Inter-organisational collaborations as embedded social systems : a critical realist explanation of alliance evolution

One of the central debates that pervade research on inter-organisational collaborations pertains to explaining how alliance structures and process interact over time. In fact, in recent years different scholars have responded to calls to integrate these aspects in undertaking longitudinal research on alliance evolution. This thesis is an attempt to study and explain dynamic processes that underpin alliance evolution. The potential contribution of this thesis is threefold. First, it responds to calls for more theoretical and empirical studies on the evolution of alliances. Second, it attempts to provide a multi-level explanation of alliance evolution by 'paying attention to events that took place at inter-organisational (between the partner organisations); intra- organisational (within the partner organisations) and external/competitive and institutional environment levels. Third, it explores the dynamic interaction that takes place between alliance structure and social actors and which underpins alliance evolution in general. This three tier agenda is explored through a broad research question: 'Under what conditions do inter-organisational collaborations evolve over time?' The thesis, through critical realist lens, conceptualises alliances as dynamic and embedded social systems which are embedded in the environments of their parent organisations as well as the broader industry structure. Social structure of an alliance is thus represented by a nexus of internal and necessary and external and contingent structural relations and evolution of an alliance takes place when these structural relations undergo transformation or reproduction. The thesis adopts morphogenetic / stasis approach to explore and explain how pre-existing structural conditions, as a consequence of prior social action, influence social interaction in one morphogenetic cycle and which in turn creates conditions for social interaction in the subsequent cycles.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo