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Obtaining collaboration benefits: the role of collaboration-specific investment and absorptive capacity in China

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Abstract

This study examines the role of collaboration-specific investment and absorptive capacity on the attainment of interorganizational collaboration benefits. Grounded in the extended resource-based view, and using survey data from Chinese executives, we study the driver for, and test the impacts of, collaboration-specific investment and organizational learning on collaboration performance. Our findings indicate that resource similarity between the collaborative partners affects the level of collaboration-specific investment and learning, and demonstrate an approach that firms can use to obtain both abnormal common and private benefits from participation in an interorganizational collaboration. Specifically, the findings suggest that collaboration-specific investment has a direct effect on the enhancement of absorptive capacity and attainment of common and private collaboration benefits. Furthermore, due to the direct effect of absorptive capacity on attainment of collaboration benefits, commitment of collaboration-specific investment has an indirect effect on the attainment of common and private collaboration benefits. This study is the first to apply both the competence-capability framework and extended resource-based view to study interorganizational collaboration. In fact, this study aims to determine mechanisms for a collaboration-participating firm to obtain more benefit, whether common or private. Our findings provide support for the importance of learning capability as a factor in the acquisition of collaboration benefits.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Johnson College of Business and Economics, University of South Carolina Upstate, 160 E St John St, Spartanburg, SC, 29306, USA

    Chung-Yean Chiang

  2. Department of Logistics & Supply Chain Management, Georgia Southern University, P.O. Box 8036, Statesboro, GA, 30460, USA

    Mark Hanna

  3. Department of Management Science, Xiamen University, Room 532, Baoxin Liying Bldg, Xiamen, 361005, Fujian, China

    Zhenyu Liu & Xiangyu Lu

Authors
  1. Chung-Yean Chiang
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  2. Mark Hanna
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  3. Zhenyu Liu
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  4. Xiangyu Lu
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Chung-Yean Chiang.

Appendix: The Survey Questionnaire

Appendix: The Survey Questionnaire

Please provide your opinion based on one recent collaboration venture with which you are familiar.

Absorptive capacity

AC1

My company has the ability to assimilate new and useful external knowledge.

AC2

My company has the ability to adapt to change and adopt new ideas/resource.

AC3

My company has the ability to utilize integrated new knowledge to improve operational performance.

Collaboration-specific investment

CI1

My company has tailored our production systems to support the collaboration.

CI2

My company has made significant capital investment to support the collaboration.

CI3

My company has trained workers and dedicated personnel to support the collaboration.

Common benefits

CB1

We generated a higher-than-expected profit from this collaboration.

CB2

Relative to my partner, my company has obtained greater share of profit from this collaboration.

CB3

Relative to my partner, my company has contributed less but gained more.

Private benefits

PB1

Because of this collaboration, my company has improved its reputation.

PB2

Because of this collaboration, my company has used knowledge of systems and processes acquired from the partner to create value by enhancing its own efficiency.

PB3

As a result of this collaboration, my company has used complementary resources acquired from the partner to create value and improve its own resource’s worth.

Resource similarity

RS1

My company’s products share similar attributes with the collaboration-generated products.

RS2

My company’s products share similar target markets with the collaboration-generated products.

RS3

My company’s applied technology is very similar to the technology used in the collaboration.

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Chiang, CY., Hanna, M., Liu, Z. et al. Obtaining collaboration benefits: the role of collaboration-specific investment and absorptive capacity in China. Oper Manag Res 11, 69–82 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12063-018-0133-z

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