Time to Go? the Impact of Leadership, Boundary Spanning, and Centrality Positions on Timing of Exit from Open Multipartner Alliances

This study examines the impact of leadership, boundary spanning, and central network position on firm timing of exit from open multipartner alliances (OMA). Building on group structure theory, we argue that firms occupying strategic roles are more likely to stay longer in the focal OMA. To test our hypotheses, we compile a dataset of nine OMA in the mobile phone industry from 2000 till 2012 inclusive consisting of a total of 2,016 firms from 53 countries. Furthermore, we support our analysis with interviews with the OMA presidents. The results suggest that (1) working group leaders, (2) OMA leaders, (3) boundary spanners, and (4) central firms are more likely to stay longer in the OMA due to their advantageous positions. We contribute to literature on open innovation and network literature by examining the positions of firms within the OMA bipartite network.