Strategic alliances, organizational learning, and competitive advantage: The HRM agenda

Abstract

Partnerships and alliances between two or more multinational firms are becoming increasingly common. Recent examples include AT&T’s cooperation with Olivetti and IBM’s links with Matsushita in office automation equipment; a tripartite venture of Honeywell, Bull, and NEC in computer mainframes; Philips and AT&T’s alliance in telecommunications; Toyota and General Motors’ joint manufacturing at NUMMI; or General Electric and Fanuc’s worldwide collaborative network in robotics. New strategic alliances are not limited to the manufacturing sector, they are increasingly frequent in the financial sector (e.g., the joint venture of Credit Suisse and First Boston Corporation or the tie-up of Nippon Life and Shearson Lehman) and other service industries as well.