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CO-OPETITION
A Revolutionary Mindset That Combines
Competition and Cooperation
ADAM BRANDENBURGER and BARRY NALEBUFF
MAIN IDEA
Co-opetition combines the advantages of both competition and cooperation into a new dynamic which can be used to not only
generate more profits but also to change the nature of the business environment in your own favor.
Real long-term business success comes not solely from competing successfully within your current industry, but also from being an
active participant in shaping the industry’s future. That way, you can create opportunities for future success the way you want them
to be, rather than simply making do with the way things currently are.
To actively change the game of business, you need a strategic framework within which to work, and co-opetition theory provides
just such a framework. That way, you can change not only the way you play, but which game you play as well for maximum benefit.
Part 1 - Co-opetition and the Game of Business . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 2
In its purest form, business can be considered as a game in which money represents points won or lost.
The person or company which gathers the greatest numbers of points wins. The biggest opportunities in
business don’t come from playing the game better than everyone else - they come from changing the
fundamental nature of the game itself to your advantage.
Business strategy, and the concept of co-opetition, is desi