My research focuses on the link between strategy and organisational performance. I have a specific interest in measuring and improving firm outcomes, and understanding the role of strategic alliances in improving performance in private and public organisations.
Multimarket Contact Between Partners and Strategic Alliance Survival
Ryan-Charleton, T. & Galavan, R.J. In Press at Strategic Management Journal.
Research Summary: The impact of multimarket contact (MMC) between partners on strategic alliance survival is unclear, even though recent studies have suggested that MMC increases the likelihood of alliance formation. Our study investigates this issue by integrating two mechanisms occurring between multimarket firms: mutual forbearance and technological resource imitation. We argue that MMC between partners deters opportunism in alliances via mutual forbearance, resulting in a positive effect on the likelihood of strategic alliance survival. We also suggest that the positive effect is weakened in two settings with higher risks of technological resource imitation: technological overlap between partners and the presence of R&D activities in an alliance. Evidence from strategic alliances in the global semiconductor industry supports these conclusions.
Managerial Summary: Recent research has shown that firms encountering each other in multiple markets are more likely to form strategic alliances, but it is unclear whether these firms are likely to stick together. Our theory suggests that the threat of broad retaliation limits opportunism and increases the likelihood of alliance survival when partners encounter each other in multiple markets. Nonetheless, in settings where partners have similar technologies, or in alliances involving R&D activities, their ability and incentives to copy each other’s technological resources offsets the positive effect of multimarket contact on alliance survival. We study strategic alliances in the global semiconductor industry and find evidence consistent with these arguments.
Strategic Alliance Outcomes: Consolidation and New Directions
Ryan-Charleton, T., Gnyawali, D.R., & Oliveira, N. 2022. Academy of Management Annals.
Research Summary: The pursuit of outcomes is the raison d'être for strategic alliances, yet the literature on outcomes is rather fragmented. Moreover, conceptual and empirical confusion exists between strategic alliance outcomes and how well the alliance is working. Important behavioral terms, such as conflict and tension, are also used without conceptual clarity. We tackle these issues by consolidating the spectrum of strategic alliance outcomes and explaining how outcomes are often intertwined. We also distill the literature regarding how well the alliance is working into three ‘functioning indicators’ and highlight their conceptual distinctiveness vis-à-vis outcomes. We disentangle definitions and implications of three important behavioral issues in alliances—tradeoffs, frictions, and tensions—and discuss how they are rooted in partner interdependence. Lastly, we offer an ‘outcome-centric’ perspective on strategic alliances, which shifts the emphasis from outcomes as end results to the pursuit of outcomes as explanatory starting points.
Managerial Summary: Strategic alliances are fundamental to firm strategy, but understanding their effectiveness often remains challenging due to a lack of clarity and agreement on what constitutes success. Our research clarifies this by distinguishing between the actual results of the alliance and the factors that indicate how well the alliance is operating. We also disentangle three important behavioral issues in alliances—conflict levels, tension, and tradeoffs. In addition, our 'outcome-centric' perspective on strategic alliances guides managers to use desired outcomes as the basis for enabling more effective planning and execution from the outset of the alliance.
Nuances in the Interplay of Competition and Cooperation: Towards a Theory of Coopetition
Gnyawali, D.R., & Ryan Charleton. T., 2018. Journal of Management.
Research Summary: Progress in coopetition research is impeded by two problems in the literature: (a) superficial conceptualization of simultaneity and outcomes and (b) lack of theorizing about core properties of coopetition and how they influence outcomes. This paper addresses these interrelated problems and charts a path towards a theory of coopetition. We systematically analyze competition and cooperation and illuminate how the interplay between specific aspects of competition and cooperation manifests through unique coopetition mechanisms. We explicate a range of possible outcomes from coopetition—joint value creation for all firms, value creation for individual firms, and value destruction—and suggest that coopetition mechanisms help explain how and why coopetition may lead to varying outcomes. Furthermore, we explain how effective navigation of simultaneity and value creation intent, two fundamental elements of coopetition, may be instrumental in deriving beneficial outcomes. Navigating simultaneity involves balancing competition and cooperation and maintaining both at moderately strong levels, and navigating value creation consists of managing the trade-off between joint value creation and firm value creation without compromising overall value creation. By explaining how coopetition manifests, what its unique underlying properties are, and how such properties influence outcomes, our paper provides a deeper understanding of the phenomenon and progresses the literature towards a theory of coopetition.
Managerial Summary: Navigating the interplay between competition and cooperation, or "coopetition," is crucial for organizational performance. Our research clarifies how distinct aspects of competition and cooperation interact, leading to different outcomes such as mutual benefits for all firms, advantages for individual firms, or even value destruction. We discuss practical strategies for managing the interaction between competition and cooperation. Key to success in coopetition is the ability to maintain a balance between competitive and cooperative actions and to understand trade-offs between collective benefits and individual gains.
Read more of my work by visiting my Google Scholar page.