Using three essays, this dissertation establishes a case for asymmetrical joint action expectations (AJAE) as a valid phenomenon in interfirm relations and as relevant to innovation performance in the supply chain. Essay one lays the theoretical foundation of understanding how differing marginal cost and benefit curves associated with joint action between two firms can lead to differing optimal levels and therefore differing expectations regarding the desired level of joint action across those firms. Essay two investigates this phenomenon in the context of six case studies of interfirm new product development projects and finds that indeed, gaps between actual and desired levels of joint action do exist and are relevant to innovation performance. Further, the case studies reveal that not only is the size of the gap in AJAE relevant, but so also is the clarity of those expectations. Essay three places AJAE within the context of supply chain interoperability and tests the hypothesized model using an empirical secondary data set of R&D powertrain projects in the automotive industry. Findings support hypothesized relationships between AJAE, behavioral interoperability and innovation performance.
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