When Unconnected Others Connect: Does Degree of Brokerage Persist After the Formation of a Multipartner Alliance?

Xiaoli Yin (), Jianfeng Wu () and Wenpin Tsai ()
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Xiaoli Yin: Department of Management, Baruch College, City University of New York, New York, New York 10010
Jianfeng Wu: Business School, University of International Business and Economics, Beijing, China 100029
Wenpin Tsai: Department of Management and Organization, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802

Organization Science, 2012, vol. 23, issue 6, 1682-1699

Abstract: In contrast with previous research that emphasizes brokerage benefits by keeping other actors separated, this study investigates the conditions in which the degree of brokerage persists in subsequent network development when previously disconnected actors are no longer kept separate in a multipartner alliance setting. Analyses of longitudinal alliance data collected from 95 firms in the aircraft, airline, chemical, and energy industries suggest that after forming a multipartner alliance through an industry-sponsored e-marketplace, a firm with greater prior brokerage is more likely to remain influential and persist in its degree of brokerage in the subsequent alliance network when (1) the multipartner alliance has more partners and (2) size heterogeneity among partners is either low or high. The findings add to network research by offering a refined understanding of brokerage dynamics.

Keywords: brokerage; networks; multipartner alliances (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2012
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (8)

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