This paper proposes 'Adaptive Management' as an approach to manage innovation networks. Built upon two related conceptual perspectives - the Sociotechnical Approach and the Theory of Complexity - , Adaptive Management confers greater adaptability to organizations by integrating planning and managing issues. Initially, the structure of this methodology is presented, in terms of basic principles and a set of planning and managing actions. Then, the methodology is used as a framework for analysis of two innovative networks cases, and its usefulness to the management of such organizational sets is discussed. Finally, elements that suggest advantages of 'Adaptive Management' in comparison to conventional managerial approaches are presented. Such elements contribute for speeding the collective learning process and stimulating the generation of community ties in innovation networks.
innovation networks; adaptive management; complexity management