Coopetition as a Paradox: Integrative Approaches in a Multi-Company, Cross-Sector Partnership

Abstract

Coopetition is paradoxical in that the simultaneous cooperation and competition can give rise to important synergies as well as tensions. To circumvent these tensions, scholars primarily suggest structural, separationcentred strategies. Such strategies are helpful, but incomplete, as total separation would not allow exploitation of the synergies that coopetition may offer. Based on an in-depth case study of a pioneering multi-company, cross-sector partnership, we explore how employees cope with the remaining tensions. Illustrating employees' sense-making processes, we show how they build on the organisational and the boundaryspanning task contexts and develop paradoxical frames. Juxtaposing the competitive and collaborative logics, these frames shape the employees' understanding of who they are (i.e. a nested identity) and what they should do (i.e. contextual segmentation). This juxtaposition allows the employees to navigate emerging tensions by adopting both logics (i.e. integrating behaviour) and by contextually prioritising one logic without ignoring the other (i.e. demarcating behaviour). These insights complement structural strategies with integrative, employee-centred ones and highlight contextual factors that promote such an integrative approach.

On the Use of Paradox for Generating Theoretical Contributions in Management and Organization Research

“…; Tse ), organizational interaction (e.g. Le Roy and Fernandez ; Stadtler and Van Wassenhove ), change management (e.g. Beech et al .…”

“…Gotsi et al 2010;Jay 2013;Kodama 2003;Sheep et al 2017;Tse 2013), organizational interaction (e.g. Le Roy and Fernandez 2015;Stadtler and Van Wassenhove 2016), change management (e.g. Beech et al 2004;Farjoun 2010;Fiol 2002;Gilbert 2006;Luscher and Lewis 2008;Schmitt and Raisch 2013), and decision-making (e.g.…”

Managing Selling Coopetition: A Case Study of the ERP industry

“…Rather, this cooperation involves simultaneous collaboration and competition in a relationship that is finely balanced between the two opposite forces (Park et al, 2014). Therefore, coopetition creates tensions between and inside coopetitors (Tidström, 2013;Fernandez et al, 2014;Raza-Ullah et al, 2014;Lundgren-Henriksson and Kock, 2016;Stadtler and Van Wassenhove, 2016).…”

“…Finally, tensions are high at the individual level. People feel cognitive and affective tension because of individuals' reluctance regarding the coopetitive work and because of the difficulty of integrating coopetitive paradoxes (Gnyawali and Park, 2011;Fernandez et al, 2014;Raza-Ullah et al, 2014;Lundgren-Henriksson , and Kock, 2016;Stadtler and Van Wassenhove, 2016).…”

Navigating tensions in a cross‐sector social partnership: How a convener drives change for sustainability

“…In doing so, we apply a paradox perspective (Miron-Spektor, Ingram, Keller, Smith, & Lewis, 2018;Putnam, Fairhurst, & Banghart, 2016;Smith & Lewis, 2011), which has been successfully introduced in recent research on CSSPs (Ashraf, Ahmadsimab, & Pinkse, 2017;Jay, 2013;Sharma & Bansal, 2017;Stadtler & Van Wassenhove, 2016). Paradoxes are defined as "contradictory yet interrelated elements that exist simultaneously and persist over time" (Smith & Lewis, 2011, p. 382).…”