Abstract: Few organizations possess all necessary knowledge and other resources to compete alone successfully, and thus often turn to other organizations for access to resources. The ability to collaborate successfully and effectively share knowledge and resources across organizational boundaries may represent an important capability in terms of organization success. In this paper we use an inductive, case study method and rely on in-depth interviews with representatives from several of the core agencies that responded to the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster. Our purpose was to understand how these multiple organizations collaborated effectively and shared knowledge during a time-constrained, complex task. Our findings point to three factors that contributed to successful collaboration and knowledge management during the Columbia recovery effort: propinquity effect, knowledge interdependence, and primacy of goals.

Abstract: Using data from 220 international high technology strategic alliances, we question the extent to which knowledge transfer intensity between partners is monotonic (subject to ever-increasing returns) in its relationship with strategic alliance performance. We find different types of knowledge transfer (knowledge generation and knowledge application) interact differently with strategic alliance performance. As an extension to this, we observe that these effects are moderated by relational exchange conditions (trust and relationship commitment) between alliance partners, although not always in the hypothesized direction. Finally, we identify non-linear relationships between both knowledge generation and knowledge application, and strategic alliance performance but find that these are specified in different directions. Our findings point to the complex and varied effects of different types of knowledge transfer on strategic alliance performance.

Abstract: This study examined how knowledge generated through an international alliance training affected performance of international strategic alliance (ISA) portfolios. We suggest that in addition to experiential and deliberate learning effects, a learning-before-doing effect impacts the firm’s ability to perform in ISA portfolios. Using a survey sample of 192 firms reporting on over 2500 international alliances initiated from 1997 through 2001, the firms using such alliance trainings significantly outperformed those that did not. The results are consistent with our theoretical predictions: in addition to conventional experiential and deliberate learning effects, the complexity of managing portfolios of international strategic alliances necessitates learning-before-doing (i.e. international alliance management training) as it positively impacts performance in ISA portfolios.

Abstract: In this paper we empirically analyze the determinants of two decisions influencing the pay off that may be achieved by new technology-based firms from knowledge transfer in alliances: alliance governance structure (i.e. equity versus non-equity) and contractual complexity. Prior studies have shown that these two governance choices have different antecedents. Here we extend this result in several directions. First, while prior studies proposed arguments derived from the transaction cost economics only, we combine this perspective with arguments from the resource-based view and the real option theory. Second, we adopt an innovative model specification by modelling governance choices as a two-stage process through the estimates of switching regression models. Third, we consider variables that have been neglected so far (i.e. technological and market relatedness between partners).

Abstract: What determines a “good match” between academic scientists and firms that form a research partnership? To answer this question, the paper models firm-scientist alliance formation as an endogenous matching process driven by the synergy in knowledge-creation capabilities of the partners. This theoretical framework of alliance formation addresses explicitly the endogeneity problem created by the self-selection of the partners into alliances. The model is then applied to empirically investigate the presence of complementary or substitution in partners’ capabilities. The results suggest that strong scientific capabilities on the part of the firm and scientist are complementary, but there is also evidence of substitution in terms of breadth of knowledge and patenting skills. Moreover, the relationship between partners’ research quality is moderated by scientists’ life cycle effects.