Minding the Gaps: A Systematic Literature Review of Inter-Organizational Network Formation and Cooperative Benefits

The aim of this research was to investigate the current state of knowledge and research gaps on inter-organization networks. Particular interest is on identifying why inter-organizational networks form and their impact in terms of potential benefits for all members of the network. A systematic literature review was employed to scope, evaluate, and synthesize existing research on inter-organizational networks. The scope of the research covered peer-reviewed papers from 2010 to 2024, using the Scopus database. The PSALSAR framework was applied to ensure a structured review process. The systematic literature review search resulted in 119 papers. These were analyzed through a thematic synthesis that distinguished between two core streams of research: (1) studies focusing on network formation, which were further categorized by their primary drivers (e.g., social, strategic, structural, technological); and (2) studies examining network benefits, which were categorized by their outcomes (e.g., performance, innovation). A second layer of analysis was conducted to deepen the understanding of the main theories employed and a mapping of the main industries/contexts represented in the literature. The results reveal several persistent gaps in the application of inter-organizational network research. While early studies predominantly focused on network formation, more recent contributions increasingly adopt integrative approaches that link formation mechanisms with network outcomes. Social and structural drivers emerge as the most extensively examined antecedents of network formation, whereas technological drivers remain comparatively underexplored, despite their growing relevance in digitally mediated and platform-based collaboration contexts. Furthermore, the analysis highlights a strong dominance of whole-network perspectives, alongside a relative lack of explicit multi-level integration across firm, dyadic, and network levels. Also, existing research exhibits geographical and sectoral concentration, with a predominance of studies situated in Western economies and China. By consolidating fragmented research and systematically mapping gaps, this review contributes a structured synthesis of the inter-organizational network literature and advances a future research agenda, highlighting areas for additional investigation and future studies. In answering the research question, the results of this systematic review contributed to the body of knowledge on this topic by 1) by consolidating and synthesizing the existing knowledge on inter-organizational networks, this study also contributes by 2) identifying future research directions to address gaps in the application of this important area of study.