Dancing with wolves: how R&D human capital can benefit from coopetition

This research examines the impact of coopetition (i.e., competitor alliances) on the development of internal R&D human capital. The authors collect survey data from 111 biotech firms in Spain and US. Results show a mediation relationship: coopetition increases a firm's internal R&D human capital via its proactiveness to pursue R&D partnerships. In order to examine the mechanism behind competitor alliances, the authors investigate two moderators, alliance satisfaction and alliance coordination. The authors argue that the two factors exert opposite moderation effects on the relationship between coopetition and proactiveness to pursue R&D partnerships. Results show that when a firm and its alliance partners are satisfied with each other, the effect of coopetition on proactiveness decreases, but the moderation effect of alliance coordination, though opposite, is not significant

New challenges in competitiveness: knowledge development and coopetition

The main aim of this paper is to suggest how collaboration with competitors -coopetition - established for the joint creation of knowledge, could be a new opportunity that managers must evaluate as a strategic option. The literature on strategic alliances and knowledge creation is considered, together with the specific trend of alliances with competitors. Then, the process continues with the discussion of circumstances and characteristics in which coopetition could be a superior option, making it possible to develop new knowledge. Our research shows that in the case of coopetition, the two sides of the behaviour -competitive and cooperative- provide greater incentives to improve knowledge development. As this is a theoretical paper, deeper analysis is required to prove whether the advantages of strategic alliances with competitors over other alternatives are superior forms of organizing the process of knowledge creation in high-technology industries. With regard to practical implications, managers must consider the option of this kind of inter-organizational agreement with competitors as an alternative and an opportunity for integrating knowledge faster than they would in isolation. The originality of this paper lies in showing that the objective of coopetition must be the joint creation of new knowledge by partners, and in differentiating this type of cooperation from another in which the aim is to absorb knowledge from one of the partners. We present this kind of coopetition as a new strategic option that managers must evaluate, and this is the first attempt to discuss and differentiate the two types of alliances in a coopetition environment. El principal objetivo de este trabajo es sugerir cómo la colaboración con competidores, conocida con el término coopetición, establecida para la creación conjunta de conocimiento, puede suponer una nueva oportunidad que los directivos deben evaluar como una opción estratégica. Para el desarrollo del trabajo se tiene en cuenta la literatura relacionada con la creación de conocimiento y con alianzas estratégicas, junto con las especificidades de las alianzas con competidores. El trabajo continúa con la discusión de las circunstancias y características en las que la coopetición puede ser una opción superior, haciendo posible el desarrollo de nuevo conocimiento. Nuestra investigación muestra que en el caso de la cooperación con competidores, las dos características de esta relación ¿ competitiva y cooperativa -, proveen mayores incentivos para mejorar el desarrollo de conocimiento. Al tratarse de un trabajo teórico, en futuras investigaciones se debería realizar un análisis más profundo para contrastar si las ventajas de las alianzas estratégicas con competidores son superiores efectivamente a otras formas de organizar el proceso de creación de conocimiento en industrias de alta tecnología. Con respecto a las implicaciones prácticas, los directivos deberían considerar esta opción de acuerdos inter-empresariales con los competidores como una alternativa y una oportunidad para integrar conocimiento más rápido que el desarrollo de manera aislada por una sola empresa. La originalidad de este trabajo residen en mostrar que el objetivo de la coopetición puede ser la creación conjunta de conocimiento por los socios, y en diferenciar este tipo de cooperación de otros en el que el objetivo es únicamente absorber conocimiento de los socios. Presentamos esta opción de coopetición como una nueva opción estratégica que los directivos deben evaluar, y esto supone el primer intento en diferenciar estos dos tipos de alianzas en un entorno de coopetición.Coopetición, creación de conocimiento, alianzas estratégicas Coopetition, knowledge creation, strategic alliances,

The interplay of competition and cooperation

Research streams on competition and cooperation are central to the field of strategic management but have evolved independently. The emerging literature on coopetition has brought attention to the phenomenon of simultaneous competition and cooperation, yet the interplay between the two has remained under-researched. We offer a roadmap for studying this interplay, which identifies some of its antecedents and consequences, highlights debates concerning the nature of competition and cooperation and the association between the two, and directs attention to the tension between competition and cooperation and the alternative approaches for managing this tension. We discuss the broader implications of the interplay, note some intriguing open questions, offer directions for future research, and present an organizing framework for the interplay of competition and cooperation

Learning from Experience? Technological Investments and the Impact of Coopetition Experience on Firm Profitability

A firm may learn how to manage coopetition as it becomes more experienced. Conversely, because of the complexity of coopetition, a firm may fail to make sense of its experiences in working with coopetitors and may thus fail to learn from these experiences effectively. Building on this premise, we develop a contingency view regarding the relationship between coopetition experience and firm profitability - as coopetition experience can enhance or hurt firm profitability and the internal abilities of firms to capitalize on experience are heterogeneous. Analyzing a panel data set from 911 Spanish manufacturing firms between 2007 and 2014, we provide empirical evidence on the often overlooked but critical detrimental effects of coopetition experience on firm profitability and reveal the asymmetric moderating role of a firm's technological investments in information technology (IT) and R &D. Specifically, we find that the impact of coopetition experience on firm profitability is negative and becomes more negative as R&D investment increases, which suggests that R&D investment may aggravate the detrimental effects of coopetition experience. However, as IT investment increases, the effect of coopetition experience on firm profitability shifts from negative to positive, indicating that firms can counteract the "dark side" of coopetition experience through substantial IT investmen

R&D ALLIANCE PARTNER ATTRIBUTES AND INNOVATION PERFORMANCE: A FUZZY SET QUALITATIVE COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS

Because R&D alliances are important means for fostering firm innovation performance, research has investigated their key drivers. However, multiple configurations of R&D alliance drivers may lead to firm innovation performance. Drawing upon the knowledge-based view of alliances, we investigate configurations of R&D alliance factors leading to high innovation performance in allied firms by focusing on partner attributes (i.e., technological relatedness, competitive overlap, experience, relative size). Then, using a fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis, we dissect the configurations of these factors in 27 R&D alliances formed by 54 telecom firms worldwide. We find that good R&D alliance partners are technologically related competitors with no experience in forming R&D alliances. Alternatively, competitors can achieve high innovation performance when they have experience in doing R&D alliances and are not technologically related. Drawing on these findings, we submit a set of propositions with relevant implications for the knowledge-based view of alliances and coopetition research

Strategically Poised: Balancing, Learning, and Innovating in Coopetition Three Essays on the Interplay Between Competition and Cooperation

This research dissertation explores the firm strategy of coopetition, a neologism denoting simultaneous cooperation and competition. Theoretical development and empirical investigations are conducted to tease out the tradeoff and tension of the coopetition strategy. First, I theorize the socio-cognitive aspects in balancing competition and cooperation between firms. Second, I investigate firm learning experience in strategic alliances and patent searches as the antecedents to coopetition. Third, I examine the contingency effects of multiple network embeddedness on the relation between coopetition pursuits and innovation performance. This research dissertation explores the firm strategy of coopetition, a neologism denoting simultaneous cooperation and competition. Coopetition as a phenomenon has accrued prominence in practice, with economic actors placing a higher emphasis on constructing positive sum scenarios with competing partners. However, strategic management scholarship lacks clarity in explaining how the tensions and tradeoffs associated with coopetition may influence the formulation and the implication of coopetition. With a theoretical and empirical focus on the benefits and caveats of coopetition, this dissertation elucidates coopetition from three angles. First, I theorize the socio-cognitive aspects in balancing competition and cooperation between firms. Second, I investigate firm learning experience in strategic alliances and patent searches as the antecedents to coopetition. Third, I examine the contingency effects of multiple network embeddedness on the relation between coopetition pursuits and innovation performance. The empirical setting of my dissertation research is technology-driven industries, because firms in this setting show high heterogeneity in the key theoretical foci (i.e. coopetition, learning, interorganizational relations, and innovation). The firm sample includes U.S. public firms in multiple high-tech industries (i.e. pharmaceuticals, computers and peripheral equipment, electronics and electronic components, aerospace and aircraft, telecommunication, and medical devices). I construct a panel data with firm-year observations of financial records, alliance and M&A records, and patent records from 1987 to 2006 to test my hypotheses

Managing tension in coopetition through mutual dependence and asymmetries : A longitudinal study of a Norwegian R&D alliance

Strategic alliances between competitors (coopetition) is perceived to be full of tensions that needs to be managed. This study explore the evolution of a Norwegian coopetition alliance, through how firms handle tensions over time. The study finds that the firms experience a mutual dependence towards one another and that this dependence evolves over time. In the early phases of a coopetition alliance firms handle tension by relying on a structural dependence with their partners whereas firms move towards a more harmonious relationship with their partners by building a psychological dependence through trust and generosity. Further, the results indicate these dependencies might reduce the possible tensions related to asymmetries in size and knowledge between firms.publishedVersionUnit Licence Agreemen

Walking the Tightrope: Coopetition Capability Construct and Its Role in Value Creation

Prior research emphasizes the paradoxical nature of coopetition and the need for specialized capabilities—coopetition capability—to deal effectively with opportunities and challenges stemming from the simultaneous pursuit of cooperation and competition and to create superior value. However, we know little about the underlying conceptual properties of coopetition capability (construct clarity) and lack a reliable and valid scale to measure it (construct validity). We conduct a study in three phases to address this critical gap. First, building on paradox literature, we conceptualize coopetition capability as a multidimensional construct reflected by three underlying dimensions: coopetition mindset, analytical acumen, and executional skills. Second, we develop a 15-item psychometrically valid scale using a sample of 647 coopetitive alliances in high-technology sectors. Finally, using a matched sample of 536 coopetitive alliances, we extend the focal construct's nomological network by examining two relationships: coopetition experience's impact on coopetition capability and the effect of coopetition capability on the relationship between the coopetition paradox and value creation. Overall, our paper lays a foundation for deeper theory development and empirical research on coopetition by providing much-needed construct clarity and psychometrically valid measures for coopetition capability

Coopetition strategies of start-ups: evidence from a Spanish regional innovation system

Start-ups operate in a highly competitive environment, surrounded by companies that offer similar products and services. In this context, collaboration between competitors has been found to help companies reduce risk and share costs, resources and expertise. Despite its relevance, coopetition (i.e. the simultaneous pursuit of cooperation and competition) in entrepreneurship has attracted little scholarly attention. This study aims at filling this theoretical and empirical gap by exploring the impact of coopetition on the performance of start-ups. Drawing on the existing literature, this study also considers innovation and knowledge sharing as key factors that can shape business performance. The analysis is based on qualitative comparative analysis (QCA) because the focus is on the combined effect of the determinants of firm performance rather than their net effects. This approach enables identification of different start-up strategies. The results indicate that coopetition and innovation are important to positively influence market performance. However, knowledge sharing is only relevant when coopeting start-ups either have solid market experience or are highly innovative.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

Why are some coalitions more successful than others in setting standards? Empirical evidence from the Blu-ray vs. HD-DVD standard war

Standard-setting coalitions are increasingly composed of rival firms from different sectors and are characterized by simultaneous and/or sequential cooperation and competition among their members. This paper examines why firms choose to belong to two standard-setting coalitions instead of one and what determines the success of a standard coalition. We test empirically for network effect, experience effect, and coopetitive effect in the Blu-ray vs. HD-DVD standard war. We find that the higher the similarity of the members in the coalition, the greater the probability of standard coalition success. Furthermore, relatedness leads to a greater probability of joining both competing coalitions, but at a given degree of knowledge difference, an opposite effect exists.Blu-ray; HD-DVD; coalition; coopetition; standard war