Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to conceptually develop the understanding of co-opetitiondynamics and to enhance the conceptual clarity of co-opetition by developing a definition based onprevious research efforts.Design/methodology/approach – This conceptual paper integrates various approaches to theconcept co-opetition into a definition that holds for co-opetitive interactions across multiple levels.Different co-opetitive interactions and the resulting dynamics are discussed by drawing uponcompetition and cooperation theories. The paper concludes with an agenda for further research onco-opetition dynamics.Findings – The paper outlines how different types of co-opetitive interactions result in archetypicalsituations where the dynamics of co-opetition are present as well as where the dynamics of co-opetitionare missing due to a lack of balance between cooperation and competition. It notes four co-opetitiveforces: over-embedding, distancing, confronting, and colluding. These four forces drive developmenttowards situations without dynamics.Originality/value – This paper provides a conceptual understanding of co-opetition dynamics andwill reveal that in order to adequately account for co-opetition dynamics, a definition of co-opetitionmust analytically separate the cooperative and the competitive interaction inherent in co-opetition.