Jean Sébastien Lacam and David Salvetat
Many firms engage in co-opetitive projects during which they have simultaneously competitive and collaborative relationships with many rivals in a complex network. A co-opetitive…
Abstract
Purpose
Many firms engage in co-opetitive projects during which they have simultaneously competitive and collaborative relationships with many rivals in a complex network. A co-opetitive network offers them access to a large volume of resources and knowledge, for example, to support new markets and/or territories. So, does the network grow with the scope of the co-opetition project? The paper aims to discuss this issue.
Design/methodology/approach
An empirical study of 106 French boating intermediate-sized enterprises (ETIs) and small and medium enterprises provides a descriptive and explanatory analysis of co-opetitive networks.
Findings
The results support this definition of a complex co-opetitive network only when the objectives of a firm are part of the geographical expansion of its activities. In contrast, these relations remain simple (dyadic) when a firm favours a strategy of diversifying its activities while maintaining its unique local geographical market.
Research limitations/implications
First, the work is based on a quantitative methodology, so is static. It would be interesting to analyze the process of the building of co-opetitive relationships and opportunism between rival firms, for example, through a qualitative study. Second, this work focusses on boating companies in France. It may be appropriate to consider the sanctions placed on the opportunism of foreign firms in co-opetition. Third, future work could increase understanding, not only of the nature of reprisals inflicted on individualistic co-opetitors, but also on the structure, objectives and results of these reprisals.
Originality/value
The study deepens our knowledge of the definition, composition and determinants of co-opetitive networks.
Details
Keywords
Christine Chevallier, Zouhair Laarraf, Jean Sébastien Lacam, Anthony Miloudi and David Salvetat
Competitive intelligence (CI) includes all the information and knowledge in a business. It enables the creation, perpetuation and transmission of knowledge coming from markets and…
Abstract
Purpose
Competitive intelligence (CI) includes all the information and knowledge in a business. It enables the creation, perpetuation and transmission of knowledge coming from markets and corporate stakeholders. Therefore, it seems appropriate to consider the following question: what are the levers of a CI process on knowledge management in a coopetitive context? The paper aims to discuss this issue.
Design/methodology/approach
To answer this question, the authors conducted an empirical study with a sample of 153 high-tech firms in Europe.
Findings
The results identify four business groups according to levels of monitoring and cooperation between firms, and three types of supervision in business networks.
Originality/value
This paper brings together the concepts of knowledge management and CI within firms that have adopted a coopetitive behaviour.