This document discusses multi-stakeholder partnerships and wicked problems in agribusiness. It notes that problems in international food and agricultural supply chains are complex and involve conflicting values among stakeholders, making them "wicked problems" that cannot be solved by traditional strategic tools. It questions whether new ways of organizing supply chains are needed to address these problems and asks how partnerships can be organized to seriously tackle problems. The document explores tools like systems dynamics, value network analysis, and convergence-divergence processes that can help build more effective partnerships. It argues academics have new roles as experts, bridges, facilitators, and student-enhancers to help deal with these complex problems through partnerships.

1. Multi-Stakeholder Partnerships
& Wicked Problems in Agribusiness
Domenico Dentoni, Management Studies Group, Wageningen University
Increasing resilience of international supply chains
Research Capacity Building Event, 23rd - 25th November, 2015

2. Are agricultural and food chains resilient?
Source: FAO, World Bank statistics

3. Are agricultural and food chains resilient?
World population People fed per hectare
Source: FAO, World Bank statistics
1950
2.5 billion
2005
6.5 billion
2050
>9 billion
1960
2 people
2005
>4 people
2050
>6 people

4. Are agricultural and food chains resilient?
World population People fed per hectare
Source: FAO, World Bank statistics
1950
2.5 billion
2005
6.5 billion
2050
>9 billion
1960
2 people
2005
>4 people
2050
>6 people
870m 2bn
people go to
bed hungry
more
people by
2050
More water is needed: agriculture already uses 70% of
the world’s fresh water withdrawals, 4 billion people will
live in water-scarce countries
More arable land is needed: we lose a
farmland a soccer field every second
More human labor is needed: weeding
one hectares 200 hours of labor

5. Are agricultural and food chains resilient?
Source: H.L. Mencken (1917)
For every complex problem, there
is a solution that is clear, simple…
… and
wrong.

6. Overview Multi-Stakeholder Partnerships and Wicked Problems in Agribusiness
Q1: Do we need
research on new ways
of organizing
agricultural and food
chains?
Q2: Why new
partnerships thrive,
but problems thrive
even more?
Q3: How can we
organize partnerships
to tackle problems
seriously?
Q4: What is our (new)
role as academics in
partnerships?
Are agricultural
and food chains
resilient? (No)

7. Question 1 Multi-Stakeholder Partnerships and Wicked Problems in Agribusiness
Do we need research
on new ways of organizing
agricultural and food chains?

8. Q1: Do we need research on new ways of organizing agricultural and food chains?
Problems are more than complex, problems are wicked
Problems in international food
and agricultural chains:
1. Change over time
2. Involve conflicts of values
among stakeholders
3. Have uncertain causes &
effects (even for scientists!)
These problems cannot be
dealt with traditional
strategic tools; they require
new ways of organizing
Source: Rittel and Webber (1973); Batie (2008); “Managing Wicked Problems in
Agribusiness”, IFAMR Special Issue 15 B (2012); IFAMR Special Issue 16 A (2013).

9. Q1: Do we need research on new ways of organizing agricultural and food chains?
Problems grow, few companies thrive
90,000
employees
; 1,200
outlets; #1
Africa
#1 in Asia
35
countries;
12,500
outlets
450
billion/year
sales!
+11%/year!
World’s #1
World #2

10. Q1: Do we need research on new ways of organizing agricultural and food chains?
“Collaboration” or “multi-stakeholder” are per se vague,
insufficient and misleading concepts
Source: Backstrand 2006; Selski & Parker 2010; Dentoni and Peterson 2011,
Mena & Palazzo 2013.
Multi-
Stakeholder
Partnership
Company
Competitors
Chain partners,
Farmers’
associations
Investors
Universities,
Research
centers
NGOs, Civil
society,
Trade unions
Government
International
organizations
31 out of 50
world top food
processing
companies
founded or
joined at least
one (2011)

11. Q1: Do we need research on new ways of organizing agricultural and food chains?
Strategy theories help to understand when to collaborate
Value chains and networks:
- Gereffi et al. (2005)
- Williamson (1971)
- Gulati (1998)
Innovation eco-systems:
- Adner and Kapoor (2010)
- Klerkx and Leeuwis (2008)

12. Q1: Do we need research on new ways of organizing agricultural and food chains?
Governance theories help to define how to collaborate
Knowledge-sharing
mechanisms
Decision-making
mechanisms
Enforcement
mechanisms
Reward
mechanisms
Formal
mechanisms
Informal
mechanisms
Source: Pascucci et al. (2015) British Food Journal. Special issue 117 (10);
Menard (2004); Grandori & Furnari (2008); Battilana & Dorado (2010)
HYBRID ORGANIZATIONS

13. Q1: Do we need research on new ways of organizing agricultural and food chains?
Learning theories help to assess the effects of collaboration
Individual learning:
- Entrepreneurship
- Managerial competencies
Collective learning:
- Dynamic capabilities
- Organizational development
Source:
Bruton et al. 2008; Bird et al. 2012; Mintzberg & Gosling 2002.
Brown & Eisenhardt 1997; Eisenhardt & Martin 2000; Senge 2006; Scharmer 2009.

14. Overview Multi-Stakeholder Partnerships and Wicked Problems in Agribusiness
Q1: Do we need
research on new
ways of organizing
agricultural and
food chains?
Q2: Why new
partnerships thrive,
but problems thrive
even more?
Q3: How can we
organize partnerships
to tackle problems
seriously?
Q4: What is our (new)
role as academics in
partnerships?
Are agricultural
and food chains
resilient? (No)

15. Question 2 Multi-Stakeholder Partnerships and Wicked Problems in Agribusiness
Why do partnerships thrive…
but problems thrive even more?

16. Q2: Why do multi-stakeholder partnerships thrive… but problems thrive even more?
Companies in partnerships learn only in first 2-3 years
X: Experience in multi-stakeholder partnerships
Y:Sensing,Interacting,
LearningandChanging
basedonStakeholders
Source: Dentoni, Bitzer, Pascucci (2015). Journal of Business Ethics
Partnership creation:
Intense discussion,
experimentation and
learning (2-3 years)
Partnership
institutionalization:
Implementation,
enforcement and
“marketing” (afterwards)

17. Q2: Why do multi-stakeholder partnerships thrive… but problems thrive even more?
Companies build strategic “portfolios of partnerships”
Inclusive partnership: JBS
dialogues with all NGOs and
competitors on all socio-
environmental issues
Closed partnership: JBS
implements only with
two partners; seeking
efficiency on establishing
& enforcing an
environmental standard
Source: Schneider, Dentoni, Vieira (2016). Cross-Sector Social Interaction
Symposium, Toronto (Canada), April 2016.

18. Q2: Why do multi-stakeholder partnerships thrive… but problems thrive even more?
Most partnerships do not easily adapt to changing problems
Source: Dentoni & Bitzer (2013). Journal Management Studies paper
development workshop. Dentoni, Bitzer, Schouten (2016). Cross-Sector Social
Interaction Symposium, Toronto (Canada), April 2016.
Adaptive to the nature of problems = “problem-harnessing”:
Measured based on three dimensions:
 “Open” governance of knowledge
 “Open” governance of data
 “Open” governance of values
- +

19. Q2: Why do multi-stakeholder partnerships thrive… but problems thrive even more?
Companies do not easily adapt to changing problems in
partnerships
More suitable in dynamic, turbulent,
nascent markets; and for rapid
experimentation & testing of new
processes & technologies
More suitable in stable and mature
markets; and for maintaining
efficiency through established
procedures
Source: MSc Theses by Marieke Kil, Willem Aberson, and Wouter Jager, Wageningen University (2014-2015)
Source: Brown and Eisenhardt 1997

20. Q2: Why do multi-stakeholder partnerships thrive… but problems thrive even more?
Individuals need to adapt to changing problems as well
- STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT
- ACTION COMPETENCE
7 COMPETENCIES that managers
need to engage in partnerships &
deal with wicked problems:
- SYSTEMS-THINKING
- FORESIGHTED-THINKING
- NORMATIVE COMPETENCE
- EMBRACING DIVERSITY
- INTERDISCIPLINARITY
Dealing with
complexity
Dealing with
heterogeneity
Dealing with
value conflicts
Sources: Dentoni, Blok, Lans, Wesselink (2012), IFAMR.
Wesselink, Blok, Lans, van Leur, Dentoni (2015), Journal of Cleaner Production.

21. Overview Multi-Stakeholder Partnerships and Wicked Problems in Agribusiness
Q1: Do we need
research on new ways
of organizing
agricultural and food
chains?
Q2: Why new
partnerships thrive,
but problems thrive
even more?
Q3: How can we
organize partnerships
to tackle problems
seriously?
Q4: What is our (new)
role as academics in
partnerships?
Are agricultural
and food chains
resilient? (No)

22. Question 3 Multi-Stakeholder Partnerships and Wicked Problems in Agribusiness
How can we organize
agricultural and food systems
to tackle problems seriously?

23. Q3: How can we organize agricultural and food systems to seriously tackle problems?
We can advance practices to organize partnerships effectively
SYSTEMS DYNAMICS
as a participatory
appraisal (Walker et
al. 2002) to rapidly
assess how cause-
effect relationships
change over time;
Sources: Brouwers et al (2015). Center for Development
Innovation, Wageningen University.

24. Q3: How can we organize agricultural and food systems to seriously tackle problems?
We can use systemic tools to build more effective partnerships
Sources: Dentoni, Klerkx, Krussmann (2015), FAO workshop on systems dynamics in food and
agriculture; Dentoni & Dries (2015), Agricultural and Applied Economics Association (AAEA) Annual
Meetings.
VALUE
NETWORK
ANALYSIS
(Allee 2000)
To assess how
actors share
resources in
Malawian
legume systems

25. Q3: How can we organize agricultural and food systems to seriously tackle problems?
We can use systemic tools to build more effective partnerships
!
!
Bank!
Input!
Supplier!
Farmers!
Gover
nment!
Market!Info!
System!
Middle
men!
NGO!
C,!F!
C,!F,!K!
I!K!
F!
F!
H!
H!
H!
I!
Trader!
Processor!
C,!F!
Sources: Dentoni, Klerkx, Krussmann (2015), FAO workshop on systems dynamics in food and
agriculture; Dentoni & Dries (2015), Agricultural and Applied Economics Association (AAEA) Annual
Meetings.
Malawian Commodity
Exchange: storage +
warehouse receipts + market
information + quality
certification services
Phone
providers
Esoko
Ltd.
Multiple
donors
Example of
VALUE
NETWORK
ANALYSIS in
Malawian
legume systems

26. Q3: How can we organize agricultural and food systems to seriously tackle problems?
We can study and design coordination across partnerships
CONVERGENCE-
DIVERGENCE
PROCESSES for
public R&D in
Australian fisheries
(2010-2013)
Time
State/local fishers’
associations meetings
Academic and policy-
making meetings
Sources: Dentoni and Klerkx (2015), Marine Policy.
Seafood CRC multi-
stakeholder meetings

27. Q3: How can we organize agricultural and food systems to seriously tackle problems?
We can study and support bottom-up organizing efforts
Sources: Dentoni, Pascucci, Migliore (2015), Academy of Management (AoM) Meetings,
Vancouver (Canada); MSc theses by Isabel Miralles (2014) and Pintip Sevikul (2015)
Organization of
sharing:
• Market
elements
• Bureaucratic
elements
• Community
elements
Food consumer =
participant
entrepreneurship:
- Vertical
leadership
- Team
leadership
- Creativity
Community-
Supported
Agriculture
performance:
 Financial
sustainability
 Participants’
quality of life
Spain, Italy
and
Netherlands

28. Overview Multi-Stakeholder Partnerships and Wicked Problems in Agribusiness
Q1: Do we need
research on new ways
of organizing
agricultural and food
chains?
Q2: Why new
partnerships thrive,
but problems thrive
even more?
Q3: How can we
organize partnerships
to tackle problems
seriously?
Q4: What is our (new)
role as academics in
partnerships?
Are agricultural
and food chains
resilient? (No)

29. Question 4 Multi-Stakeholder Partnerships and Wicked Problems in Agribusiness
To deal with these problems in
partnerships…
what is our role as academics?

30. Q4: What is our role as “new generation of academics”?
Experts; bridges; facilitators; reflectors; & student-enhancers
Sources: Dentoni and Bitzer (2015), Journal of Cleaner Production.
Academics
are formally engaged
in 31 out of 41 global
multi-stakeholder
partnerships
(Bridges)

31. Q4: What is our role as “new generation of academics”?
Role of bridges in Global Center for Food Systems Innovation
- Bureau of Food
Security
- Global
Development Lab
25 $
Million:
Higher
Education
Solutions
Network
Complementary
programs:
Climate-Resilient
Maize
18 $ Million:
Open-Sourced
Innovation
Grants
1,5 $ Million:
Leverage with
- Australian ACIAR;
- European Union;
- Dutch Scientific
Institute;
- Dutch Embassies
Complementary
Wageningen-led
programs: Integrated
Seed Sector
Development, N2Africa
Sources: Global Center for Food Systems Innovation: MSU website
and Wageningen website; USAID Higher Education Solutions
Network; USAID Global Development Lab website.

32. Q4: What is our role as “new generation of academics”?
Role of student enhancers through Wageningen Starthub
Source: Wageningen University Starthub website.

33. Q4: What is our role as “new generation of academics”?
Role of student enhancers through IFAMA
Source: www.ifama.org
IFAMA 2016 Student Case Study Competition in Aarhus, Denmark.

34. Q4: What is our role as “new generation of academics”?
Let’s continue our collective reflection and experimentation…
through 2 Special Issues with new format
The Role of Multi-Stakeholder Engagement in Value Creation
MANAGING WICKED
PROBL EMS IN AGRIBUSINESS
PART TWO
Special Issue
Open-access; - ISI; - Wide
dissemination to practitioners; -
case-based, - for “engaged
scholars”, - for actors in emerging
economies.
Deadline: November 2016
- Interdisciplinary; - impact
factor 1,65; - optional open
access; - paper
development workshop in
Wageningen.
Deadline: January 2017
2017
2018

35. Overview Multi-Stakeholder Partnerships and Wicked Problems in Agribusiness
Q1: Do we need
research on new ways
of organizing
agricultural and food
chains?
Q2: Why new
partnerships thrive,
but problems thrive
even more?
Q3: How can we
organize partnerships
to tackle problems
seriously?
Q4: What is our (new)
role as academics in
partnerships?
Are agricultural
and food chains
resilient? (No)

36. Last thought Multi-Stakeholder Partnerships and Wicked Problems in Agribusiness
To tackle problems seriously, we need to strive for a
Large Systems Change (LSC)
Agricultural
and food
systems
Financial
systems
Energy
systems
Geo-political
Systems
Academic
system
Source: Waddell et al (2015). Special Issue, Journal of Corporate Citizenship; Waddock, Waddell,
Merszoely, McMillan, Dentoni (2015), Journal of Organizational Change Management.

37. Thank you!
Looking forward to a lively discussion
… And come visit us in Wageningen
Domenico Dentoni
Management Studies Group
Wageningen University
Email:
domenico.dentoni@wur.nl