The role of cooperation in productivity: alliance portfolio and network resources

Abstract

This study analyses the direct and indirect effect, through network resources, that the size of the alliance portfolio has on the company's performance, measured through productivity. In addition, two antecedents of the formation of alliance portfolios are studied: the firms' resource endowments and the participation of the focal firm in inter-organisational networks. One of the main contributions lies in the use of the network resources variable. The use of this variable gives empirical content to a concept widely analysed in the literature to explain the performance of interconnected companies. The study is carried out in the airline industry, a context in which firms display an intense cooperative activity establishing numerous exploiting alliances. The results show that the company's resource endowment and the participation in inter-organisational networks constitute a relevant factor in explaining the size of the alliance portfolio. Additionally, the results show a positive effect, but mediated by network resources, of the size of the alliance portfolio on the company's productivity. Finally, network resources are largely determined by the size of the alliance portfolio and significantly affect the company's productivity.