The coopetition management process: a science mapping analysis

Abstract

This paper analyzes the coopetition literature to examine how research on coopetition has evolved and to identify the key themes in the coopetition management process. To that end, a science mapping analysis of 890 articles, published between 1996 and 2022, was carried out using co-word networks in a longitudinal overview, applying SciMAT bibliometric software. Motor, basic and transversal, specialized, and emerging or declining themes have been discovered using strategic diagrams and mapping evolution. The findings reveal that coopetition research has evolved to cover several topics. Additionally, a content analysis of the most cited topics was carried out to identify relevant themes involved in the coopetition management process, which have been integrated into five categories: antecedents, coopetitive dynamics, facilitators and barriers, outcomes, and research contexts. Therefore, this study organizes the previously fragmented research on coopetition and highlights the coopetition management process from an integrative point of view. The results offer a pathway for researchers to understand the evolution and complexity of coopetition from a managerial perspective, as well as providing an original research agenda.