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Toward a structural view of co‐opetition in supply networks
Author(s) -
Pathak Surya D.,
Wu Zhaohui,
Johnston David
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
journal of operations management
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.649
H-Index - 191
eISSN - 1873-1317
pISSN - 0272-6963
DOI - 10.1016/j.jom.2014.04.001
Subject(s) - archetype , industrial organization , business , supply chain , competition (biology) , supply network , perspective (graphical) , network dynamics , corporate governance , relational view , network governance , task (project management) , network theory , knowledge management , microeconomics , marketing , computer science , economics , management , art , ecology , power (physics) , statistics , physics , literature , mathematics , finance , discrete mathematics , quantum mechanics , artificial intelligence , biology
Co‐opetition, or simultaneous competition and cooperation, in the supply chain management literature has been treated as a dyadic relational phenomenon where the buyer's strategy is considered to be the primary driver. In this paper, we move beyond the dyadic view and propose a theory of co‐opetition in supply networks. We argue that as firms within a supply network interact over time to access, share, and transform resources, new ties between firms are formed and existing ties dissolve, giving rise to co‐opetition dynamics at the network level. Taking a configurational approach, we employ the inter‐related dimensions of ties between firm, firm‐level task, network‐level objective, and governance to specify four practical supply network archetypes that cover a wide range of economic activities. We then explain how coopetitive relationships may evolve in these supply network archetypes. Specifically, we discuss how relationships form or dissolve in these archetypes and how local structural changes lead to co‐opetition dynamics at the network level. We also discuss the implications of such dynamics from a managerial perspective.