Toward a Network Perspective on Coopetition: External Coopetition Networks, Internal Network Structures, and Knowledge Recombinant Capabilities

Focusing on the direct ties between coopetitors (i.e., direct coopetition network), extant coopetition research rather ignores the potential impact of indirect connections with other firms from the same industry in the network (i.e., indirect coopetition network). Drawing on insights from knowledge network theory, we advance coopetition research by comparing the impact of direct and indirect coopetition networks on knowledge recombinant capabilities of focal firms. Moreover, we explicitly consider the moderating impact of focal firms’ internal network structures (i.e., internal collaboration network and internal technology network). We test our hypotheses on a large-scale panel data set from the global solar photovoltaic industry between 1995 and 2015.