Value creation and success in strategic alliances:: alliancing skills and the role of alliance structure and systems

The authors use evidence from more than 200 organizations to demonstrate how companies which invest in alliance structures to co-ordinate alliance activity and systems to capture, codify, communicate and coach alliance-related know-how, definitely reap benefit in a number of ways. They also provide guidance on alternative ways to organize alliance structure and learning and co-ordination systems. The path to these benefits is not easy and companies need resources, people, and caution in managing the dedicated alliance function.