Cooperative competitive strategies – Prevailing motives and company-specific factors for coopetition

To better cope with the current challenges of globalization, resource shortages and technological change, more and more companies are beginning to utilize cooperative strategies that involve competitors. As this form of cooperation is riskier and more difficult to implement than cooperation between non-competitors, this paper focuses on the drivers for inter-firm coopetition and prevailing economic factors that can influence and foster the continuation of these types of relationships. A review of the coopetition literature and findings from our empirical research have led to greater understanding of the following: (i) dynamics and risks of coopetitive ventures, (ii) motives and prevailing conditions of coopetition and (iii) success factors of coopetition. Coopetition success is very much dependent on company-specific competencies, resources as well as corporate culture. While relational factors for the selection of coopetition partners are categorized according to task- and company-related criteria, the stable interaction in existing coopetitive relationships is influenced by management commitment, relationship development and communication management. Using existing theory and combining it with empirical findings, we discussed similarities and differences and success factors characterizing relationships in a coopetitive context.