On the Dialectics of Strategic Alliances

Using Van de Ven and Poole's (1995) extensive assessment of process theories as an intellectual scaffold, we review theoretical contributions to our understanding of alliance dynamics and process. It appears that of four generic theoretical engines, only three—life cycle, teleology, and evolution—are reasonably well covered in this literature. Process studies informed by a dialectical theory, however, appear to be markedly absent. We explore the...