Personal attachment of boundary spanners in ISAs: A two-sided coin

When MNCs create international strategic alliances, they are faced with a shift of more complex structures and work arrangements involving dealing with diverse groups of people and interacting in an ambiguous environment. Particularly, different ways of thinking, communicating, and behaving due to cultural distance can foster interactional ambiguities that may lead to conflicts and mistrust. Boundary spanners can have a crucial role to improve alliance performance through managing diversity and conflicts. They are able to mediate conflicts and support learning through the development of personal attachment. While much is known about the relationships of the organization with external stakeholders, such as buyers, suppliers, and distributors, little is known about the relationship between boundary spanners within international strategic alliances. This chapter takes a social capital perspective by focusing on the development of personal attachment and hypothesizes about possible antecedents and outcomes.