Open Access
Capturing value from alliance portfolio diversity: the mediating role of R&D human capital in high and low tech industries
(Elsevier, 2017) García Martínez, Marian; Zouaghi, Ferdaous; Sánchez García, Mercedes; Gestión de Empresas; Enpresen Kudeaketa; Universidad Pública de Navarra / Nafarroako Unibertsitate Publikoa
Research has demonstrated the value of external linkages to augment in-house R&D efforts; however, very little is known about how managers can operationally leverage the potential benefits of open innovation to create an innovative edge. This paper examines the value of alliance portfolio diversity and whether R&D human capital is the pathway through which alliance portfolio diversity influences innovation novelty. We reason that the absorptive capacity of R&D human capital determines a firm's potential gains from highly diverse alliance portfolios. Using data from the Spanish Technological Innovation Panel (PITEC) for the period 2005–2012, results support the curvilinear (inverted U-shaped) association between alliance portfolio diversity and firm innovation performance reported in studies, suggesting that not only too little, but also too much alliance portfolio diversity may be detrimental to firm innovation performance. Findings emphasise the value of alliance portfolio diversity in high-technology industries to achieve explorative performance objectives, given the technological complexity, market uncertainty and the divergent skill sets required for breakthrough innovations in these sectors. Further, we find evidence that R&D human capital plays an important role in innovation novelty by partially mediating the relationship between alliance partner diversity and firm innovation performance, emphasising the importance of internal capabilities to harness external knowledge assets. This study provides valuable insights to managers aiming to increase the effectiveness of their alliance portfolios.
Open Access
Casting a wide net for innovation: mediating effect of R&D human and social capital to unlock the value from alliance portfolio diversity
(Wiley, 2019) García Martínez, Marian; Zouaghi, Ferdaous; Sánchez García, Mercedes; Enpresen Kudeaketa; Institute for Advanced Research in Business and Economics - INARBE; Gestión de Empresas; Universidad Pública de Navarra / Nafarroako Unibertsitate Publikoa
This paper examines the performance effects associated with different alliance portfolio configurations in terms of geographical location and partner type. Based on these distinctions, the authors hypothesize that more diverse alliance portfolios enable firms to gain and exploit innovation opportunities. Additionally, the mediating effects of R&D human and social capital on the R&D alliance portfolio diversity-innovation performance relationship are explored. The authors reason that the absorptive capacity of R&D intellectual capital determines a firm's potential gains from highly diverse alliance portfolios. From panel data of manufacturing firms in Spain for the period 2008-2013, the results confirm the inverted U-shaped relationship between alliance portfolio diversity and firm innovation performance, implying that both insufficient and excessive alliance portfolio diversity may be detrimental to firm innovativeness. Additionally, R&D human and social capital partially mediates the R&D alliance diversity-innovation performance relationship, emphasizing the importance of internal capabilities to leverage the benefits of highly diverse alliance portfolios. These findings add a dynamic dimension to the conceptualization of alliance portfolios and how firms create value by balancing explorative and exploitative alliances.
Open Access
How do both firm-level resources and country-level competitiveness shape the relationship between alliance portfolio diversity and radical innovation? A comparison between the food and other manufacturing industries
(Wiley, 2024) Ancín Rípodas, María; Zouaghi, Ferdaous; Sánchez García, Mercedes; Gestión de Empresas; Enpresen Kudeaketa; Universidad Pública de Navarra / Nafarroako Unibertsitate Publikoa
This study examines how European food companies can operationally leverage the value created by strategic alliances into commercially viable products. More importantly, it emphasizes that the effects of alliance portfolio diversity (APD) on radical innovation performance can be achieved not only directly, but also via moderating roles, that is, the firm's social capital and the level of competitiveness of the country. Using three waves of the European Community Innovation Survey, our results show that the optimal level of APD varied depending on the industry in which the company operates (food manufacturing industry vs. the rest of manufacturing industries). Furthermore, social capital seems to be a crucial factor to mitigate the difficulties of leveraging very diverse knowledge from partners, especially in the food manufacturing industry. Moreover, the external environmental context where the firm is operating, measured as the growth competitive index that reflects the competitive level of the country, was shown to have an influence on the firms' innovative efforts.[EconLit Citations: M10, 013, 036].

Zouaghi, Ferdaous

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