The Relational Dynamics of Multiparty Alliances: An Interdependence‐Based View

Abstract Despite the increasing relevance of multiparty alliances, existing research remains fragmented and predominantly organized around functional purposes or structural forms, overlooking the relational dynamics among alliance partners. Such an omission prevents a systematic understanding of what fundamentally distinguishes multiparty alliances from their dyadic counterparts and how different types of multiparty alliances vary from one another. This paper addresses this gap through a systematic review of research from leading management journals published between 1990 and 2025. Adopting an interdependence‐based view, we offer two main insights. First, the presence of more than two partners introduces three categorically distinct features compared to dyadic alliances: a change in membership, a change in reciprocity patterns, and the emergence of faultlines. Each of these features poses distinct challenges. Second, and more importantly, we show how pooled, sequential, and reciprocal forms of interdependence shape the emergence, evolution, and consequences of these relational features, thereby explaining systematic variations across multiparty alliances. Building on these insights, we develop an integrative framework that clarifies the distinctiveness of multiparty alliances and identifies key mechanisms and boundary conditions. This framework informs a future research agenda to redirect scholarly attention to the unique relational dynamics within and across multiparty alliances.