På grund av den ökade konkurrensen på världsmarknaden krävs det att företag ständigt utvecklas för att hålla sin position på marknaden. Nätverksstrukturen kan vara ett av många sätt att möta den hårda konkurrensen på mellan företagen. Uppsatsen behandlar två nätverksorganisationer med olika strukturer och arbetssätt där det ena företaget är uppbyggt utifrån ett franchisekoncept och det andra utifrån en federativ organisation samt strategisk allians. Syftet är att se hur organisationerna är uppbyggda samt belysa likheter och skillnader mellan dessa två företag. Uppsatsen bygger på en kvalitativ ansats med djupgående intervjuer med två delägare i Mäkleriet AB och med VD:n i JK Försäkringar AB.

The study deals with the importance of strategic communication and the purpose of this thesis is to examine the challenges for strategic communication in a network organization. A network organization is an organizational form that arises increasingly as a result of today's rapid change and leads to a greater need to collaborate and exchange knowledge among stakeholders. Strategic communication has its basis in communication theory, organizational theory and management theory and therefore the theoretical reference framework is built from these areas. The research questions are as follows: What meanings do goals and vision have for strategic communication in a network organization? What are the challenges of strategic communication in a network organization? In order to investigate these research questions the study is based on a qualitative study and more specially a case-study. The study was conducted on Green Umeå which is a network organization and is particularly interesting as it is based on a co-creation logic. The interviews were conducted using semi-structured interviews on site and the selection of respondents was made with a snowball selection. The results of the study are as followings:  - Clear goals and a vision are important to be successful with strategic communication.  - Value creation has a significant role in network organizations and thus influences strategic communication.  - Conflicts of interest among actors within network organizations can lead to difficulties with common goals and visions.  - Communication has a crucial role for the strategic communication in a network organization.

This study focuses on Knowledge management and knowledge sharing. The purpose is to examine potential barriers for knowledge sharing in a specific organization. The barriers will be from the perspective of actors in a specific network. Strategic knowledge sharing is based on knowledge management and organizational theory, the theoretical framework is created with this in mind. The research questions are the following: How is knowledge shared in a network organization? What barriers exist to knowledge sharing in a network organization? To investigate these research questions, a qualitative approach was taken through the use of qualitative content analysis. The study looks toward a specific network organization that in turn focuses on sharing information and inspiration to create a more sustainable future. Semi-instructed interview with different actors in the network was conducted. The result shows that without an established relationship between actors in a network, the actors themselves need to establish the connection. At the same time, a lack of communication channels creates a barrier for actors to establish contact with each other.

Bakgrund: Globaliseringen samt digitaliseringen har lett till stora förändringar på den globala marknaden. Företag konkurrerar inte längre bara regionalt eller nationellt utan även internationellt. Den dynamiska och volatila marknaden har lett till att det inte räcker att företag utnyttjar sina befintliga resurser utan de måste även vara flexibla, snabba och innovativa för att identifiera nya möjligheter. För att lyckas med det måste företag vara strategiskt entreprenöriella. Den ökade konkurrensen har även gjort att företag tvingas leverera hög kapacitet och effektivitet i samtliga av dess aktiviteter. Det har därmed blivit vanligt att företag väljer att enbart hantera de aktiviteter där de har sina interna styrkor och outsourcar övriga aktiviteter till externa företag genom att vara i nätverksorganisationer. Syfte: Studiens syfte är att skapa en djupare förståelse för strategiskt entreprenörskap och undersöka om och i så fall hur nätverksorganisationer kan balansera entreprenörskap och strategi i sin verksamhet.  Metod: Studien utgörs av en kvalitativ forskningsstrategi som utformats som en fallstudie av företaget Smiling Group. Det empiriska materialet har samlat in via intervjuer, observationer samt genom granskning av skriftligt material.  Slutsats: Vi anser utifrån vår studie att företag i nätverksorganisationer kan balansera strategi och entreprenörskap i sin verksamhet genom att de utnyttjar förutsättningarna som nätverket skapar. Vi vill hävda att en nätverksorganisation bidrar till att de enskilda företagen inom organisationen kan vara av entreprenöriell karaktär och ändå skapa långsiktig konkurrenskraft på marknaden. / Background: The trends of globalization and digitalization have led to huge changes in the global market. Companies do not compete only on a regional or national level but also on an international level. The dynamic and volatile market place have led to the fact that companies do not only have to use their existing resources but they also have to be flexible, fast pace and innovative in order to identify new market opportunities. To succeed companies must be strategically entrepreneurial. The increased competitive situation has also forced companies to deliver high capacity and efficiency in all of its activities. Hence, it has become common that companies choose to perform those activities where they have their internal strengths while outsourcing the other activities to organizations by operating in network environments. Purpose: The purpose of the case study is to provide a greater understanding for the concept of strategic entrepreneurship and evaluate the how the network organizations can balance the entrepreneurship and strategy in its business operations. Method: The study is represented of a qualitative research strategy which has been shaped as a case study of the Smiling Group company. The empirical material has been collected through several personal interviews, various experiences and a review of written documentation.  Conclusion: We conclude out of this case study that firms in network organizations can balance strategic management and entrepreneurship in their operations by utilizing the strategic advantages provided by the network. We claim that network organizations contribute by giving the individual firm the opportunity to take entrepreneurial action and still creating sustainable competitive advantage.