Saving Societies From Within: Innovation and Equity Through Inter-Organizational Networks that provides a new paradigm for sociology built on the idea of societal coordination via systemic coordinated inter-organizational networks or SCIONs These offer the possibility of creating much more organizational change and especially organizational adaptiveness than either coordination by markets or states (elections and regulations).  They build cooperation and provide a platform for learning including the tacit knowledge associated with different approaches to achieving the overall goals.

The book contains a detailed case study that provides lessons for managers interested in innovation and development.  The specific case is how NicaSalud, a SCION formed by USAID, rebuilt the health care system in Nicaragua after Hurricane Mitch, a major disaster.  It demonstrates not only how an inter-organizational network created an atmosphere of learning but also organizational adaptiveness. The study then examines how the amount of adaptiveness improved the effectiveness of the network. This research is also unusual in considering several other ways to measure inter-organizational network effectiveness, thus making a contribution to the inter-organizational network literature.