Abstract

The coopetition literature appears to be rather eclectic in the theories and empirical approaches authors have adopted. For this reason, the development of the coopetition area of research has hitherto been fairly fragmented in issues and oscillating in emphasis. By adopting the metaphor of a “swinging pendulum,” this chapter provides an overview of the four key phases of coopetition research and offers some hints on its convergence on a few specific issues. Finally, by emphasizing some emerging tendencies beyond the current state of the art, it aims to stimulate the debate on coopetition in the years to come.