IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/bla/bstrat/v12y2003i5p300-312.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Capability building through adversarial relationships: a replication and extension of Clarke and Roome (1999)

Author

Listed:
  • Pursey P. M. A. R. Heugens

Abstract

Cooperative interorganizational relationships are seen by many as indispensable vehicles for accessing external knowledge and accumulating capabilities. Surprisingly, the question of whether companies can also build capabilities through adversarial relationships has received little attention. This paper reports a study of the learning–action network of a major Anglo‐Dutch food and personal care company. The firm's present relationships with consumer representatives and environmental activists are strongly adversarial, due to the recent introduction of genetically modified ingredients. The study shows that companies can still build capabilities in a hostile environment, but that adversity influences capability building processes as well as capability content. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.

Suggested Citation

  • Pursey P. M. A. R. Heugens, 2003. "Capability building through adversarial relationships: a replication and extension of Clarke and Roome (1999)," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 12(5), pages 300-312, September.
  • Handle: RePEc:bla:bstrat:v:12:y:2003:i:5:p:300-312
    DOI: 10.1002/bse.372
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.1002/bse.372
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1002/bse.372?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
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Rita Gunther McGrath & Ian C. Macmillan & S. Venkataraman, 1995. "Defining and developing competence: A strategic process paradigm," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 16(4), pages 251-275.
    2. John Hagedoorn & Geert Duysters, 2002. "External Sources of Innovative Capabilities: The Preferences for Strategic Alliances or Mergers and Acquisitions," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 39(2), pages 167-188, March.
    3. David J. TEECE, 2008. "Profiting from technological innovation: Implications for integration, collaboration, licensing and public policy," World Scientific Book Chapters, in: The Transfer And Licensing Of Know-How And Intellectual Property Understanding the Multinational Enterprise in the Modern World, chapter 5, pages 67-87, World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd..
    4. Frank de Bakker & André Nijhof, 2002. "Responsible chain management: a capability assessment framework," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 11(1), pages 63-75, January.
    5. Sarah Clarke & Nigel Roome, 1999. "Sustainable business: learning – action networks as organizational assets," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 8(5), pages 296-310, September.
    6. Toby E. Stuart, 2000. "Interorganizational alliances and the performance of firms: a study of growth and innovation rates in a high‐technology industry," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 21(8), pages 791-811, August.
    7. James G. March, 1991. "Exploration and Exploitation in Organizational Learning," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 2(1), pages 71-87, February.
    8. Frances Westley & Harrie Vredenburg, 1997. "Interorganizational Collaboration and the Preservation of Global Biodiversity," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 8(4), pages 381-403, August.
    9. Marilu Hastings, 1999. "A new operational paradigm for oil operations in sensitive environments: an analysis of social pressure, corporate capabilities and competitive advantage," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 8(5), pages 267-280, September.
    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. Fredrik von Malmborg, 2004. "Networking for knowledge transfer: towards an understanding of local authority roles in regional industrial ecosystem management," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 13(5), pages 334-346, September.
    2. Nigel Roome, 2005. "Teaching sustainability in a global MBA: insights from the OneMBA," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 14(3), pages 160-171, May.
    3. Salla Laasonen & Martin Fougère & Arno Kourula, 2012. "Dominant Articulations in Academic Business and Society Discourse on NGO–Business Relations: A Critical Assessment," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 109(4), pages 521-545, September.
    4. Tulin Dzhengiz & Ralf Barkemeyer & Giulio Napolitano, 2021. "Emotional framing of NGO press releases: Reformative versus radical NGOs," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 30(5), pages 2468-2488, July.
    5. Kalim U. Shah, 2011. "Organizational Legitimacy and the Strategic Bridging Ability of Green Alliances," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 20(8), pages 498-511, December.
    6. Veronika Kneip, 2013. "Protest Campaigns and Corporations: Cooperative Conflicts?," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 118(1), pages 189-202, November.
    7. Pursey P. M. A. R. Heugens, 2006. "Environmental issue management: towards a multi‐level theory of environmental management competence," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 15(6), pages 363-376, November.

    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. Belderbos, Rene & Faems, Dries & Leten, Bart & Van Looy, Bart, 2009. "Technological activities and their impact on the financial performance of the firm: Exploitation and exploration within and between firms," MERIT Working Papers 2009-067, United Nations University - Maastricht Economic and Social Research Institute on Innovation and Technology (MERIT).
    2. Wilfried Zidorn & Marcus Wagner, 2012. "Too Much of a Good Thing: The Role of Alliance Portfolio Diversity for Innovation Output in the Biotechnology Industry," DRUID Working Papers 12-10, DRUID, Copenhagen Business School, Department of Industrial Economics and Strategy/Aalborg University, Department of Business Studies.
    3. Frank T. Rothaermel & Maria Tereza Alexandre, 2009. "Ambidexterity in Technology Sourcing: The Moderating Role of Absorptive Capacity," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 20(4), pages 759-780, August.
    4. Vanhaverbeke, W.P.M. & Beerkens, B.E. & Duysters, G.M., 2003. "Explorative and exploitative learning strategies in technology-based alliance networks," Working Papers 03.22, Eindhoven Center for Innovation Studies.
    5. 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.
    6. Hanne Peeters & Julie Callaert & Bart Looy, 2020. "Do firms profit from involving academics when developing technology?," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 45(2), pages 494-521, April.
    7. Di Stefano, Giada & Gambardella, Alfonso & Verona, Gianmario, 2012. "Technology push and demand pull perspectives in innovation studies: Current findings and future research directions," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 41(8), pages 1283-1295.
    8. Jackie Krafft & Francesco Quatraro & Pier Saviotti, 2014. "Knowledge characteristics and the dynamics of technological alliances in pharmaceuticals: empirical evidence from Europe, US and Japan," Journal of Evolutionary Economics, Springer, vol. 24(3), pages 587-622, July.
    9. Krammer, Sorin M.S., 2016. "The role of diversification profiles and dyadic characteristics in the formation of technological alliances: Differences between exploitation and exploration in a low-tech industry," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 45(2), pages 517-532.
    10. Colombo, Massimo G. & Grilli, Luca & Piva, Evila, 2006. "In search of complementary assets: The determinants of alliance formation of high-tech start-ups," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 35(8), pages 1166-1199, October.
    11. Coombs, Joseph E. & Mudambi, Ram & Deeds, David L., 2006. "An examination of the investments in U.S. biotechnology firms by foreign and domestic corporate partners," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 21(4), pages 405-428, July.
    12. Malik, Tariq, 2012. "Disparate association between alliance social capital and the global pharmaceutical firm's performance," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 21(6), pages 1017-1028.
    13. Massimo Colombo & Liliana Doganova & Evila Piva & Diego D’Adda & Philippe Mustar, 2015. "Hybrid alliances and radical innovation: the performance implications of integrating exploration and exploitation," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 40(4), pages 696-722, August.
    14. Liliana Doganova, 2009. "Entrepreneurship as a process of collective exploration," Working Papers halshs-00431695, HAL.
    15. Marcus Wagner & Wilfried Zidorn, 2017. "Effects of extent and diversity of alliancing on innovation: the moderating role of firm newness," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 49(4), pages 919-936, December.
    16. Wim Vanhaverbeke & Victor Gilsing & Bonnie Beerkens & Geert Duysters, 2009. "The Role of Alliance Network Redundancy in the Creation of Core and Non‐core Technologies," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 46(2), pages 215-244, March.
    17. Liliana Doganova, 2009. "Entrepreneurship as a process of collective exploration," Post-Print halshs-00431695, HAL.
    18. Maria Di Guardo & Kathryn Harrigan, 2012. "Mapping research on strategic alliances and innovation: a co-citation analysis," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 37(6), pages 789-811, December.
    19. Carmona-Lavado, Antonio & Cuevas-Rodríguez, Gloria & Cabello-Medina, Carmen & Fedriani, Eugenio M., 2021. "Does open innovation always work? The role of complementary assets," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 162(C).
    20. Jason P. Davis & Yulia Muzyrya & Pai-Ling Yin, 2014. "Experimentation Strategies and Entrepreneurial Innovation: Inherited Market Differences in the iPhone Ecosystem," Discussion Papers 13-029, Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research.

    More about this item

    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:bla:bstrat:v:12:y:2003:i:5:p:300-312. 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: Wiley Content Delivery (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1099-0836 .

    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.