Resource Tangibility and the Evolution of a Publicly Funded Health and Human Services Network

This article is a longitudinal examination of a publicly funded network of health and human services organizations that provide services to mentally ill adults. Data were collected at two points in time from a single network in a large U.S. metropolitan area: when the network was completely reorganized, and again when it had matured, four years later. Analysis focuses on changes in the patterns of interaction within and across five resource-based subnetworks. The authors argue that the structure of network relationships depends on the type of resources involvedwhether tangible or intangible, the stage of network evolution, and whether macro- or micro-level interactions are considered. Implications for theory and for network management, governance, and policy are discussed.