Ecosystem governance has emerged as a key coordination mechanism for collaborative networks, highlighting alignment’s pivotal role in fostering innovation and performance. This study examines alignment processes and mechanisms within ecosystems, focusing on the defense industries as highly constrained contexts. We question how alignment processes vary across ecosystem structures and offer deeper insights into the relationship between governance modes, alignment processes and performance outcomes. Based on qualitative interviews and a multi-source dataset, we tailored Eisenhardt’s (1989) case study method with a processual approach. Key findings reveal that governance models drastically influence alignment processes effectiveness. We theorize the alignment process as a continuous dialogue among independent stakeholders, and we highlight that orchestrators’ ability to foster alignment rely on “conversational spaces” for managing trust, dependencies, and dynamic adjustments. This article contributes to strategic management literature by identifying the alignment process constitutive variables and explaining how conversational spaces drive coherence and efficiency in ecosystems.
