Emergent technologies, network paradoxes, and incrementalism

Lindblom's “muddling-through” (1959) or “incrementalizing” (1979) approach in policy development is ideal as a strategic and operational paradigm amid the numerous paradoxes present in the network organizational form of coordination. This paper examines these paradoxes in the context of emergent technologies through the lenses of two constructs — network structure and network position. These technologies are transforming the networks, presenting opportunities and challenges for established telecommunication carriers, and forcing many to re-examine their business relational models. Amid these paradoxes, this paper presents a framework in advancing three models, albeit incrementally, with implications for practice.