Benefiting From Alliance Portfolio Diversity: The Role of Past Internal Knowledge Creation Strategy

被引:143
作者
Wuyts, Stefan [1 ,2 ]
Dutta, Shantanu [3 ]
机构
[1] Koc Univ, TR-34450 Istanbul, Turkey
[2] Tilburg Univ, NL-5000 LE Tilburg, Netherlands
[3] Univ So Calif, Los Angeles, CA 90089 USA
关键词
alliance portfolios; diversity; absorptive capacity; knowledge creation; superior product innovation; RESEARCH-AND-DEVELOPMENT; ABSORPTIVE-CAPACITY; FIRM PERFORMANCE; PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT; NETWORK STRUCTURE; HIGH-TECHNOLOGY; LOCAL SEARCH; IMPACT; CAPABILITIES; INNOVATION;
D O I
10.1177/0149206312442339
中图分类号
F [经济];
学科分类号
02 ;
摘要
The perspective in alliance research has shifted from the individual dyad to alliance portfolios; a key descriptor of a firm's alliance portfolio is diversity. Focusing on firms that are confronted with emerging technological fields, the authors examine the consequences of their alliance portfolio's technological diversity on superior product innovation. The literature has not been conclusive about the consequences of portfolio diversity. The authors examine the nature of the effect of portfolio diversity on superior product innovation and follow up on the call for a contingency perspectiveas not all firms benefit equally from portfolio diversity. The contingency perspective is based on the assertion that a firm's past strategies in internal knowledge creation are a source of experiences that increase the firm's capability to leverage extramural knowledge. Theoretically, the study thus contributes to the absorptive capacity literature that has recently acknowledged the importance of such higher-order internal capabilities. By identifying concrete dimensions of internal knowledge creation that enable firms to benefit from portfolio diversity, actionable recommendations are derived on how to align internal knowledge creation with external knowledge sourcing. The empirical support in the biopharmaceutical industry corroborates the developed theory and serves as a warning signal for firms that are ill prepared to leverage a diverse alliance portfolio.
引用
收藏
页码:1653 / 1674
页数:22
相关论文
共 106 条
[1]   Why do managers diversify their firms? Agency reconsidered [J].
Aggarwal, RK ;
Samwick, AA .
JOURNAL OF FINANCE, 2003, 58 (01) :71-118
[2]   Entrepreneurship in the large corporation: A longitudinal study of how established firms create breakthrough inventions [J].
Ahuja, G ;
Lampert, CM .
STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT JOURNAL, 2001, 22 (6-7) :521-543
[3]  
[Anonymous], 2004, ECONOMIST
[4]   Managing knowledge in organizations: An integrative framework and review of emerging themes [J].
Argote, L ;
McEvily, B ;
Reagans, R .
MANAGEMENT SCIENCE, 2003, 49 (04) :571-582
[5]   A TIME TO GROW AND A TIME TO DIE - GROWTH AND MORTALITY OF CREDIT UNIONS IN NEW-YORK-CITY, 1914-1990 [J].
BARRON, DN ;
WEST, E ;
HANNAN, MT .
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF SOCIOLOGY, 1994, 100 (02) :381-421
[6]  
Baum JAC, 2000, STRATEGIC MANAGE J, V21, P267, DOI 10.1002/(SICI)1097-0266(200003)21:3<267::AID-SMJ89>3.0.CO
[7]  
2-8
[8]  
BETTIS RA, 1995, STRATEGIC MANAGE J, V16, P5, DOI 10.1002/smj.4250160104
[9]   Selecting influential business-to-business customers in new product development: Relational embeddedness and knowledge heterogeneity considerations [J].
Bonner, JM ;
Walker, OC .
JOURNAL OF PRODUCT INNOVATION MANAGEMENT, 2004, 21 (03) :155-169
[10]   STRATEGY THROUGH THE OPTION LENS - AN INTEGRATED VIEW OF RESOURCE INVESTMENTS AND THE INCREMENTAL-CHOICE PROCESS [J].
BOWMAN, EH ;
HURRY, D .
ACADEMY OF MANAGEMENT REVIEW, 1993, 18 (04) :760-782