Development of supportive characteristics to facilitate learning from strategic alliances

Abstract In this paper, we aim to find answer to a single question: what are the characteristics of firms with superior use of alliance learning practices? Consequently, we aim to discover the characteristics of firms which are more preoccupied to learn from their strategic alliances. We investigate this research question through a statistical analysis of the answers provided by 46 best performing medium and large-sized companies operating in Romania. By means of several multilinear regressions and an analysis of variance, we found that the companies with superior use of alliance learning practices – thus, more preoccupied to learn – are more proactive, build an alliance culture favouring the use of alliances, develop relational attributes in their alliances (e.g., trust), respectively monitor and control their alliance activity to a higher degree. Contrary to expectations, the companies with superior use of alliance learning practices do not collaborate to a higher degree horizontally, with their competitors and complementors. In terms of the dispersion of companies depending on their use of alliance learning practices, to a high degree (34.1%), the differences between companies can be explained by the proposed set of characteristics developed in this paper. Our findings contribute to the existent literature in the field of alliances, bringing empirical evidence on the characteristics that companies need to develop to better learn from their strategic alliances. In addition, executives of medium and large-sized companies find in this paper valuable information regarding the nurturing of alliance knowledge acquisition and transfer from their strategic allies and partners.