Inter-Firm Co-Operative Strategies In The Context Of Discontinuous Technological Change. The Case Of The Uk Optical Communications Systems Industry

At times of discontinuous technological change co-operation represents a viable strategy for both incumbents and new-entrants, provided that the choice of co-operation is consistent with the firm's business strategy (market-pull vs. technology-push) and with its degree of organizational and technological flexibility. Evidence from the UK fibre-optics industry identifies two ideal-types of co-operation, namely structured co-operation - associated with market-pull strategies and lower levels of flexibility - and unstructured co-operation - associated with technology-push strategies and higher levels of flexibility.