Network coordination in environmental crisis: Evidence from the Landiras blaze

Abstract

Despite rising attention to environmental crises, business-to-business marketing has largely overlooked sustainability and the collaborative mechanisms that enable network cooperation in such a context; empirical studies tracing how formal and informal networks coordinate in environmental crisis response remain scarce, and the role of local cultural roots and place-based ties is under-theorized.

In this study, we examined the inter-organizational coordination between informal and formal networks during the 2022 Landiras blaze, a wildfire in Gironde, France, that destroyed over 20,000 ha of forest. Through an in-depth case study, design two years post-event, combining semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders, focus groups, archival and operational documents, and incident timelines, we explored how volunteer-based organizations led by local forestry actors (informal network) interacted with official firefighting units and government authorities (formal network). Data are analyzed abductively to reveal operational challenges and surface coordination mechanisms, boundary-spanning practices, and conditions for effective joint action.

By addressing underexplored relationship dynamics in wildfire responses, this study reveals four key contributions: (1) Formal-informal networks engage in dynamic coupling/decoupling processes generating synergies and tensions; (2) Dual-membership boundary spanners enable rapid inter-organizational collaboration; (3) Geographical proximity and cultural embeddedness—beyond expertise alone—facilitate coordination; (4) Epistemic communities emerge through combined professional expertise and place-based social capital. These findings extend network theory and epistemic community theory, offering insights for inter-organizational coordination and business network resilience in crisis contexts.