Conclusion and implications for future research

The present study has shed some light on the complex interplay between a company's strategic orientation and the configuration of its alliance portfolio. The study focused on a single industry (the pharmaceutical industry) to control for industry effects and to ensure that sample companies face a similar environment. Organizations can be classified into distinct strategic groups that differ not only with respect to key strategic variables but also regarding the configuration of their alliance portfolios. The main findings can be summarized as follows:

Analyzers manage large portfolios of alliances in absolute terms, however small ones if related to firm size. Network diversity is very high, as well as average tie strength.

Defenders have medium-to-small networks with rather weak ties. The share of strongties is similar to entrepreneurs' profile and much lower than for analyzers.

Entrepreneurs have a relatively large and highly focused network. Moreover, their relationships are rather strong compared to defenders, but not as strong as analyzers' relationships.