Coopetition and Open Strategy – Common Roots and Shared Strategic Dilemmas

Purpose: The impact of the observed multidimensional pressures and managerial tensions has increased the necessity to rethink the sources of competitive advantage, giving the ground for developing open and collaborative streams of research. This paper addresses this necessity by blending the lenses of open strategizing with coopetition phenomena in order to understand the convergence between those two relational approaches to strategy formulation. Design/methodology/approach: It is a conceptual paper in which we recognize the compatibility and common roots of coopetition and open strategy. These we recognized through using seven managerial paradoxes. Findings: We explore seven strategic dilemmas that emerged from the overlapping contexts of those two – individually paradoxical – approaches. We identify several research avenues and specific research questions accompanying them. Research limitations/implications: The research questions asked at the end of theorization that we see as relevant can provide the ground for further research by scholars interested in strengthening the theoretical foundations of either coopetition or open strategy, but also in these two concepts simultaneously. As a conceptual article, this paper is prone to researchers’ subjectivity bias. Originality/value: This is the first study where the perspective of blending open strategy and coopetition is applied.