Emergent coopetition from a sensemaking perspective : a multi-level analysis

This article considers the development of coopetitive sensemaking across multiple levels of analysis, which include individual (micro), organizational/inter-organizational (meso), and network/ecosystem (macro). Using a sensemaking approach, a series of proposed phases are posited in a processual model using teleological assumptions of time to expose coopetition as an emergent concept. With a coopetitive mindset as an important focus at the individual level of analysis, the processual model inculcates notions of competitive uncertainty, being born coopetitive, coopetitive exploration, exploitation, and a coopetitive uncertainty phase. Using different pathways through these phases, sensemaking modes are proposed, which include network and ecosystem sensitivity. The central contribution of the article is to expose the interplay of sensemaking across multiple levels of analysis and across teleological phases.