222179 For the greater good: The need for “coopetition” in public health

Monday, November 8, 2010

Suzanne N. Smith, MBA , Center for the Advancement of Social Entrepreneurship, Duke University - Fuqua School of Business, Durham, NC
The social sector, which includes non-profits and voluntary and public health organizations and agencies, has increasingly adopted a for-profit mindset, including the adoption of competitive strategies. Often at odds, the social sector also relies heavily on cooperation through collaboration and partnership to advance the interests of important causes. The purpose of this paper was to examine how competition and cooperation co-exist as “coopetition” and how this principle can enhance partnerships and collaboration. “Coopetition,” a new neologism into business vernacular, refers to a company cooperating with its competition. In order to discuss the benefits of adoption in the social sector, several levels of analyses were completed. First, using principles from game theory, examples are used to identify foundational elements from which to build a social construct. Second, case studies from the business sector were analyzed to identify the evolution and successful use of coopetition. Third, public health peer-reviewed and gray literature were reviewed to identify the presence of both competition and cooperation both separately and together. Analyses in these three domains reveal several important findings for public health practitioners, researchers and policymakers. Nature also provides us with cues on how competition and cooperation can co-exist. Considering these cues theoretically, we can draw parallels from the lessons learned from the business sector's successful use of coopetition with those learned from the social sector. Promising public health practices will be highlighted to leverage a discussion of diffusing coopetition to better facilitate work for the greater good.

Learning Areas:
Administration, management, leadership
Public health administration or related administration
Public health or related public policy
Systems thinking models (conceptual and theoretical models), applications related to public health

Learning Objectives:
• Compare and contrast competition and cooperation • Introduce “coopetition” and the value that it brings to the social sector • Showcase public health case studies that effectively use “coopetition” • Share lessons learned and opportunities for expanding partnerships and collaborations, especially with untraditional organizations and agencies

Keywords: Collaboration, Community Collaboration

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I research and work closely with nonprofits across the country and have been involved with many collaborations. I have chosen to apply business thinking to these interactions as well.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.