On the Motives for Coopetition in Complex Organizations: An Explorative Analysis

Abstract

Despite the increased concern on coopetition, little research has considered that the complexity on motives for coopetition can lead to the difficult for senior executives to manage the coopetition relationship in complex organizations. This paper attempts to distill the rationale underpin coopetition across different theories, analyze its motives with the interpretive structural modeling method, and offer an insight into the mechanism of coopetition in complex organizations. The result shows that market overlap and managerial experience on coopetition are basic determinants, while the relative scope, market appeal, resources utilization, partners’ communication skills, resource scarcity, the expected risk sharing and the anticipated cost savings have direct effects on coopetition in complex organizations. The paper extends the theoretical framework of coopetition by providing a systematic perspective.