COMPLEMENTARITES INTER-FIRMES, PREEMPTION DE PARTENAIRES ET RENDEMENTS CROISSANTS DE COALITION : UNE FORMALISATION DES LOGIQUES DE RAPPROCHEMENT ENTRE FIRMES FACE AUX NOUVELLES TECHNOLOGIES ET A LA GLOBALISATION

One of the salient features characterizing the evolution of most industries facing rapid technological change and/or globalization processes lies in the large-scale proliferation of interfirm coalitions, both through equity deals and cooperative agreements and alliances. Owing to the intensification of interfirm technological, industrial and/or geographic complementarities and interdependencies, the competitive positioning of firms is henceforth mainly based on their capability to pre-empt strategic complementary partners and competencies in order to innovate, spread a new technology or increase their supply. This pre-emptive process relies on an original phenomenon of Increasing Returns to Coalition, which adds to the various classical or more recent sources of increasing returns. The aim of this article is to sketch out these new competitive dynamics, and to suggest a possible formalization of the coalition building processes involved in reconfiguring industries.