Appendix D Categorisation of competition, collaboration and coopetition literature

358 Pages·2015·4.09 MB·English

Cranfield University

Morgan C. Chambers

Dynamic, inter-subsidiary relationships of
competition and collaboration

School of Management

PhD Thesis
Academic Year: 2014-2015

Supervisor: Dr. Colin Pilbeam

March 2015

Cranfield University

School of Management

PhD Thesis
Academic Year 2014 – 2015

Morgan C. Chambers

Dynamic, inter-subsidiary relationships of
competition and collaboration

Supervisor: Dr. Colin Pilbeam
March 2015

This thesis is submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the
degree of Doctor of Philosophy

© Cranfield University 2015. All rights reserved. No part of this
publication may be reproduced without the written permission of the
copyright owner.

ABSTRACT
Horizontal relationships between subsidiaries within an MNC are rarely shown on an
organisation chart but the interactions along this dimension are critical to the
achievement of an MNC’s global operations and strategic activities. Different
interaction logics of social relationships and economic exchanges in horizontal
relationships induce simultaneous competition and collaboration between the
subsidiaries.
Collaboration and competition is a business reality in inter-subsidiary relationships as
they collaborate to share resources and knowledge, but ultimately compete for
resources, customers and profits. While much research has focused on the effects of
internal collaboration, and to a lesser extent internal competition, on organisational
performance, little is known about the antecedents of competition and collaboration and
the interplay of simultaneously occurring interactions. By focusing on one or the other,
any understanding of the inherent tensions between the two is overlooked.
This research explores the coopetitive nature of the inter-subsidiary relationship using a
qualitative approach within three MNCs, where internal competition and collaboration
are more salient. Data were gathered from 98 semi-structured interviews with top and
senior management, top management focus groups and a body of secondary data
including internal reports, policy documents and external publications, among others,
has been referenced.
The study makes three key contributions. First, by extending Luo’s (2005) theoretical
model of intra-MNE coopetition, the study identifies additional respective antecedents
of competition and collaboration. Second, the study locates inherent tensions arising
from inter-subsidiary coopetition and explicates how the tensions are managed by the
HQ and subsidiaries using spatial, balancing and assessing mechanisms and specific
interventions. Third, the study offers an empirically-based model of inter-subsidiary
coopetition with a more dynamic and temporal set of multiple relationships among the
subsidiaries within the MNCs. Management implications include that senior
management teams be aware of the opportunities and constraints of promoting a culture
of collaboration while simultaneously fostering inter-subsidiary competition through
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internal accounting policies and incentive systems, and that the capability of senior
managers to work effectively within dual organisational structures be developed and
incorporated into executive development programmes.
Keywords: competition, collaboration, intra-MNC coopetition, tensions, dynamic
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
There are moments in life when you just take the bull by the horns and go for it. No one
said that pursuing a doctoral level of study was going to be easy. If they had, I wouldn’t
have believed them anyway. But, nothing worthwhile is ever easy. This has been my
experience during my PhD.
Very early on I likened the PhD to running a marathon. However, I had no idea how
many times I would ‘hit the wall’. Every time I did, the enduring support of family,
friends and colleagues was amazing; enthusiastically cheering me on to pick myself up,
carry on and head towards the finish line. Having reached the finish line, it is now time
to stop and personally thank those who have followed my progress from the early
training days to completion.
I extend my heartfelt gratitude to my sanguine, no-nonsense, supervisor Colin Pilbeam
who, amidst all my turmoil and doubt, has always been extremely encouraging,
constructively challenging, upbeat, responsive, and a 100% supportive. His confidence
has been particularly infectious during some rather concerning moments, i.e. when ‘no
access, no data, no PhD’ was a possible result. His concise, clear thinking perfectly
complemented my more expansive, circular views. He was there to make sure that ‘the
job got done’. Thanks Colin, job done!
I thank my colleagues at the Cranfield School of Management, academics, staff and
fellow PhD students. My work greatly benefitted from the advice of my PhD panel
members, Cliff Bowman and Patrick Reinmoeller. I was privileged enough to be among
academics who, without exception, gave their time and advice willingly to address any
query, provide helpful references, and listen as I explored speculative thoughts. Thank
you for sharing your knowledge and experience. Also, thank you Wendy Habgood as
well as Irena Pidlyskyj, Sandra Bettison and Alison Wilkerson from the research office
for their expert guidance throughout the PhD process and librarians Mary Betts-Gray
and Heather Woodfield, who made literature search sound like fun. I am also grateful to
the staff at Mitchell Hall. It became ‘my home away from home’ when visiting
Cranfield. I always looked forward to my ‘breakfast at Tiffany’s’.
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My PhD cohort and friends at Cranfield have been amazing and extremely supportive
and will forever be an integral part of my PhD experience: Te, Richard, Angela, Minjie,
Guy, Shelly, Martin, Kamran, Manny, Claus. We laughed with, and supported each
other through all our ups and downs. Other PhD colleagues—those who graduated
before we did: Alessandro, Patricia, Rea, Joana and Doyen, and those who followed:
Oxana, Farooq, and Anandadeep - thank you for your friendly support.
Thanks Ben Meehan for the excellent training in the use of NVivo 10 that became the
ever growing repository for my literature, transcripts, codes, categories, annotations,
memos, patterns and themes and that resulted in over 600 MB of data.
I want to extend special gratitude to the early supporters, from my pre-PhD life. Bruce
Jamieson, my supervisor for the Masters Programme in Industrial and Organisational
Psychology at the University of Canterbury, NZ; Glenn Kaufman, my ‘boss’ at
American Express; and Steve Holliday, the CEO at National Grid. ‘I’m done’.
My uncle, Dr. Keith Pickens, unknowingly inspired me to the possibility, just as
someone else in the family did before. Mum, thank you for everything that has led me
here. My personal dream and possibility have been realised.
There are special people in your life who are not able to stand at the finish line to cheer
you on. I thank the following for their presence in my life and who encouraged me to
pursue my dreams and take that first step. May they rest in peace: my dearest father,
Arthur Chambers; my grandmother, Betty Pickens; my great aunt, Peg Ryan; my sister-
in-law, Helen Chambers; my mentor, Emeritus Prof. John Stopford; and my business
colleague, ‘mad John’ Sanders.
Not forgetting the individuals and communities who reignited my dream and prepared
me well: thank you Judith Johnson, John Lazar and Bob Dunham. My CEOTM learning
colleagues and friends were a constant source of encouragement. Regula, Sylvana, Liz
and Robin (PhD), you never doubted me, even in the times I doubted myself, and
graciously accepted my retreat from your lives during this period. Helene, thank you for
the moments of peace and respite you offered through our discussions on our walks
amidst the fresh air and calming surroundings of Wisley Gardens.
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My sincere gratitude goes to the Chairman, Group CEOs and the senior management at
my three research companies, who so generously gave their valuable time. You
graciously provided me with extensive access to your organisations, which provided
such rich insights for my research and hopefully, your organisations.
Last but not least is my family for the sacrifices they have made and all that they put up
with just so that I could pursue my long-held desire to explore this enduring topic of
interest. For more than four years, I was cushioned in a bubble of books, thoughts and
words. To Antony, Harrison, Madeleine and Jeremy, I am eternally grateful for the
space you created. No words can really capture my gratitude for your tolerance,
especially in times when I was a little unreasonable and totally selfish in pursuing my
goal. I have missed you all. Antony, you are the wind beneath my wings and constantly
got me back up flying. ‘I’m back’.
I end here with lines from Gordon MacKenzie’s (1985) ‘Orbiting the Giant Hairball’
which I liken to my work as I was drawn into the messy world of qualitative research:
If you go to your grave
without painting
your masterpiece,
it will not
get painted.
No one else
can paint it
Only you

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