Effective management is crucial to the success of the inter-firm cooperation, and may reduce the risk that is inherently associated with these strategies. If cooperative strategy is to be successful, managers must have knowledge of factors that should be taken into consideration during formation and management of alliance networks. Therefore the main goal of this book is an understandable and simple presentation of the complexity involved in the management of alliance networks at three basic stages: formation stage, functioning stage, and post-operational stage. The book consists of six chapters, both theoretical and practical. A new model for management of alliance networks, which utilizes different instruments and tools, has been developed in the work. The last part of the book concentrates on the management of alliance networks in a practice-based framework based on the example of an engineering company which has formed a portfolio of bilateral alliances.​

Cooperation has become the leading strategy adopted by business and other organizations. It is taking on new forms that are adapted to changing market expectations and technological possibilities in the rapidly evolving business environment. This new edition of Cooperative Strategy provides a comprehensive view of the practical and theoretical literature concerning cooperative strategies, and the alliance and network organizational forms that are the enablers of these strategies. It takes the reader through the stages of developing a cooperative alliance, from choosing a cooperative form and selecting partners, to establishing an alliance and managing the process of cooperation. It examines cooperative strategies in different sectors as well as internationally, and discusses performance criteria and evolution of cooperation over time. With insights from internationally recognized experts on cooperative strategy, this book presents extensive research on the topic while also addressing practical issues of alliance management.

Managing Alliance Portfolios and Networks is a volume in the book series Research in Strategic Alliances that focuses on providing a robust and comprehensive forum for new scholarship in the field of strategic alliances. In particular, the books in the series cover new views of interdisciplinary theoretical frameworks and models, significant practical problems of alliance organization and management, and emerging areas of inquiry. The series also includes comprehensive empirical studies of selected segments of business, economic, industrial, government, and non-profit activities with wide prevalence of strategic alliances. Through the ongoing release of focused topical titles, this book series seeks to disseminate theoretical insights and practical management information that should enable interested professionals to gain a rigorous and comprehensive understanding of the field of strategic alliances. Managing Alliance Portfolios and Networks contains contributions by leading scholars in the field of strategic alliance research. The 9 chapters in this volume deal with significant issues relating to the management of alliance portfolios and alliance networks. These issues range from value creation in alliance ecosystems, management lessons from social enterprise, and a configurational perspective on alliance management capabilities, to the competition dynamics of alliance networks, internationalization of an alliance portfolio, and structural embeddedness of alliance networks during industry convergence. The chapters contain empirical as well as conceptual treatments of the selected topics, and collectively present a wide-ranging review of the noteworthy research perspectives on managing alliance portfolios and alliance networks.

However, the author presents evidence that by pursuing a block membership strategy under conditions of cumulative or disruptive technological change, innovative performance can be improved. She also reveals that, when compared to their non-member counterparts, firms in alliance blocks are likely to apply for more patents, hold more central positions in the network, have larger revenues and undertake more R & D intensive research. In addition, they are also inclined to originate from an Asian background. This is the first book to propose a well-developed theoretical framework, supported by empirical evidence, to explain alliance block formation processes and their effect on innovative performance. As such, it fills a substantial gap in the literature on competitive rivalry among alliances, an increasingly important area of research.

Today's firms are increasingly embedded in networks of alliances that influence their behavior and performance. Ranjay Gulati examines the 'network resources' that arise from these ties, how successful firms manage these, and how they influence strategy, access to resources, and perceptions of a firm's legitimacy.

Managing Trust in Strategic Alliances is a volume in the book series Research in Strategic Alliances that focuses on providing a robust and comprehensive forum for new scholarship in the field of strategic alliances. In particular, the books in the series cover new views of interdisciplinary theoretical frameworks and models, significant practical problems of alliance organization and management, and emerging areas of inquiry. The series also includes comprehensive empirical studies of selected segments of business, economic, industrial, government, and non-profit activities with wide prevalence of strategic alliances. Through the ongoing release of focused topical titles, this book series seeks to disseminate theoretical insights and practical management information that should enable interested professionals to gain a rigorous and comprehensive understanding of the field of strategic alliances. Managing Trust in Strategic Alliances contains contributions by leading scholars in the field of strategic alliance research. The 10 chapters in this volume deal with significant issues relating to the management of trust in strategic alliances. These issues include the role of trust in value creation and appropriation, the dialectics of trust, control, and risk in multilateral R&D alliances, protecting trustworthiness in open and closed alliance networks, balancing trust and distrust, trust and cost disclosure, trust and control, foreign partner’s trust in international strategic alliances, a multilevel approach to trust, trust in service supply networks, and trust-building in public-private strategic alliances. The chapters contain empirical as well as conceptual treatments of the selected topics, and collectively present a wide-ranging review of the noteworthy research perspectives on managing trust in strategic alliances.

In an environment of rapid and discontinuous change, managers have turned to alliances to access the resources they need. But research on alliances shows that more than half fail, demonstrating the difficulty of managing these relationships. Based on their extensive research on alliances, the authors explore the relational capabilities needed for building and managing successful alliances. Using the case of Royal Philips, they explore the role of strategy, structure, systems, people, and culture in alliance success. They also discuss the need for ongoing adaptation and renewal of relational capabilities as the business and its environment change.