Relational Perspective of Coopetition, Cooperative Efforts and Effects on Firm Performance

Abstract

Firms can act according to individual or collective strategies to achieve their growth objectives. Thus, part of the strategic activity of firms is located at the inter-organizational level, through multiple forms of collective strategies. The notion of collective strategy refers to the different dynamic relationships of firms collaborating and simultaneously competing. Effective collaborations and cooperative relationships are concepts that underpin research on collective strategies. This logic consists of competing in some aspects and cooperating with others. In this regard, this conceptual work provides a framework to introduce the perspective of cooperation-competition interaction and attempts to help better understand the dynamic nature of this relational perspective. It examines the potential impact of the development of coopetition efforts between firms. This research, therefore, aims to provide a broader perspective on the notion of coopetition and how it triggers evolutions towards new forms of cooperation. When firms decide to move to a coopetitive strategy, it contributes to building a vision that examines the nature of coopetition, its challenges, its effect on firm performance, and its implications for inter- and intra-organizational relationships. This work also suggests directions for future studies on this relational perspective by investigating why the relational context that bears on coopetition is so important.