Co-opetition for corporate social responsibility and sustainability: Drivers and success factors

Purpose: The co-opetitive (i.e. collaboration with competing firms) approach towards managing corporate social responsibility (CSR) and corporate sustainability has received limited attention thus far from academics and business professionals. Consequently, this study provide further understanding of co-opetition with regard to corporate responsibility and sustainability (CRS) by providing evidences in the context of Australia. Design/Methodology/Findings: Research methods comprised 14 interviews with senior executives/managers drawn from private and public sector enterprises in Australia. Thematic content analysis indicates the presence of three types of drivers (commonality-driven, competition-driven, and collaboration-driven) and three critical success factors (governance, public-policy, and relationship principles) of co-opetition in relation to CRS. Research limitations/implications: Authors argue that inter-firm co-opetition could be seen as a viable strategic option to achieve performance across the economic, social and environmental dimensions of sustainability. Originality/value: Findings support the creation of a typology that depicts different forms of co-opetition (in CRS) and firm performance. The typology illustrates the importance of co‐opetitive partnerships to support effective responses to sustainability challenges and opportunities.