08-06.

Coopetition

Pattern description

Coopetition or co-opetition (sometimes spelled "coopertition" or "co-opertition") is a neologism coined to describe cooperative competition. Coopetition is a portmanteau of cooperation and competition, emphasizing the "petition"-like nature of joint work.

Basic principles of co-opetitive structures have been described in game theory, a scientific field that received more attention with the book Theory of Games and Economic Behavior in 1944 and the works of John Forbes Nash on non-cooperative games.

Inventive problems

The company should be large and have a complex structure to perform a large number of diverse operations for the development, production, and delivery of a complex product to the customers.

The company should be small and have a simple structure in order to:

  • reduce the variety and complexity of the company activities;
  • focus on a small number of core operations;
  • have a small stuff;
  • minimize the cost of development, production, sale, and delivery of products to customers.