Dancing with wolves: how R&D human capital can benefit from coopetition

Abstract

This research examines the impact of coopetition (i.e., competitor alliances) on the development of internal R&D human capital. The authors collect survey data from 111 biotech firms in Spain and US. Results show a mediation relationship: coopetition increases a firm's internal R&D human capital via its proactiveness to pursue R&D partnerships. In order to examine the mechanism behind competitor alliances, the authors investigate two moderators, alliance satisfaction and alliance coordination. The authors argue that the two factors exert opposite moderation effects on the relationship between coopetition and proactiveness to pursue R&D partnerships. Results show that when a firm and its alliance partners are satisfied with each other, the effect of coopetition on proactiveness decreases, but the moderation effect of alliance coordination, though opposite, is not significant.