Leadership and innovation capability development in strategic alliances
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine whether heterogeneity in alliance capability development can be attributed to the use of certain intra-firm leadership behaviors. The author suggests that transformational leadership behaviors have a stronger influence on the development of innovation (dynamic) capabilities of a strategic alliance than on the development of operational (substantive) capabilities, and that transactional leadership behaviors mainly preserve operational capabilities.
Design/methodology/approach
The author used in-depth expert interviews and a questionnaire survey comprising 369 strategic business alliances to develop and test the theoretical framework.
Findings
The data confirm the positive relationship between transformational leadership and the development of innovation and operational capabilities. Yet, transactional leadership behaviors are not only associated with operational capability development, but notably contribute to the development of innovation capabilities.
Research limitations/implications
While the study focusses on leadership, there are many more factors that impact on the strategic ability of alliances to deliver innovation outcomes. Other limitations are the multiple levels of analysis in the theoretical model, newly developed measurement scales and that responses for the empirical study only come from one partner of the alliance.
Practical implications
The study suggests advantages of exercising the full range of leadership behaviors when seeking innovation alliance outcomes.
Originality/value
This research contributes to the strategic management, innovation, leadership, and alliances literature by providing new and empirical validation of the effectiveness of particular leadership behaviors in collaborative settings.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
Research for this paper was aided by support from the Centre for Management and Organization Studies at the University of Technology, Sydney. The author have also greatly benefited from the help and insightful comments of members of the Association of Strategic Alliance Professionals and the interviewed executives. The author also would like to thank the anonymous reviewers as well as the editor for their constructive comments.
Citation
Schweitzer, J. (2014), "Leadership and innovation capability development in strategic alliances", Leadership & Organization Development Journal, Vol. 35 No. 5, pp. 442-469. https://doi.org/10.1108/LODJ-01-12-0001
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2014, Emerald Group Publishing Limited