Determining and ranking components for assessing the success achieved by inter-organizational networks

This research aims to determine and rank factors for assessing the success achieved by inter-organizational networks. After reviewing the theoretical foundations and research background, the factors for measuring the success achieved by inter-organizational networks, including 3 main factors and 38 sub-factors were determined. In the second stage, the validity of factors was investigated by a survey of experts involved in the field of information technology and software and hardware. The results show that factors used in this study are fully approved by the experts of the subject. The results also suggest that IT managers and network engineers need 3 main organizational, network and institutional factors to evaluate the success of inter-organizational networks. Data were tested using Friedman test, one-sample T-test, Smirnov-Kolmogorov and Spearman tests, and Cronbach’s alpha was calculated. The results of Friedman’s test indicated that from experts’ point of view, network factor is the most important one, and organizational and institutional factors were respectively ranked second and third. Regarding each factor, the rank of each sub-factor was determined; hence, in network index, sub-index of teamwork and collaboration has the highest rank. In organizational and institutional indices, the highest ranks respectively relate to sub-indices of software infrastructure and organizing. To implement inter-organizational networks, and evaluate the success achieved by these networks, paying attention to such factors is considered crucial.