Returns to alliance portfolio diversity: The relative effects of partner diversity on firm's innovative performance and productivity

T. de Leeuw*, B. Lokshin, G.M. Duysters

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

This study considers the impact of diversification in types of technological alliances, resulting in alliance portfolio diversity, on various dimensions of a firm's performance, as they relate to exploration and exploitation. Using a large panel of innovative firms in the Netherlands, this study shows that partner type diversity in a firm's alliance portfolio has an inverted U-shaped relationship with productivity and radical innovative performance and a positive relationship with incremental innovative performance. Moreover, the results suggest that a lower level of diversity is needed to achieve an optimal level of productivity compared to radical innovative performance, whereas for incremental innovative performance a higher level of portfolio diversity appears to give the best performance.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1839-1849
Number of pages11
JournalJournal of Business Research
Volume67
Issue number9
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Sept 2014

Keywords

  • R&D collaboration
  • Radical innovation
  • Incremental innovation
  • Technological alliances
  • Alliance portfolio diversity
  • RESEARCH-AND-DEVELOPMENT
  • DEVELOPMENT COOPERATION
  • STRATEGIC ALLIANCES
  • TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATION
  • COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE
  • ABSORPTIVE-CAPACITY
  • KNOWLEDGE
  • NETWORKS
  • COLLABORATION
  • RESOURCES

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