Management of Strategic Alliances in Portuguese Service-Based SMEs: Exploring the Role of Dynamic Capabilities in Developing Innovation Capabilities

Abstract

Strategic alliances have assumed a pivotal role in the growth and competitiveness of organisations, especially in contexts of rapid technological change and high environmental complexity. Drawing on the Dynamic Capabilities View (DCV), this study aims to analyse the impact of strategic alliance management on technological, marketing, and new product development capabilities, considering the mediating role of dynamic capabilities. This research is based on a sample of 200 Portuguese firms, predominantly SMEs, using Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) to test a conceptual model composed of six hypotheses. The results demonstrate that effective alliance management is positively associated with dynamic capabilities, which in turn function as a pivotal mechanism for integrating and reconfiguring resources. Specifically, the findings reveal that these dynamic capabilities (exploration and exploitation) are fundamental to strengthening marketing and technological skills. Notably, technological capability did not yield a significant direct impact on new-product development, suggesting that in this service-intensive context, marketing capabilities and the overall orchestration of dynamic routines are more critical to innovation success. This research offers empirical evidence of how strategic alliances strengthen the competitiveness of SMEs in peripheral EU economies, highlighting that innovation stems from a configuration of integrative capabilities rather than technological assets alone.