Organizational roles for managing in nets - Case study of a new mobile service development net Marko T. Heikkinen University of Oulu, Department of Marketing Tuija Mainela University of Oulu, Department of Marketing Johanna Still University of Oulu, Department of Marketing P.O. Box 4600, 90014 University of Oulu, Finland johanna.still@oulu.fi Jaana Tähtinen University of Oulu, Department of Marketing The authors have contributed equally to the paper Abstract This paper examines organizational roles for managing in business nets by applying an initial conceptual framework built on previous net management, role-theoretic and management research to an empirical case of a new mobile service development net. Specifically, we aim to answer the question: What are the managerial action-based roles for managing in business nets? The empirical data of the study consists of fifteen interviews and nine-month participant observation notes in a net that created and piloted a new mobile service directed at the spectators of a sports team. As a result of the study we present an empirically grounded typology of twelve organizational roles for managing in nets. The organisational roles are related to the changes in the net and the service development over time, and to the interpretations of the behaviours by the other actors in the net. Keywords: Managing in network, organisational role, new mobile service development, R&D network Paper presented at the 22nd Annual IMP-Conference, September 7-9, Milan, Italy.