Inter-firm coopetition: The role of a firm's long-term orientation

Since the field's inception, coopetition scholars have fueled fruitful discussions on why firms engage in coopetitive behavior. In recent years, academics are increasingly calling for a more nuanced analysis of the antecedents of coopetition, as most prior work on the drivers of coopetition echoes the goals or beneficial outcomes of inter-firm coopetition. Expanding recent studies, this article provides insights into the role of a firm's strategic mindset—precisely its long-term orientation—for coopetition. First, results reveal that a firm's long-term orientation relates positively to the competition intensity within alliances. Second, results show a positive relationship between a firm's long-term orientation and the propensity to engage in coopetitive activities. Third, results do not confirm a relationship between firms' long-term orientation and the cooperation intensity within coopetitive setups. We assess our hypotheses empirically using a cross-sectional dataset of 4823 alliances formed between 2000 and 2017 by 217 firms in the S&P 500 Index. Introducing the long-term perspective of a firm to the coopetition context, this study advances our grasp of the drivers behind coopetitive firm behavior.