The Hazards of Leapfrog: Search Routines for Alliance Partner and Evolution of Organizational Capabilities

• Published in: Seoul Journal of Business Vol. 18; no. 2; pp. 147 - 175
• Main Author: 배종훈
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Seoul Seoul National University, College of Business Administration 01.12.2012; 경영연구소
• Subjects: Alliances; Competitive advantage; Cooperation; Exploitation; Hierarchies; Organization development; Studies; 경영학
• ISSN: 1226-9816
• DOI: 10.35152/snusjb.2012.18.2.005

This study presents an evolutionary model of capability development and examines the role of strategic alliance in the evolution of organizational capabilities. In particular, this study begins with the observation that each alliance partner's capability development co-evolves. This study contributes to the literature on capability development by showing the following: (1) a firm's strategic alliance is 'fitness-enhancing' when its partners' learning is 'ineffective'; (2) without making additional efforts (i.e., in-house development), a firm is able to employ strategic alliances and to balance between exploitation and exploration to the extent that its (potential) partners are not effective learners; and (3) a firm is unlikely to balance between exploitation and exploration to the extent that its (potential) partners are effective learners. [PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]