I would say an insider is already having an edge over an external attacker in that he is already within the perimeter; he is not struggling with external defense, he is trusted and has earned the trust of the organization and accepted as 'inside'. From a moral and technical point of view, the vulnerability of an organization begins from 'who do you trust?' (Carl Colwill: Human factors in information security: The insider threat - Who can you trust these days? 2009).
Also, an insider already knows the weaknesses of an organization; he may take advantage of vulnerabilities of the softwares the organization is using and so many examples.
Ahhhh. If you explore the literature of management and group personal dynamics you will find lots. Companies/groups/organisations go through life cycles like people , and possible answers to your question also need to include an understanding of where the organisation is. Applies to the dynamics of all people-containing entities.....