Abstract
Research on technological partnerships has traditionally sought explanation of their high failure rates in partner characteristics and relationship features. This study introduces the notion of a 'bumpy road' in technology partnerships which refers to undesired outcomes such as 'partnership mal-functioning' and 'instability' to the degree to which innovation activities are hampered. We explain how firm-level strategies can reduce the probability of a 'bumpy road' in partnerships. We also assess the impact of this 'bumpy road' on innovative performance. We find that firms that excel in diversification of external activities (in terms of different types of partners) perform best. Moreover, a persistent product oriented innovation strategy geared at developing new products, new markets, or higher product quality will yield more stable partnership outcomes. Our results confirm that engagement in partnerships is beneficial for innovative performance. However, firms that experienced a 'bumpy road' in their technological partnerships have to pay a price in terms of a negative effect on their innovative performance.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 297-308 |
| Number of pages | 12 |
| Journal | Research Policy |
| Volume | 40 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Mar 2011 |
Keywords
- R&D collaboration
- Technological performance
- Innovation
- Alliance failure
- RESEARCH-AND-DEVELOPMENT
- DEVELOPMENT COOPERATION STRATEGIES
- JOINT VENTURE
- INTERORGANIZATIONAL COLLABORATION
- COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE
- ALLIANCE CAPABILITY
- PRODUCT INNOVATION
- KNOW-HOW
- PERFORMANCE
- KNOWLEDGE