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Variety is the spice of life: How much partner alignment is preferable in open innovation activities to enhance firms’ adaptiveness and innovation success?

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  • Zacharias, Nicolas A.
  • Daldere, Dace
  • Winter, Christian G.H.

Abstract

To adapt to changing technological and market conditions, firms perform open innovation (OI) activities. However, not all firms manage to increase their adaptiveness through OI. Depending on the level of partner alignment, different types of OI activities may thrive or fail. Drawing on social network theory, this study investigates how firms should arrange partner alignment to realize the full potential of highly and weakly interactive OI activities and foster firms’ technology and market adaptiveness and, ultimately, innovation success. Using empirical tests on a multi-industry data set gathered from 181 managers, the results show that firms that perform highly interactive OI activities should strive for high partner alignment to enhance their technology and market adaptiveness. In contrast, firms employing weakly interactive OI activities should avoid high partner alignment, as such alignment lowers the positive impact of these OI activities on both technological and market adaptiveness and, in turn, decreases innovation success.

Suggested Citation

  • Zacharias, Nicolas A. & Daldere, Dace & Winter, Christian G.H., 2020. "Variety is the spice of life: How much partner alignment is preferable in open innovation activities to enhance firms’ adaptiveness and innovation success?," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 117(C), pages 290-301.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jbrese:v:117:y:2020:i:c:p:290-301
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jbusres.2020.05.055
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