Changes in Learning Behavior: The Effect of Learning in Strategic Alliances

Focusing on the partnering experience, this research explores changes in learning behavior as a result of organizational learning. Although strategic alliances are emphasized as an optimal arena for learning, empirical examination on how knowledge flows in alliances influence on a firm's learning is lacked. We argue that differences in learning behavior between partners before an alliance leads to a change in a firm's learning behavior after participating in the alliance. In particular, partner firms exploitation and exploration facilitate a firm's learning. We then identify contingent conditions in which changes in learning behavior is limited by knowledge stocks. Based on a longitudinal study of patent activity in the U.S. bio-pharmaceutical industry (1987-2001), we find that a partner firm's exploitation is likely to increase a firm's exploitation rather than exploration. Likewise, a partner firm's exploration influences on a firm's increase in exploration rather than exploitation. Another finding is t...