Taking initiative: Proactive management and organizational performance in networked environments

While current research in network management focuses on establishing, empirically, that network management contributes positively to organizational performance, theoretical work remains to answer how network management induces positive organizational outcomes. Similarly, although the classical intraorganizational management perspective may seem unsuitable for today's multiorganizational environment, researchers should not abandon what classic organizational theory can offer as the perspective continues to shift. This article represents a first step toward bringing a proactive management perspective to bear on the empirical analysis of managerial activity and program performance, when operating within a networked environment. The goal is to enable researchers to see a clearer picture of how network management, particularly proactive management, influences organizational performance on a set of programmatic indicators. Public education provides the context for the investigation.