This paper evperimentally examines the determinants of the deviation between potential and realized value creation in strategic alliances. To better understand how, decision making in alliances may influence success, we use an experimental design that juxtaposes two important factors that affect alliance members' decisions: economic incentives and communication. The evidence from our experiment sheds light on the relative impact of each, and more importantly, host, both factors interact to explain successful outcomes. Copyright (C) 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.