Control systems and interorganizational identification in technology parks cooperation

ABSTRACT The aim of this study was to analyze the influence of the design of management control systems (MCSs) on interorganizational cooperation and the moderating role of companies’ identification with their technology park. The conditions that promote the emergence of interorganizational cooperation are indicated in the literature as an important research gap, as well as the little evidence about how MCS design influences cooperation, especially in relationships based on innovation. MCSs in interorganizational partnerships have been shown to be relevant for the coordination and maintenance of the relationship, and this study reveals that MCSs promotes cooperative behaviors among the companies associated with the technology parks. The interorganizational identification of the companies with their park was moderately present, thus prompting the inclusion of social and relational aspects in interorganizational studies, which remain scarcely explored in the literature. The MCSs of the parks are focused on stimulating the companies’ cooperation, which is one purpose of this partnership. By not confirming the moderating effect of identification, it was verified that this construct drives cooperation in a way that is dissociated from the MCSs. A survey was conducted in organizations associated with Porto Digital and with the São José dos Campos Technology Park, and it had the participation of 187 managers. To analyze the data the partial least squares structural equation modeling technique was applied and the differences between the two parks were further analyzed. The MCSs design and interorganizational identification act as antecedents of the companies’ cooperation with their technology park. On the other hand, the direct and positive effect of the MCS design on cooperation is not moderated by how much these companies identify with the interorganizational relationship established. The paper contributes by identifying ways of fostering cooperation, one of the purposes of interorganizational agreements, as well as by providing evidence in a context that is scarcely addressed in the literature.