Learning in strategic alliances : Reviewing the literature streams and crafting the agenda for future research

Abstract

The present study examines the alliance learning literature in these uncertain times, which highlights the importance of alliance learning that takes place across organizational boundaries within a variety of business ecosystems. The study builds on a literature review of 198 articles and uses bibliographic coupling to identify four sub-streams of alliance learning research: 1) learning in strategic alliances, 2) relationship learning, 3) learning in innovation networks, and 4) learning in social networks. We review and analyze the alliance learning research streams, identify gaps, and develop a research agenda for alliance learning research.