An interpretive framework of the interplay of competition and cooperation

This paper unravels four logics that inform the interplay of competition and cooperation: the either/or (dichotomic) logic, the from/to (switch) logic, the both/or (dialectic) logic and the both/and (combinative) logic. Furthermore, by using “resource similarity” and “market commonality” as key dimensions to capture the rivalry between two firms as well as their advantages in cooperating, this paper provides an interpretive framework that unveils the basic provisions underlying the firms’ adoption of each specific logic. Interestingly, we finally juxtapose our insights on the logics that inform the interplay of competition and cooperation with the extant literature on coopetition.