Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer: The role of proximity in driving coopetition between small-and-medium-sized enterprises for technological innovation

Mostapha El Idrissi, Younès El Manzani () and Amel Charleux ()
Additional contact information
Mostapha El Idrissi: UCA - Université Cadi Ayyad = Cadi Ayyad University [Marrakech]
Younès El Manzani: Université Paris-Saclay, UVSQ - Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, LAREQUOI - Laboratoire de recherche en Management - UVSQ - Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines
Amel Charleux: UM - Université de Montpellier, MRM-ORGA - Montpellier Research in Management - Organisations - MRM - Montpellier Research in Management - UPVD - Université de Perpignan Via Domitia - UM - Université de Montpellier

Post-Print from HAL

Abstract: This research employs the proximity framework to understand the factors that drive small-and-medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to collaborate with their competitors in innovative projects. It investigates how different proximity dimensions, geographical, organizational, social, cognitive, and institutional, shape coopetition among SMEs in constrained developing economies. To fulfill the research objectives, we carried out a qualitative research design based on an embedded single case study (Betronics project) in the Moroccan electrical and electronic industry. Semi-structured interviews served as the primary source for data collection. Secondary data from reports on the project and non-participant observations were also used for data triangulation. The findings show that a high level of social proximity and a medium level of cognitive proximity are the relevant factors directly contributing to the development of coopetitive relationships among SMEs engaged in innovative projects. Conversely, geographical and organizational proximities exhibit an indirect role in fostering coopetition, while institutional proximity appears to impede coopetition establishment among SMEs.

Keywords: Coopetition; SMEs; Proximity; Technological innovation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026-03-23
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Published in Africa Journal of Management, 2026, pp.1-28. ⟨10.1080/23322373.2026.2619377⟩

There are no downloads for this item, see the EconPapers FAQ for hints about obtaining it.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:hal:journl:hal-05563361

DOI: 10.1080/23322373.2026.2619377

Access Statistics for this paper

More papers in Post-Print from HAL
Bibliographic data for series maintained by CCSD ().