Strategic alliances and dynamic capabilities: a systematic review

Abstract

Purpose Organizations need to find ways to survive in unpredictable, dynamic and rapidly changing environments. The development of organizational capabilities, such as relational, is a dynamic process of adaptation, which seeks to adjust to an unstable environment. Within this context, the purpose of this paper is to analyze, through a systematic review (SR), 36 articles, which discuss the influence of strategic alliances on the dynamic capabilities (DCs) process. Design/methodology/approach Through this systematic literature review, articles published in international journals were categorized in terms of their objectives, thematic axes and the research methodologies applied and evidences, to explore their methodological, theoretical and organizational practice contributions. Findings The results clarified the antecedents, implications and relevance of the relationship between strategic alliances in different countries and their DCs. The findings make it possible to determine directions for new studies that may support the advancement of this field of research. Research limitations/implications Studies from this SR point out that alliance is: a flexible vehicle of learning; a way to transfer effective knowledge in partner firms and to generate combinations of resources; and a superior means of access to technological capabilities and other complex capabilities. Those aspects would be difficult to be developed in the firms without the help of partnerships. This can encourage the reconfiguration of existing resources and capabilities. These reconfigurations can lead to deliberate evolutionary adaptations in these firms, which will build relational DCs. Practical implications As managerial implications, an alliance allows for the development of capabilities to detect new opportunities, and for the development of the reconfiguration or expansion of the existing resource base in the firm. Thus, alliances, once properly managed and with well-defined structure and purpose, can help firms achieve a sustainable competitive advantage. Alliances can serve as a type of strategic choice or an alternative that can enable companies to cope with unstable, global and competitive environments permeated by (new) threats and opportunities. Originality/value This SR paper highlighted, in a specific and consistent topic, the suggestions for future research related to the process of DCs and its relationship with strategic alliances, motivating new research works.

What Dynamic Managerial Capabilities Are Needed for Greater Strategic Alliance Performance?

“…Many of the causal linkages between alliance formation, alliance performance, and the micro-foundations of dynamic managerial capabilities which underpin the process are unclear [28]. Recently, a valuable contribution to understanding strategic alliances and dynamic capabilities was carried out by Mamédio et al [29]. However, the topic of micro-foundations was only partly debated with regards to strategic alliance formation in previous management research.…”

A text mining-based review of the literature on dynamic capabilities perspective in information systems research

“…Some of these works were performed qualitatively (Table 2) and some others were conducted quantitatively (Table 3). Although most of these studies have generally considered the dynamic capabilities topic trying to review the literature as a whole (Araújo et al , 2018; Bi and Chen, 2014; Bleady et al , 2019; Cavusgil et al , 2007; Gremme, 2017; Schilke et al , 2018; Sunder et al , 2019; Talafidaryani, 2019), some other scholars have confined their research scope and surveyed the perspective with regard to a specific area such as big data (Rialti et al , 2019), design management (Santos et al , 2018), knowledge management (Denford, 2013), public management (Piening, 2013), strategic alliances (Mamédio et al , 2019) and ambidexterity (Talafidaryani et al , 2020). Despite the later category’s diversity, even today, no review study has been released on the dynamic capabilities view in information systems field of study except some narrow ones (Knabke and Olbrich, 2015, 2018; Vartiainen and Hansen, 2019).…”

Strategic alliances, exploration and exploitation and their impact on innovation and new product development: the effect of knowledge sharing

“…In fact, literature fails to explain how to align these strategic alliances in a turbulent context to produce more innovation and to improve new product development with dynamic capabilities for enhancing overall competitiveness (Mam edio et al, 2019). Additionally, in a meta-analysis, Cirjevskis (2019) shows the need to explore the causal mechanisms that might explain the impacts of strategic alliances on dynamic capabilities.…”

“…Thus, both researchers and companies became interested in processes, structures, tools and activities that are relevant to managing, integrating and learning in the framework of an alliance (Draulans et al , 2003), and in their antecedents and outcomes. In this sense, the ability to effectively shape and modify strategic alliances is an example of a dynamic capability (Kale et al , 2002; Russo and Cesarani, 2017; Mamédio et al , 2019). Recent work on dynamic capabilities suggests that alliance management can be regarded as a distinct dynamic capability (Eisenhardt and Martin, 2000; Zollo and Winter, 2002), alluding to a set of organizational routines that are the building blocks of dynamic capabilities (e.g.…”

“…The choice of the right portfolio of strategic alliances might provide SMEs with the resources that can leverage the innovation capabilities and the development of new products (Yan and Azadegan, 2017; Silva and Moreira, 2018) even if the linkages are yet to be explored. In fact, literature fails to explain how to align these strategic alliances in a turbulent context to produce more innovation and to improve new product development with dynamic capabilities for enhancing overall competitiveness (Mamédio et al , 2019). Additionally, in a meta-analysis, Čirjevskis (2019) shows the need to explore the causal mechanisms that might explain the impacts of strategic alliances on dynamic capabilities.…”