The role of alliance network redundancy in the creation of core and non-core technologies: a local action approach
Vanhaverbeke, Wim Gilsing, Victor Duysters, Geert Beerkens, Bonnie
Vanhaverbeke, Wim
Gilsing, Victor
Duysters, Geert
Beerkens, Bonnie
Citations
Altmetric:
Publication Type
Journal article
Editor
Supervisor
Publication Year
2009
Journal
Journal of Management Studies
Book
Publication Volume
46
Publication Issue
2
Publication Begin page
215
Publication End page
244
Publication NUmber of pages
Collections
Abstract
This paper studies the effect of a focal firm, and its partners' local alliance actions, on the creation of technological innovations by the former. More specifically, we study how two types of redundancy in a focal firm's ego network affect its ability to create new technologies in its technology core areas (exploitation) and/or non-core areas (exploration). We analyse this empirically in three different industry settings: chemicals, motor vehicles, and pharmaceuticals. One of our key findings is that individual firms can indeed boost both types of innovative output by shaping the degree of redundancy in their local alliance network, but that the way in which this should be done differs between the creation of core and non-core technologies. Next, we find that it is very useful to unpack the rather abstract notion of redundancy into more specific types of redundancy in ego networks. Overall, these findings reflect an action-oriented view on the role of individual firms in collaborative networks, which may complement the dominant view in the alliance literature emphasizing the role of the overall network structure and firms' network position within it.
Research Projects
Organizational Units
Journal Issue
Keywords
Strategic Context & International Business