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Abstract
Purpose – This paper aims to investigate the formation of an inter-organizational collaboration network that made it possible to repair 2,516 mechanical respirators that were inoperative in Brazil during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Design/methodology/approach – A qualitative approach was used in a single case study with semistructured interviews. The interviewee selection process was non-probabilistic through snowball sampling.
Findings – The results suggest that society, through different social groups with their different roles, can
organize itself quickly through the formation of collaborative networks, and this organizational configuration
can be an alternative for facing crises where actions isolated would be insufficient or slow to urgently address
complex situations.
Practical implications – This paper aims to (1) demonstrate that society, through different social groups
with their different roles, can organize itself quickly through the formation of collaborative networks; (2) favor
the understanding and dynamics of the formation of a network; and (3) contribute to a possible replication of
this initiative in future contexts.
Originality/value – The case portrays an unprecedented formation of a collaboration network involving
more than 144 organizations that mobilized quickly in a complex context of a pandemic and that generated
remarkable results through the reintroduction of equipment that were responsible for the preservation of
thousands of lives during the year from 2020