Several years ago I attended an MBA class presentation at my university in which students, working in groups, had put together a marketing plan for a local cooperative winery. Their diligence in background research on the industry was admirable and undoubtedly they devoted many hours pondering ways in which this particular firm could leverage its uniqueness and stand apart from the competition. They had access to much financial details and revenue streams, were on the cutting edge when it came to possessing analytic tools to evaluate financial reports and were clearly cognizant of the latest marketing theories that are appropriate for small businesses. Yet at the end of the presentations I couldn't help but think that they had missed the essence of the wine industry in North Carolina. They had seen everything through the lens of competition and therefore their recommendations – professional and thorough as they seemed – focused entirely on how the company's strategic growth could be predicated upon their enhanced competitive position vis-à-vis their neighbours.

As anyone knows who has examined an industry in its infancy, where the learning curve is steep and information is spotty, imprecise and often inaccurate, there is the recognition that to survive new firms typically enter into cooperative relationships, sharing information that would be an anathema to firms in established industries. During this period of infancy, interactions between firms and reciprocal relationships between actors are forged that contribute to the growth of a network.