Unveiling the Incidence of Interfirm Collaboration: Evidence from Research and Development Companies in Malaysia

Abstract

Nowadays, interfirm collaboration has become an increasingly popular strategy among many organizations in various industries, in order to remain competitive. Based on the contingency theory, this paper examines the moderating effect of interfirm collaboration on the relationship between Human Resource Management (HRM) practices and organizational performance. Interfirm collaboration refers to the collaboration strategies undertaken by R&D companies, with other companies in similar or diverse functional areas, including R&D, marketing, or manufacturing, to enhance performance. Using data from 64 R&D companies, the hierarchical regression analyses showed that only collaboration in R&D and functional collaboration in manufacturing significantly moderated the relationship between HRM practices and organizational performance. Overall, the results provided partial support in the domain of the contingency theory. These results, however, are limited by the small sample size, which might have produced non-significant findings. Therefore, the generalization should be taken cautiously. Future research with a larger sample size is needed to confirm the findings.

Industrial practices of collaborative manufacturing involving tool and die development: Malaysian perspective

“…At present, based on the findings there seems to be limited information on the success and failure of CM, particularly within the context of the tool and die industry in Malaysia with no significant research or initiative identified. Even after considering the current scientific literature related to collaborative initiative such as from (Adnan et al, 2017), we were unable to determine the level of its success or failure in Malaysia. However, understanding the factors that contribute towards the success or failure of CM in practice is the key to devise a better strategy for effective implementation (Rana et al, 2014).…”

Stakeholder influence on teaming and absorptive capacity in innovation networks

“…Collaboration is important in developing new products (Adnan et al, 2017). In order to develop and commercialize new products, collaboration in a network of companies and institutions is important for gaining access to marketing expertise, production facilities, operational knowledge and funds (Adnan et al, 2017). Working together also has its challenges.…”