Problematic Alliances : Developing a simplified measurement tool for the seven response strategies in a circular structure

Alliances can be seen as unstable organisational entities. Estimations of alliance failure rates range up to 60%, often due to problematic situations caused by changing internal or external circumstances. The likelihood of alliance failure increases when partners do not respond to these situations in the desired way. Hence, it has become necessary to develop a useful instrument to measure possible responses to specific problematic situations in alliances. In this work, a circumplex representation of the seven response strategies (exit propensity, opportunism, aggressive voice, creative voice, considerate voice, patience, and neglect) is used in combination with single item measurement to develop and test a new practical measurement tool. Three different tools are tested and compared on their reliability, validity and practicality. The scenario manipulations and analyses used in this work demonstrate that the new tools are valid, reliable and useful.