IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/kap/jtecht/v42y2017i3d10.1007_s10961-016-9505-4.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Resource alignment, organizational distance, and knowledge transfer performance: the contingency role of alliance form

Author

Listed:
  • Yung-Chang Hsiao

    (National University of Tainan)

  • Chung-Jen Chen

    (National Taiwan University)

  • Bou-Wen Lin

    (National Tsing Hua University)

  • Chia-I Kuo

    (National Tsing Hua University)

Abstract

The main objective of this study was to examine empirically the moderating effects of two forms of alliances—equity-based and contract-based—on knowledge transfer performance. Using a quantitative analytical approach, the theoretical model and hypotheses in this study were tested based on empirical data gathered from the top 5000 Taiwanese companies listed in the yearbook published by the China Credit Information Service, Inc. in 2006. Data obtained from 107 valid and complete survey questionnaires were analyzed using correlation coefficients and multiple linear regressions. The results revealed that resource similarity was more positively associated with knowledge transfer performance when the alliance form is equity-based, whereas resource utilization was more positively related to knowledge transfer performance when equity-based alliances were adopted. In addition, organizational distance was more negatively related to knowledge transfer performance for equity-based alliances than for contract-based alliances.

Suggested Citation

  • Yung-Chang Hsiao & Chung-Jen Chen & Bou-Wen Lin & Chia-I Kuo, 2017. "Resource alignment, organizational distance, and knowledge transfer performance: the contingency role of alliance form," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 42(3), pages 635-653, June.
  • Handle: RePEc:kap:jtecht:v:42:y:2017:i:3:d:10.1007_s10961-016-9505-4
    DOI: 10.1007/s10961-016-9505-4
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s10961-016-9505-4
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s10961-016-9505-4?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Wang, Heli & Chen, Wei-Ru, 2010. "Is firm-specific innovation associated with greater value appropriation? The roles of environmental dynamism and technological diversity," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 39(1), pages 141-154, February.
    2. Bernard L. Simonin, 1999. "Ambiguity and the process of knowledge transfer in strategic alliances," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 20(7), pages 595-623, July.
    3. Abhirup Chakrabarti & Kulwant Singh & Ishtiaq Mahmood, 2007. "Diversification and performance: evidence from East Asian firms," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 28(2), pages 101-120, February.
    4. Randi Lunnan & Sven A. Haugland, 2008. "Predicting and measuring alliance performance: a multidimensional analysis," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 29(5), pages 545-556, May.
    5. Paul E. Bierly III & Paula S. Daly, 2007. "Alternative Knowledge Strategies, Competitive Environment, and Organizational Performance in Small Manufacturing Firms," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 31(4), pages 493-516, July.
    6. Wu Zhan & Yadong Luo, 2008. "Performance implications of capability exploitation and upgrading in international joint ventures," Management International Review, Springer, vol. 48(2), pages 227-253, April.
    7. Oxley, Joanne E, 1997. "Appropriability Hazards and Governance in Strategic Alliances: A Transaction Cost Approach," The Journal of Law, Economics, and Organization, Oxford University Press, vol. 13(2), pages 387-409, October.
    8. Das, T. K. & Teng, Bing-Sheng, 2003. "Partner analysis and alliance performance," Scandinavian Journal of Management, Elsevier, vol. 19(3), pages 279-308, September.
    9. Mark Easterby‐Smith & Marjorie A. Lyles & Eric W. K. Tsang, 2008. "Inter‐Organizational Knowledge Transfer: Current Themes and Future Prospects," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 45(4), pages 677-690, June.
    10. Katy J. Mason & Sheena Leek, 2008. "Learning to Build a Supply Network: An Exploration of Dynamic Business Models," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 45(4), pages 774-799, June.
    11. Jean L Johnson & John B Cullen & Tomoaki Sakano & Hideyuki Takenouchi, 1996. "Setting the Stage for Trust and Strategic Integration in Japanese-U.S. Cooperative Alliances," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 27(4), pages 981-1004, December.
    12. Yadong Luo & Oded Shenkar & Mee-Kau Nyaw, 2001. "A Dual Parent Perspective on Control and Performance in International Joint Ventures: Lessons From a Developing Economy," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 32(1), pages 41-58, March.
    13. Sucheta Nadkarni & V. K. Narayanan, 2007. "Strategic schemas, strategic flexibility, and firm performance: the moderating role of industry clockspeed," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 28(3), pages 243-270, March.
    14. Peter J. Lane & Michael Lubatkin, 1998. "Relative absorptive capacity and interorganizational learning," Post-Print hal-02311860, HAL.
    15. Rebecca Henderson & Iain Cockburn, 1994. "Measuring Competence? Exploring Firm Effects in Pharmaceutical Research," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 15(S1), pages 63-84, December.
    16. Rebecca Henderson & Will Mitchell, 1997. "The Interactions Of Organizational And Competitive Influences On Strategy And Performance," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 18(S1), pages 5-14, July.
    17. Frank T. Rothaermel & David L. Deeds, 2004. "Exploration and exploitation alliances in biotechnology: a system of new product development," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 25(3), pages 201-221, March.
    18. George, Gerard & Zahra, Shaker A. & Wood, D. Jr., 2002. "The effects of business-university alliances on innovative output and financial performance: a study of publicly traded biotechnology companies," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 17(6), pages 577-609, October.
    19. Ruihua Joy Jiang & Qingjiu Tom Tao & Michael D. Santoro, 2010. "Alliance portfolio diversity and firm performance," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 31(10), pages 1136-1144, October.
    20. Bruce Kogut, 1988. "Joint ventures: Theoretical and empirical perspectives," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 9(4), pages 319-332, July.
    21. James G. March, 1991. "Exploration and Exploitation in Organizational Learning," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 2(1), pages 71-87, February.
    22. D Minbaeva & T Pedersen & I Björkman & C F Fey & H J Park, 2003. "MNC knowledge transfer, subsidiary absorptive capacity, and HRM," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 34(6), pages 586-599, November.
    23. Wu, Fang & Cavusgil, S. Tamer, 2006. "Organizational learning, commitment, and joint value creation in interfirm relationships," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 59(1), pages 81-89, January.
    24. Chen, Homin & Chen, Tain-Jy, 2003. "Governance structures in strategic alliances: transaction cost versus resource-based perspective," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 38(1), pages 1-14, February.
    25. Eric (Er) Fang, 2011. "The Effect of Strategic Alliance Knowledge Complementarity on New Product Innovativeness in China," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 22(1), pages 158-172, February.
    26. Williamson, Oliver E, 1994. "Visible and Invisible Governance," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 84(2), pages 323-326, May.
    27. Jongseok Lee & Jeho Lee & Habin Lee, 2003. "Exploration and Exploitation in the Presence of Network Externalities," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 49(4), pages 553-570, April.
    28. Malik, Tariq H. & Zhao, Yanzhi, 2013. "Cultural distance and its implication for the duration of the international alliance in a high technology sector," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 22(4), pages 699-712.
    29. Rachelle C. Sampson, 2004. "Organizational choice in R&D alliances: Knowledge-based and transaction cost perspectives," Managerial and Decision Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 25(6-7), pages 421-436.
    30. Mark Easterby‐Smith & Mary Crossan & Davide Nicolini, 2000. "Organizational Learning: Debates Past, Present And Future," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 37(6), pages 783-796, September.
    31. Robert M. Grant & Charles Baden‐Fuller, 2004. "A Knowledge Accessing Theory of Strategic Alliances," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 41(1), pages 61-84, January.
    32. Jean L Johnson & John B Cullen & Tomoaki Sakano & Hideyuki Takenouchi, 1996. "Setting the Stage for Trust and Strategic Integration in Japanese-U.S. Cooperative Alliances," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 27(5), pages 981-1004, December.
    33. Park, Byung Il, 2011. "Knowledge transfer capacity of multinational enterprises and technology acquisition in international joint ventures," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 20(1), pages 75-87, February.
    34. Vijay Pothukuchi & Fariborz Damanpour & Jaepil Choi & Chao C Chen & Seung Ho Park, 2002. "National and Organizational Culture Differences and International Joint Venture Performance," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 33(2), pages 243-265, June.
    35. Massimo G. Colombo, 2003. "Alliance form: a test of the contractual and competence perspectives," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 24(12), pages 1209-1229, December.
    36. Richards, Malika & De Carolis, Donna Marie, 2003. "Joint venture research and development activity: an analysis of the international biotechnology industry," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 9(1), pages 33-49.
    37. Carmen Weigelt, 2009. "The impact of outsourcing new technologies on integrative capabilities and performance," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 30(6), pages 595-616, June.
    38. Sinan Aral & Peter Weill, 2007. "IT Assets, Organizational Capabilities, and Firm Performance: How Resource Allocations and Organizational Differences Explain Performance Variation," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 18(5), pages 763-780, October.
    39. Julian Birkinshaw & Robert Nobel & Jonas Ridderstråle, 2002. "Knowledge as a Contingency Variable: Do the Characteristics of Knowledge Predict Organization Structure?," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 13(3), pages 274-289, June.
    40. Refik Culpan, 2009. "A fresh look at strategic alliances: research issues and future directions," International Journal of Human Rights and Constitutional Studies, Inderscience Enterprises Ltd, vol. 1(1), pages 4-23.
    41. T. K. Das & Bing-Sheng Teng, 2000. "Instabilities of Strategic Alliances: An Internal Tensions Perspective," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 11(1), pages 77-101, February.
    42. Liliana Pérez‐Nordtvedt & Ben L. Kedia & Deepak K. Datta & Abdul A. Rasheed, 2008. "Effectiveness and Efficiency of Cross‐Border Knowledge Transfer: An Empirical Examination," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 45(4), pages 714-744, June.
    43. Steven White, 2005. "Cooperation Costs, Governance Choice and Alliance Evolution," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 42(7), pages 1383-1412, November.
    44. Peter J. Lane & Jane E. Salk & Marjorie A. Lyles, 2001. "Absorptive capacity, learning, and performance in international joint ventures," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 22(12), pages 1139-1161, December.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Su, Cong & Kong, Lingshuang & Ciabuschi, Francesco & Holm, Ulf, 2020. "Demand and willingness for knowledge transfer in springboard subsidiaries of Chinese multinationals," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 109(C), pages 297-309.
    2. Jaeho Kim & Andy Wu, 2019. "Extending the role of headquarters beyond the firm boundary: entrepreneurial alliance innovation," Journal of Organization Design, Springer;Organizational Design Community, vol. 8(1), pages 1-35, December.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Tzu-Hsin Liu & Yung-Chang Hsiao, 2019. "Fitting cooperative mode in inter-organizational strategic alliance: a perspective from innovative and financial performances," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 44(1), pages 73-96, February.
    2. Chen, Chung-Jen & Hsiao, Yung-Chang & Chu, Mo-An, 2014. "Transfer mechanisms and knowledge transfer: The cooperative competency perspective," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 67(12), pages 2531-2541.
    3. De Moortel, Kevin & Crispeels, Thomas, 2018. "International university-university technology transfer: Strategic management framework," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 135(C), pages 145-155.
    4. Li, Zhengyu, 2016. "Essays on knowledge sourcing and technological capability : A knowledge structure perspective," Other publications TiSEM b8ff31fc-c57b-4bc3-b5a4-0, Tilburg University, School of Economics and Management.
    5. Jiang, Xu & Li, Yuan, 2008. "The relationship between organizational learning and firms' financial performance in strategic alliances: A contingency approach," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 43(3), pages 365-379, July.
    6. Park, Chansoo & Vertinsky, Ilan & Becerra, Manuel, 2015. "Transfers of tacit vs. explicit knowledge and performance in international joint ventures: The role of age," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 24(1), pages 89-101.
    7. Liu, Chia-Ling (Eunice) & Ghauri, Pervez N. & Sinkovics, Rudolf R., 2010. "Understanding the impact of relational capital and organizational learning on alliance outcomes," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 45(3), pages 237-249, July.
    8. Lee, Ruby P. & Johnson, Jean L. & Grewal, Rajdeep, 2008. "Understanding the antecedents of collateral learning in new product alliances," International Journal of Research in Marketing, Elsevier, vol. 25(3), pages 192-200.
    9. Lee, Cheng-Yu & Wang, Ming-Chao & Huang, Yen-Chih, 2015. "The double-edged sword of technological diversity in R&D alliances: Network position and learning speed as moderators," European Management Journal, Elsevier, vol. 33(6), pages 450-461.
    10. Müller, Dirk, 2010. "Alliance Coordination, Dysfunctions, and the Protection of Idiosyncratic Knowledge in Strategic Learning Alliances," EconStor Preprints 41039, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics.
    11. Liu, C.-L.E., 2012. "An investigation of relationship learning in cross-border buyer–supplier relationships: The role of trust," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 21(3), pages 311-327.
    12. Balboni, Bernardo & Marchi, Gianluca & Vignola, Marina, 2017. "Knowledge transfer in the context of buyer–supplier relationship: An analysis of a supplier's customer portfolio," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 80(C), pages 277-287.
    13. Stienstra, Miranda, 2020. "The determinants and performance implications of alliance partner acquisition," Other publications TiSEM 7fdee0c2-d4d2-4f5b-95e3-2, Tilburg University, School of Economics and Management.
    14. Li, Xiaoqing & Roberts, Joanne & Yan, Yanni & Tan, Hui, 2014. "Knowledge sharing in China–UK higher education alliances," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 23(2), pages 343-355.
    15. Nicolai J. Foss & Torben Pedersen, 2019. "Microfoundations in international management research: The case of knowledge sharing in multinational corporations," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 50(9), pages 1594-1621, December.
    16. Park, Byung Il & Choi, Jiyul, 2014. "Control mechanisms of MNEs and absorption of foreign technology in cross-border acquisitions," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 23(1), pages 130-144.
    17. Tulin Dzhengiz, 2020. "A Literature Review of Inter-Organizational Sustainability Learning," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(12), pages 1-52, June.
    18. Kavusan, K., 2015. "Essays on capability development through alliances," Other publications TiSEM 8eb736a5-b217-4718-ac13-d, Tilburg University, School of Economics and Management.
    19. Martínez-Noya, Andrea & García-Canal, Esteban, 2021. "Innovation performance feedback and technological alliance portfolio diversity: The moderating role of firms’ R&D intensity," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 50(9).
    20. Pak, Yong Suhk & Ra, Wonchan & Park, Young-Ryeol, 2009. "Understanding IJV performance in a learning and conflict mediated context," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 18(5), pages 470-480, October.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Resource alignment; Organizational distance; Alliance form; Knowledge transfer;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • M10 - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting; Personnel Economics - - Business Administration - - - General

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:kap:jtecht:v:42:y:2017:i:3:d:10.1007_s10961-016-9505-4. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.