Hybrid administrative interfaces: Authority delegation and reversion in strategic alliances
Hanisch,Marvin Reuer,Jeffrey Haeussler,Carolin Devarakonda,S.V.
Hanisch,Marvin
Reuer,Jeffrey
Haeussler,Carolin
Devarakonda,S.V.
Abstract
Steering committees are pivotal for governing complex collaborations by consensus to facilitate coordination and knowledge sharing. Although consensus-based governance promotes mutuality, it can also cause deadlocks, stalling expeditious decision making. We examine the conditions under which alliance partners delegate decision-making authority to steering committees as well as the conditions under which authority over discordant matters can be relocated to one of the alliance partners. We argue that joint coordination concerns increase the likelihood of authority delegation, whereas the higher costs and stakes associated with decision stalemates provide grounds for authority reversion. Empirical analyses of strategic alliances in the biopharmaceutical industry support our arguments. Our paper demonstrates the versatility of contractually defined administrative interfaces in alliance governance, allowing partners to coordinate bilaterally and adapt hierarchically as and when required.
Description
Publisher Copyright: © 2023 The Author(s).
Date
2024-03
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Research Projects
Organizational Units
Journal Issue
Keywords
R&D alliances, administrative control, alliance governance, authority, dispute resolution, steering committee
Citation
Hanisch, M, Reuer, J, Haeussler, C & Devarakonda, S V 2024, 'Hybrid administrative interfaces: Authority delegation and reversion in strategic alliances', Organization Science, vol. 35, no. 2, pp. 550-572. https://doi.org/10.1287/orsc.2023.1687