IISEIE is structured as a world-class collaborative network organisation (CNO) which seeks opportunities for its members and supports the execution of these opportunities via professional virtual communities, virtual enterprises and a common shared services platform.

A Collaborative Vision

IISEIE subscribes to the European Union ECOLEAD project vision, that:

Collaborative networks of organizations provide a basis for competitiveness, world-excellence, and agility in turbulent market conditions. They can support SMEs to identify and exploit new business potential, boost innovation, and increase their knowledge. Networking of SMEs with large-scale enterprises also contributes to the success of the big companies in the global market. Reinforcing the effectiveness of collaborative networks, mostly based on SMEs, and creating the necessary conditions for making them endogenous reality in the European industrial landscape, are key survival factors. Source: VE-Forum...more.

Using the collaborative network organisation paradigm, IISEIE is able to leverage the possibility of a fast configuration of ‘consortium-of-members’ best suited to the needs of an identified opportunity. This, in turn, provides higher potential for sustainability and success for members in the worlds software markets dominated by high environmental ambiguity and constant change.

As such, IISEIE works with its members to identify opportunities that require their competencies, and works in a coordination role with those identified members to establish an appropriate ‘virtual’ structure for success.

Through this process of opportunity seeking and ‘virtual enterprising’, members are able to configure themselves to fit their combined competencies into an operational model that fosters learning, innovation and opportunities not otherwise available to the members organisations.

Two Networks

To support this process of opportunity seeking and virtual enterprising, IISEIE is configured as two networks. The Long Term Strategic Network is based on the IISEIE members and professional communities and focused on opportunity seeking. The Goal Orientated Network is focused on delivery.

IISEIE Long Term Strategic Network: Consists of the IISEIE members as professional communities, IISEIE Councils and Chapters and the support functions covering:

• Membership Services
• Marketing
• Executive Organisation & Roles
• Shared Services Area
• Event Management
• Legal
• Financial Management
• Online Platforms
• Virtual Enterprise Creation/Management.

IISEIE Goal Orientated Network: Consists of the various consortium-of-members as virtual enterprises and projects focused on delivery of specific opportunities. The key elements being:

• These virtual structures may take a number of forms, such as an informal project team operating under a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the members organisations, a formal joint venture based around the intellectual property licenses and/or agreements or the establishment of limited liability companies.
• All virtual enterprises are by definition temporary, therefore systematic establishment and disestablishment are critical.

Dandelions?

Like seeds being blown into the wind, IISEIE spreads opportunities through collaboration, engagement and possibility.

The seeds of the dandelion are designed to take root and sustain themselves. They are often planted by farmers because their strong tap root breaks the compact layers of subsoil that inhibits the growth of other crops.

The IISEIE collaborative structure forms a strong foundation (like the dandelion tap root) that breaks the barriers inhibiting the growth of community and develops enduring collaboration within the global software community.