Network mobilizers and target firms: The case of saving the Baltic Sea

This paper examines why and how firms participate in issue networks that aim at solving contemporary complex problems. We build mainly on network and stakeholder literatures to understand mobilization from a relational perspective. Drawing on a single embedded case study of four initiatives to save the Baltic Sea, we build a multilevel model for firm participation in issue networks. Besides discovering diverse motivational factors, the model sheds light on the interaction between individual, organization, and network levels factors explaining mobilization. We argue that there is high theoretical, managerial, and societal relevance for studying the dynamics of issue networks—a topic which could be better incorporated in the research agenda of business network scholars.

Research highlights► Solving of complex social and environmental problems necessitates firm participation. ► Engaging firms, and other actors, calls for mobilization. ► We examine firms' participation in four environmental initiatives to save the Baltic Sea. ► Individual, organizational, and network level attributes and motives explain firm mobilization. ► Continued mobilization requires that an issue is linked to organizational level values and agenda.