Interpartner learning dynamics in an alliance constellation

Despite the widespread usage of strategic alliances and the complexity of their operation, the dynamics of alliance processes are still not well understood. Co-evolutionary perspectives of alliances suggest that alliances evolve through adaptive learning processes: as organizations learn about the alliance environment and their alliance partners, they adapt their understanding of both and adjust their contributions to the alliance accordingly. The focus of extant research on the learning undertaken at the firm level means the question of how partners' learning processes interact remains largely unexplored. This chapter advances understanding of interpartner learning dynamics by detailing the interactive learning processes that informed the evolution of an alliance constellation. The chapter reports a retrospective case study of a star-like alliance constellation that examined the adaptive learning processes experienced by the constellation manager and the fourteen constellation members from 1992 to 2005. The study shows that partners' learning processes interacted as they progressively developed and applied their knowledge about constellation management and constellation participation.