Persistence of and interrelation between horizontal and vertical technology alliances
René Belderbos, Victor Gilsing & Boris Lokshin
#2009-065
We examine how and to what extent the propensity to be engaged in
alliances with different partner types (suppliers, customers and
competitors) depends on prior alliance engagement with partner firms of
the same type (persistence) and prior engagement in alliances with the
other partner types (interrelation). We derive hypotheses from a
combined competence and governance view of collaboration, and test these
on an extensive panel dataset of innovation-active Dutch firms during
1996-2004. We find persistence in alliance engagement of all three types
of partners, but customer alliances are more persistent than supplier
alliances. Most persistent are joint supplier and customer alliances,
which we attribute to the advantages of value chain integration in
innovation processes. Positive interrelation also exists in vertical
alliances, as immediate past customer alliances increase the propensity
to engage in supplier alliances and vice versa. On the other hand, while
prior engagement in horizontal (competitor) alliances increases the
propensity to engage in vertical alliances, this effect only occurs with
a longer lag. Overall, our findings are highly supportive of the idea
that alliance engagement with different partner types is heterogeneous
but interrelated. Our analysis suggests that the inter-temporal
relationship between different types of alliances may be as important as
their simultaneous relationship in alliance portfolios.
JEL Codes: O31, O32
Keywords: R&D collaboration, technological partnerships, innovation,
path dependency
UNU-MERIT Working Papers
ISSN 1871-9872