The Paradox of Cooperation and Competition in Strategic Alliances - Towards a Multi-paradigm Approach

Abstract Cooperation and competition characterise the interfirm relationships in strategic alliances. This paper proposes a paradox approach to studying cooperation and competition. It explains the paradox perspective and provides an analytic framework for the paradox of cooperation and competition. In the light of the paradoxical nature, it advocates a multi-paradigm approach to cooperative and competitive strategies, which combines strategic positioning, the resource-based view and game theory. The paper suggests that the multi-paradigms can not only …

…W. Volberda & T. Elfring (ed.) Rethinking Strategy, London, Sage Publications, 2001. Stonehouse, G., Hamill, J., Campbell, D. & Purdie, T. (2000) Global and Transnational Business: Strategy and Management, Chichester, Wiley. Van de Ven, A. H. & Poole, M. S. (1988) Paradoxical Requirements for a Theory of Organizational Change, in R. E. Quinn & K. S. Cameron (ed.) Paradox and Transformation: Toward a Theory of Change in Organization and Management, Cambridge, MA, Ballinger Publishing.