Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0
Author-Name: Duysters, Geert
Author-Email: duysters@merit.unu.edu
Author-Workplace-Name: UNU-MERIT
Author-Name: Vanhaverbeke, Wim
Author-Email: w.p.m.vanhaverbeke@tm.tue.nl
Author-Workplace-Name: ECIS, Technical University Eindhoven
Author-Name: Beerkens, Bonnie
Author-Email: b.e.beerkens@tm.tue.nl
Author-Workplace-Name: ECIS, Technical University Eindhoven
Author-Name: Gilsing, Victor
Author-Email: v.a.gilsing@tm.tue.nl
Author-Workplace-Name: ECIS, Technical University Eindhoven
Title: Exploration and Exploitation in Technology-based Alliance Networks 
Abstract: Although the literature converges regarding the reasons why and how 
	 networks of technology alliances are formed, there is still lack of 
	 agreement on what constitutes an optimal network structure, once it has 
	 been formed. The aim of this paper is to fill this void and to determine 
	 what constitutes an optimal network structure for exploration and 
	 exploitation within the context of technological innovation. We 
	 differentiate among a firm's direct ties, indirect ties and degree of 
	 redundancy and analyze their role in the pharmaceutical, chemical and 
	 automotive industry. Regarding the role of direct ties, in combination 
	 with indirect ties, we find two alternative alliance network structures 
	 that are effective for both exploitation and exploration. We also find 
	 that redundancy in a firm's alliance network has a positive effect on 
	 exploitation. This is not the case for exploration, however, which seems 
	 to reveal a new insight into the role of redundancy when firms explore 
	 new technological fields. A final point is that our findings remain 
	 largely invariant across the three industries, enhancing the 
	 generalisability of our results.
Classification-JEL: O32, O31, D85
Keywords: Networks, Strategic Alliances, Innovation, Learning
Series: UNU-MERIT Working Papers
Creation-Date: 2007
Number: 2007-020
File-URL: https://unu-merit.nl/publications/wppdf/2007/wp2007-020.pdf
File-Format: application/pdf
File-Size: 275 Kb
Handle: RePEc:unm:unumer:2007020