A study into the role of a partner selection process in alliance capability building

This study of partner selection supports prior scientific research and explanations of alliance capabilities, a critical success factor for alliances. Although prior research was focused on the importance of these capabilities for the success of alliances, it was less on the role of specific capabilities. Unfortunately, there is a lack of specific information and research concerning the design of each specific alliance capability including its processes, mechanisms and tools. Partner selection is one of the most critical alliance capabilities in the establishment of alliances. The right choice of partner has been identified in numerous studies, as a precondition for alliance success. This means that designing a partner selection process including steps, criteria, tools and success factors, is vital for alliance success; and applying more analytic and systematic methods in partner selection could increase the success rate of partnerships. In order to understand differences in alliance performance, we conceptually explore the role of a partner selection process in alliance capability building. This paper suggests that the use of a partner selection process serves an important function as an alliance capability and thus it has a significant influence on alliance performance. Building on an extensive literature review, a model is introduced which represents the importance of a partner selection process. From this model, three propositions are derived to explain the role of a partner selection process in alliance capabilities and alliance performance.