Cross-Border Knowledge Transfer in International Strategic Alliances : From Cultural Variations to Asymmetric Learning Process

The explosive growth of international strategic alliances as firm’s way to enter markets, as well as a mode to acquire new knowledge has affected the complexity of academic research about international cooperation and knowledge transfer process. Transferring knowledge among organizations involves a wide range of features. According to this statement, empirical evidences fade out both the need to test the validity of the existing theoretical framework on knowledge sharing process and to better understand the impact of different variables on international knowledge transfer. Starting from the role that the typology of context and the tendency to individualism vs collectivism have in affecting the stability of international strategic alliances [Calvelli, 1998], the aim of this paper is to show, through some case studies, to what extent the effectiveness of cross-border knowledge transfer can be influenced by: the role of cultural dimensions, the type of international collaboration (complementary/synergic) as well as the strategic objectives of the relationship. Some hypothesis and suggestions for further research will be formulated on learning capabilities of partners involved in an international strategic alliance.

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