Innovation Dynamics in Multipartneralliance Teams: A Focus on Human Resource Management Fit

We explore the innovation dynamics in multipartner-alliance teams (MA teams), a particularly complex type of teams. MA teams are temporary project teams composed of members from different partners and are in charge of attaining innovation. In particular, we focus on the potential contributions of human resource management (HRM) fit on the creation of a proper MA team climate for innovation. We address the necessity of reconceptualizing the notion of HRM fit from a holistic view, offering a new multi-level conceptualization. At the partner-level, we include the two traditional dimensions of HRM fit (vertical fit and horizontal fit); at the alliance-level, we include a new dimension (?relational fit?). Our arguments allow us to conclude that the power of the HRM fit at the partner-level is reinforced/undermined depending on the synergistic effects of the combination of the partners? sets of alliance-specific HRM practices for a particular MA team. Some directions for further work are suggested.