The Effect of Knowledge Protection, Knowledge Ambiguity, and Relational Capital on Alliance Performance

This research examines the role played by ‘knowledge ambiguity ’ and ‘relational capital ’ in the process of knowledge protection between strategic alliance partners. Based on a cross-sectional sample of 95 firms in alliances and a structural equation methodology, this study empirically investigates the simultaneous effects of knowledge protection, knowledge ambiguity, and relational capital on alliance performance. This study’s findings highlight that the critical role played by knowledge protection as a antecedent of knowledge ambiguity and relational capital on alliance performance. We further analyzed, in order to balance between enhancing alliance performance and protecting individual firm’s critical knowledge, firms should build up both knowledge protection mechanism and relational capital simultaneously