler et al. (2012, p. 177). The shaded circle highlights the position of the “black sheep” in the different forms of cooperation. Reprinted with permission of Springer J. Glückler and I. Hammer