ALLIANCE STRATEGY IN R&D CONTRACTUAL PROJECTS: KNOWLEDGE AND RESOURCES PERSPECTIVES (CASE OF PERTAMINA)

• Main Author: Indradewa, Rhian
• Format: Dissertations
• Language: Indonesia
• Online Access: https://digilib.itb.ac.id/gdl/view/86577
• Institution: Institut Teknologi Bandung

Conducting radical research and development (R&D) is a high-risk activity especially in energy sector. For that reason, the paradigm of using only internal capabilities to conduct R&D activities has to be diminished. The aim of this research is to develop a model that can be used as a framework for guiding and accelerating the process of R&D conducted in a form of contractual project in strategic alliance performed by two different types of Energy Company. The first type is energy companies from developed countries having advanced technologies and knowledge. The second type is energy companies from developing countries with unique characteristics of its natural resources and local knowledge. This research adopts the perspective of project management, which typically divides a project into three phases: the Pre-project, Project-execution, and Post-project phase. To provide a comprehensive model, activities performed in each phase of R&D projects are analyzed by considering intangible and tangible assets involved. This research is case study in PERTAMINA an Indonesian state owned enterprise in energy sector. Because the same characteristics among state owned enterprises Energy Company, this model can also generalize to others state owned enterprises in energy sector. This research conducted a mixed methods research as methodology. As a first step is qualitative research are conducted by literature review, interview, observation, and archival study to define the interpretations or called variables, factors and indicators that affect the alliance in R&D activities, and to explain the relationships among variables and factors. The results of the study obtained a research model. The second step is then performed quantitative study to measure the significance and test model that has been obtained in previous research with using SEM PLS method. In addition, the third stage is qualitative research to interpret and to establish the research model. From the research showed that knowledge and resources become factors in partner selection process as pre-project phase. After energy companies selected their partners, the knowledge management systems are moderating the effect of knowledge to succeed the alliance in R&D processes. Organization dimensions are not significantly moderating the effect of resources to alliance in R&D process because as state owned enterprise the alliance process will depend on government political regulation and permission. Organization dimensions cannot become a moderating variable because there are limitations in decision-making process in alliance process. Even the organization dimensions are good but government can stop the alliance process. In addition, the last is alliance in R&D process significantly affect the competitive advantage. Company who conduct the alliance in R&D will have better competitive advantage. In the pre-project phase, partner selected based on knowledge variable consist of their competence, capability, experience, and expertise, and selected based on resource variable consist of their complementary assets, resource alignment objectives, risk sharing and cost sharing. The project execution phase where the R&D activities carried, knowledge management system as moderating variable consist of technology transfer process, technology support in knowledge management, knowledge sharing, and absorptive capacity, and organization dimensions variable consist of team building process, partners roles, communication process, and decision making process. Alliance in R&D as mediating variable consists of trust, commitment, and integrity. The post-project phase commercialized R&D based on factors of knowledge & IPR management, and innovativeness as a source for competitive advantage. The theoretical contributions of this research, due to the radical R&D process has a high uncertainty aspect, alliance in R&D activities are better conducted in contractual project form without entail the share of ownership. From the Resources Based View (RBV) and Knowledge Based View (KBV) perspectives, alliance strategies between energy companies with unique knowledge and resources and energy companies with advanced technology and knowledge are beneficial when the knowledge and resources of the companies are complementary. From the perspective of partners with unique knowledge and resources, collaborative partnerships provide a means of acquiring new technology, knowledge, and practices in R&D and a means to increase the competencies and capabilities of researchers. From the perspective of partners with advanced technology and knowledge, collaborative partnerships provide a means of accessing new markets, unique knowledge, and natural resources. From the Knowledge Based View (KBV) perspective, this research divided knowledge management steps into knowledge creation, knowledge storage and retrieval, knowledge transfer, knowledge application, and knowledge protecting and licensing. From the Resources Based View (RBV), A partnership in alliance in R&D activities based on a contractual project can generate new innovative products and new knowledge, which can be followed-up with the formation of intellectual property rights (IPR) as a basis of the implementation of continued innovation.