Partner Features of Horizontal and Vertical Collaboration: an Empirical Analysis

This article addresses drivers and partner features in vertical or horizontal cooperation. A survey is used to assess their impact and to evaluate whether respondents give significantly different scores to comparable influencing factors depending on the type of cooperation. The results show that internal stakeholder support and investments needed for collaboration turn out to be more critical in the case of horizontal collaboration. Innovation potential of the partner features and the fit between the cooperating organizations are judged as more important partner features in the case of horizontal cooperation.