152 Int. J. Management Practice, Vol. 8, No. 2, 2015 Copyright © 2015 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd. The evolution of collaborative practices in small-firm networks: a qualitative analysis of four Brazilian cases Jorge Renato Verschoore*, Douglas Wegner and Alsones Balestrin Business School, UNISINOS University, Av. Unisinos, 950 - São Leopoldo, RS, 93022-000, Brazil Email: jorgevf@unisinos.br Email: dwegner@unisinos.br Email: abalestrin@unisinos.br *Corresponding author Abstract: Despite the relevance of cooperative strategies in a networked world, little attention has been paid to the management of Small-Firm Networks (SFNs) and to the types of practices they require. This paper focuses on understanding the collaborative practices related to strategy, structure, process and coordination that emerge from the evolutionary path of Brazilian SFNs. The research followed a qualitative approach, with analysis focused on the collaborative practices adopted by four SFNs and their evolution pattern between 2009 and 2014. The results show that SFNs are dynamic entities that change over time and either the originally established collaborative practices need to be adjusted or new ones must emerge. As a managerial implication, the paper advances the description of collaborative practices used by SFNs and contributes to the sparse literature on management of inter-organisational relationships by showing how this management necessarily differs from the predominant paradigm of hierarchical and bureaucratic management. Keywords: small firms; small-firm networks; cooperation; inter-organisational networks; inter-organisational relationships; collaborative practices; business networks; strategy; structure; process; coordination. Reference to this paper should be made as follows: Verschoore, J.R., Wegner, D. and Balestrin, A. (2015) ‘The evolution of collaborative practices in small-firm networks: a qualitative analysis of four Brazilian cases’, Int. J. Management Practice, Vol. 8, No. 2, pp.152–168. Biographical notes: Jorge Renato Verschoore holds a Doctor’s Degree in Business Administration at Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. He is Associate Professor at UNISINOS University, Brazil, and Visitor Scholar at the Institut d’Administration des Entreprises of Poitiers University, France. Douglas Wegner holds a Doctor’s Degree in Business Administration at Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. He is Assistant Professor at Universidade do Vale do Rio dos Sinos, UNISINOS, Brazil. Alsones Balestrin has done PhD in Administration from Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, and in Sciences de L’information et de La Communication from ICOMTEC, Institut de la communication et des nouvelles technologies – Université Poitiers, France. He is Professor at the