SMS

Cooperative Strategies IG

Cooperative Strategies Interest Group focuses on issues related to cooperative strategies at the functional, business, corporate, group and network levels of analysis. We are interested in work that explores cooperative strategies within a sector of the economy (for example, among firms or among government agencies) and across sectors (for example, between firms and government agencies or between firms and non-profit organizations). Cooperative arrangements include inter-organizational alliances, joint ventures, federations, constellations, networks, vertical buyer-supplier relations, franchises, community service collaborations, public-private partnerships, corporate board interlocks, etc. The purpose of this Interest Group is to help create useful knowledge on the antecedents and consequences of cooperative arrangements and effective cooperative strategies as well as on the processes that inhibit or facilitate the emergence, evolution and termination of cooperative strategies.

Research streams encompass a broad range of phenomena, including relational mechanisms such as trust, knowledge sharing and conflict resolution; social interaction involving power relations, legitimization, and intervention; organizational perspectives such as relational capabilities, organizational routines, and cooperative governance structures; organizational outcomes such as social capital, learning, innovation, and financial performance; dynamics and evaluation with respect to processes such as formulating cooperative strategies, negotiating and transacting cooperative arrangements, implementing and managing cooperative strategies, and change and renewal of cooperative strategies.

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Cooperative Strategies Leadership

Chair

Program Chair

picture of Nicholas Argyres
Nicholas Argyres
Washington University in St. Louis

Associate Program Chair

picture of Umit Ozmel
Umit Ozmel
Purdue University

Engagement Officer

picture of Giorgio Zanarone
Giorgio Zanarone
HEC Lausanne

SMS Cooperative Strategies Dialogues

Many of the most valuable established firms (e.g., Apple) and startups (e.g., Xiaomi) base their business on a digital platform. What can a platform company do to orchestrate the value creation activities of semi-autonomous complementors that are critical to the vibrancy and success of a platform? How does a platform company shape its relationship with complementors and capture value in the process? The speakers will present their recent work on the relationship between the platform owner and complementors, from a competitive and cooperative perspective.

In this online session hosted by the SMS Cooperative Strategies Interest Group, we bring together leading scholars who are working at the forefront of digital platforms to discuss the latest theoretical and technical developments and their strategic implications. Please join us on Wednesday, April 27, at 10:00am CDT (UTC -5) / 5pm CEST (UTC +2) / 11pm HKT (UTC +8) for a lively discussion.

We welcome our speakers Feng Zhu and Tony Tong, two leading experts in digital platforms. Feng Zhu is a professor of business administration at Harvard Business School and an expert on platform strategy, digital transformation and innovation. He will discuss how platforms compete successfully. Tony Tong is a professor of strategy and entrepreneurship at the University of Colorado’s Leeds School of Business and an expert on platform governance and digital markets. His presentation will focus on how platform owners can orchestrate their relationships with complementors and users.

2022 Cooperative Strategies IG Business Meeting

Questions We Attempt to Answer

If you are interested in this newly instituted domain, regardless of your other interests, you are welcome to join us as we attempt to answer questions, ones that are illustrative rather than exhaustive, such as the following:

  • How do competitive, corporate, growth and innovation strategy decisions influence cooperative strategies?
  • Under what conditions does reliance on cooperative strategies rather than organic growth or mergers and acquisitions increase the likelihood of success?
  • What differences exist in the emergence, negotiation, management and termination of cooperative strategies involving dyads versus multi-party collaborations and networks?
  • How do actors leverage relational, structural, and organizational attributes of networks to shape organizational behavior and outcomes of cooperative arrangements?
  • What differences exist in the emergence, negotiation, management and termination of cooperative strategies involving organizations within one sector of an economy versus those involving organizations from differing sectors of an economy?
  • What environmental factors shape decisions to rely on cooperative strategies?
  • What environmental factors inhibit reliance on cooperative strategies?
  • What roles do resources and capabilities play in decisions to rely on cooperative strategies? How do they contribute to the effective use of such strategies?
  • Does the existence of industrial districts, clusters, or other agglomerations make it easier for organizations to engage in cooperative strategies?
  • How should an organization with multiple manifestations of cooperative strategies organize their management?
  • When and why is managing cooperative strategies as a portfolio effective? How should the portfolio be managed to ensure its coherence?
  • What is the role of central governance in managing a portfolio of cooperative strategies?
  • What is the role of social processes such as legitimation in the emergence and evolution of organizational manifestations of cooperative strategies?
  • How do firms establish the micro foundations of their cooperative governance arrangements (e.g., managerial incentives, cooperative routines, and functional capabilities)?
  • What unique factors drive the emergence and implications of international cooperative strategies and cross-border cooperative arrangements such as alliance networks?
  • How do cooperative strategies help develop industry standards, drive industry convergence, and shape the evolution of sectors of an economy?
  • How do firms govern cooperative arrangements?
  • What is the role of the board of directors and other formal governance mechanisms or agreement provisions in managing cooperative strategies?

How to Join Us

We welcome new members! Joining the IG Cooperative Strategies is a great opportunity to meet scholars from more than 50 countries around the world who share your research and education interests.

You can spend time with Cooperative Strategies scholars at all levels and career stages, and explore your ideas in a collaborative and supportive environment. You will make lifelong friends and professional contacts and have fun at our social events.

Cooperative Strategies Video Abstracts

Click below for video abstracts from the Cooperaive Strategies interest group.

Past Activities and Events

Held on May 26, 2021 at 8:00 AM EDT 

Featuring: Fabrice Lumineau 

Aimed at PhD students and postdocs, this 1-hour event focuses on navigating the tenure track. Fabrice Lumineau, Professor in Strategic Management at HKU Business School, The University of Hong Kong, will discuss -- and answer questions regarding -- common challenges, including how to develop a research agenda, how to approach teaching and service, time management, external referees, and the tenure package. 

Held on June 23, 2021 at 9:00 AM EDT

Featuring: Aldona Kapacinskaite and Alanna Hirshman

Are you a PhD student or postdoc wondering how you can successfully navigate the job market in the pandemic? Then this 1-hour virtual conversation on the challenges of the job market during the pandemic is for you. Alanna Hirshman (West Virginia University, placed at Texas Tech University) and Aldona Kapacinskaite (London Business School, placed at Bocconi University) will share their experiences of being on the job market during the pandemic and discuss with you the challenges and opportunities that candidates might encounter. The goal of the conversation is to understand how the current job market can be a challenging but timely endeavor. We will cover topics like making a lasting impression without being able to meet in person, how to prepare your application, and what to expect from virtual job talks and interviews.

Monday, November 15, 2021 at 2:00pm CET (UTC +1)/ 8:00am EST (UTC -5)

Digital technologies are increasingly reshaping our economy from separate industries to large networks or “ecosystems.” These digital networks not only blur industry boundaries and offer new business opportunities, but also pose new governance challenges. Against this backdrop, blockchain has emerged as a particularly promising technology for governing interorganizational networks. Most importantly, blockchain technologies offer firms the possibility to collaborate across large networks without relying on intermediaries and traditional forms of governance such as contracts and trust.

In this online session hosted by the SMS Cooperative Strategies Interest Group, we bring together practitioners and academics who are working at the forefront of digital governance to discuss the latest theoretical and technical developments and their strategic implications. Please join us on Monday, November 15, 2021 at 2:00pm CET (UTC +1)/ 8:00am EST (UTC -5) for a lively discussion.

We welcome our keynote speaker Anthony Day, who is an IBM Partner and Blockchain Leader. He will discuss how IBM uses blockchain solutions for large industry-spanning networks. The keynote will be followed by an interactive dialogue between Marvin Hanisch (University of Groningen) and his co-authors Curtis Goldsby and Vasileios Theodosiadis from IBM Corporation. The speakers will provide practical insights and tips for working together on research projects, from conception to publication, and discuss the opportunities and challenges of collaboration between academics and practitioners. From this webinar, academics and practitioners can draw useful lessons for future projects they are considering.
This event is organized by the Strategic Management Society Cooperative Strategies Interest Group to enhance academic-practitioner dialogues. This online session requires pre-registration and is open to SMS members and practitioners interested in this topic.

Reps-at-Large

picture of Darcy Fudge
Darcy Fudge
California State University - Sacramento
picture of Anna Minà
Anna Minà
University of Rome LUMSA
picture of Nuno Oliveira
Nuno Oliveira
Tilburg University

2024

2024

picture of Linda Rademaker
Linda Rademaker
BI Norwegian Business School
picture of Navid Asgari
Navid Asgari
Gabelli School of Business, Fordham University
picture of Giorgio Zanarone
Giorgio Zanarone
HEC Lausanne