Regional emergency networks: how organizations shape technological collaborations under extreme conditions

The aim of this research is to undertake explorative research and present propositions that would identify the drivers of regional emergency networks, i.e. regional technological collaborative agreements under extreme conditions. Based on previous studies on emergency management, we empirically evaluate how 49 organizations built 53 technological cooperative agreements within the context of COVID-19. We consider individual, dyadic and whole network level variables to build on theory about how these emergency networks are created. We propose that emergency networks are developed under embedded relationships, with physically proximate partners that are also indirectly connected. Secondly, we establish that emergency networks are characterized by heterarchical leadership with lower density connections between many different partners. Finally, we deliberate on the role of partner diversity in developing emergency networks, establishing alternative propositions based on the similarity in innovative capacity and institutional character of the partners.