Introduction

Abstract This introductory chapter describes the aims and the scope of the book and provides an overview of the individual chapters. An important part of establishing the scope of the book is to explicate both what the book is and what it is not about. To this end, this chapter introduces five foundational premises on which the book rests: (1) approaching organization as a process of deliberate design decisions; (2) approaching governance decisions by defining the main problem; (3) focusing on organizational viability through collaborative value creation; (4) approaching stakeholdership through reciprocity and risk; and (5) focusing on private ordering. In addition to the five foundational premises, this chapter highlights the importance of developing an understanding of sustainable (as opposed to myopic) efficiency: eliminating the excess, not the essential; nurturing cooperation, not jeopardizing it; seeking mutual value creation, not selfish value capture.