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When Collaborating with Competitors Makes Sense

Harvard Business Review

How to think strategically about “co-opetition” and mitigate your organization’s risk.

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Why Your Company Should Partner with Rivals

Harvard Business Review

The thinking behind this axiom began to be challenged in the mid-1990s, with the publication of smart, highly-regarded competitive strategy books, such as Co-opetition by Barry Nalebuff and Adam Brandenburger.

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Leadership Is About to Get More Uncomfortable

Harvard Business Review

Such “co-opetition” will require leaders to maintain a difficult dual perspective – rivals must be simultaneously seen as both vital partners and market threats. The combination of digitization with globalization and consumer demands for personalized products will complicate the usual processes and relationships.

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If America Is a Land of Abundance, Why Are We So Divided?

Harvard Business Review

More and more companies embrace consumers as "co-creation" partners in their innovation efforts, instead of as buyers at the end of a value chain. For example, IBM's co-created product lines account for approximately 20% of its revenue and many of its innovations. In business jargon, it's a move from competitiveness to co-opetition.

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Joint Ventures Reduce the Risk of Major Capital Investments

Harvard Business Review

Benefits and risks of co-opetition. Another risk is the opportunity cost of not benefiting from lower investment costs. For example, the build cost of an oil rig at the bottom of the cycle may be 40% below the cost at its peak.

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Old Management Systems Stifle New Business Models

Harvard Business Review

Instead of using traditional tools to compete in an environment of clear customers, suppliers, partners, and competitors, we find ourselves in an era of “ Co-opetition.” ” Every modern business operates in a highly networked economic environment.

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Use Co-opetition to Build New Lines of Revenue

Harvard Business Review

The way forward is co-opetition, in which entities in the same industries act with what everyone recognizes as partial congruence of interests. Nalebuff have written in their book Co-Opetition , businesses that form co-opetitions become more competitive by cooperating. There [are] lots of co-opetitions.”.