Co-operation at work: a process-oriented perspective on joint activity in inter-organizational relations
Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 15, 2026

Operation of the Collaborative Composite Manufacturing (CCM) System
Published on: October 1, 2019
T Wehner1, C Clases, R Bachmann
1Institute for Work Psychology, ETH Zentrum, Zurich, Switzerland. wehner@ifap.bepr.ethz.ch
Abstract:
In this paper the authors present a conceptual framework for analysing co-operation between organizations as a situated process, highlighting co-operation, co-ordination and co-construction as different modes of joint activity. Within this framework, the analysis of unexpected events becomes a crucial issue. The analytic power of reconstructing the (psycho-) logics of unexpected events in inter-organizational relations will be demonstrated in the presentation of selected outcomes of a research project on the dynamics of producer-supplier relationships in the German automobile industry. Also in this empirical part, the significance of trust and confidence in inter-organizational relations will be reflected.
Related Concept Videos
Impression Management Techniques III: Aligning Actions
Levels of Communication II: Organizational, Public, and Group Dynamics
Information-Processing Approach
Microbial Interactions: Cooperation
Information Processing Approach
Impact of Groups on Groups