How much does alliance partner diversity matter for interpartner cooperation, really? A meta- analysis

A considerable number of studies argue that partner diversity is important for managing interpartner cooperation in strategic alliances. Alliance partner diversity has been examined across various dimensions and disciplines, and its implications for alliance performance are neither theoretically clear nor empirically consistent. Drawing on a meta-analytic approach, we first provide a systematic analysis of alliance partner diversity-alliance performance relationship. Then, we assess whether each alliance partner’s diversity type mediates the relationship between the other diversity types and alliance performance. Our meta-analysis findings advance alliance inquiry by revealing that only some types of alliance partner diversity matter for firm performance and that only some mediate the alliance partner diversity–performance relationship, thereby providing a more fine-grained understanding of the effects of alliance partner diversity on alliance performance.