Document Type
Article
Publication Date
12-1-2005
Abstract
Today’s volatile business environment with unpredictable and shifting customer demands is forcing units within the hierarchy of the organization to respond collectively. But these very units are in competition for corporate support and resources in pursuit of their own interests – expand\, enhance their position\, and ensure differentiation – or their conception of the organization’s interest. This research explores the tensions among inter-unit competition and collaboration and the collective ability of the units to effectively cope with shifting demands of turbulent business environment while optimizing the overall organizational performance. The research findings extend our understanding of collaboration beyond mutual gains\, common goals\, and mutual trust\, to define a collaboration life cycle that captures different characteristics and stages of working together. Coordination fit is presented as a set of criteria for selecting potential collaborators\, and a framework is provided for analyzing market conditions and opportunities to determine the appropriate balance among inter-unit competition and collaboration for driving the desired level of performance. The repeated use of such framework allows organizations to cope with changes in business environment through adjustment of inter-unit competition and collaboration balance.,Doctorate of Management Programs
Keywords
Organization--Collaboration
Rights
© The Author(s). Kelvin Smith Library provides access for non-commercial, personal, or research use only. All other use, including but not limited to commercial or scholarly reproductions, redistribution, publication or transmission, whether by electronic means or otherwise, without prior written permission is strictly prohibited.
Department/Center
Design & Innovation
Recommended Citation
Singh, Baldev, "Collaboration and Competition Tensions in Multi-Unit Organizations Facing Volatile Business Environments" (2005). Student Scholarship. 630.
https://commons.case.edu/studentworks/630