Erwin Hettich

Multipartner alliances are a prevalent form to manage large-scale innovation. One of the fundamental problems multipartner alliances face is the inherent tension between cooperation and competition among involved partners. In this study, we explore when the involvement of public third-parties can benefit and when it impedes multipartner alliance performance by exploring their role in varying coopetitive contexts these alliances face.

This study examines the interorganizational strategy process as documented by two case ecologies within the emerging domain of electric mobility. We argue that interorganizational strategy-making oscillates between meta- and firm-level and unfolds within constructed strategic arenas through an ongoing negotiation between dispersed actors. We report findings about strategic activity that seems to compensate for the absence of hierarchical structures and authorities as present in collaborative arrangements. Our study also points towards the salient roles of individuals in building common strategies by linking actors that are spread across ecologies, as well as giving "voice and face" to interorganizational endeavors.

This study examines the open strategy process reporting on multiple-case studies within the emerging domain of electric mobility. Building on extensive field research on R&D initiatives, we derive an empirically grounded process framework that suggests open strategies to develop along three distinct phases: initiation, negotiation, and execution. We argue that open strategy-making oscillates between meta- and firm-level and unfolds within constructed strategic arenas via repeated and iterative negotiation between autonomous actors. Our findings suggest that third parties (e.g., public agencies or private institutions) play a pronounced role in inter-firm interaction and compensate for the absence of traditional hierarchical structures and authorities in collaborative arrangements. Our study also points towards the salient roles of individuals in building open strategies by linking actors that are spread across ecologies, as well as giving "voice and face" to interorganizational endeavours.