Managerial and organizational perspectives

Chapter 3 describes the contributions of managerial and organizational perspectives, namely strategic management theory, game theory, bargaining power theory, organization theory, and stakeholder theory, to the understanding of cooperative strategy. Strategic management theory draws attention to the need for prospective partners to achieve a fit between their respective strategies so as to achieve each party’s objectives. Game theory provides valuable insights into the possible attitudes of one’s partner in cooperation. Bargaining power models provide expectations for how the relative contributions of partners determine the structure and strategic direction of cooperative ventures. Organization theory’s contribution comes through its consideration of resource dependency in relation to partner power and control, learning, and how to organize alliances. Stakeholder theory suggests that when firms seek cooperative solutions to joint needs, they become stakeholders in each other’s organization and thus incur an interest in the success of their partners as well as themselves.