The Role of Strategic Alliances in Organizational Performance: A Review

Abstract

This paper specifically reviewed five frequently used strategic alliance theoretical perspectives of the resource-based view, transaction cost theory, knowledge-based view, resource dependence theory and the social capital theory. Furthermore, ten empirical studies linking strategic alliances to organizational performance were reviewed. Issues of alliance success factors and failures were investigated, and it was discovered that successes are linked to trust, the establishment of information & coordination system, provision of required resources, partner alliance experience, team spirit, agreement on fundamental values, appropriate scope, open communication, shared control, scrutinizing and selecting suitable strategic partner, cultural compatibility, etc., while failures arise when partners misrepresent what they bring to the table, fail to commit resources and capabilities to the other partners, fail to use their complementary resources effectively, one organization depends solely on the partners of other alliances for skills, and when partner get less out of the alliance. Based on the results of the reviews, propositions on each specific objective were offered for further scholarly engagements. Theoretical and practical implications were highlighted, suggestions for further research directions were made and a conclusion was reached.