Towards a geocentric framework of organizational form: A holistic, dynamicand paradoxical approach

Despite its increasing importance to the research and practice of organizat ional management, there is no consensus on how to describe, explain and pre scribe network as an organizational form. Based upon the evidence of the Ch inese network form within its institutional and cultural contexts, this pap er seeks to make three contributions. First, it describes network as a uniq ue form, different from other organi zational forms and thus needing a new perspective. Second, it explains network form from a holistic, dynamic and paradoxical perspective by synthesizing economic, social and psychological rationalities. Third, it prescribes the ideal-typical network form by offer ing a geocentric framework of organizational form which is neither culture- blind (under-embedded) nor culture-bounded lover-embedded).