ABSTRACT
This chapter is dedicated to coopetition with an irreconcilable asymmetric disadvantage. We investigate why and how small innovative entrepreneurial firms and large corporate incumbents face irreconcilable differences when they engage in coopetitive partnerships to nurture a disruptive innovation. Our observations suggest that the difficulties in asymmetric R&D coopetition may not be related to the paradoxical nature of the organizational interaction, but rather by the irremediable asymmetries that they may carry.
