Avoiding alliance myopia: forging learning outcomes for long-term success

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to develop a framework for understanding the learning outcomes of strategic alliances. Design/methodology/approach – On the basis of two dimensions of any strategic alliance – that is, similarity or dissimilarity of contribution of partners and explorative or exploitative nature of alliance – the author proposes a framework that recognizes four types of learning outcomes. Findings – The distinction of four types of alliance enables the author to identify their distinctive characteristics and learning outcomes. Originality/value – The paper increases the awareness of managers about the learning outcomes of strategic alliances, which helps managers to consider intended learning outcomes not only in planning, managing and evaluating any individual alliance but also in managing the alliance portfolio.