Developing a Conceptual Model for Coopetition Strategy in Engineering Services Industry in Iran

Coopetition strategy is a relationship in which collaboration and competition co-exist, to create value in cooperation with their competitors and to appropriate a share of that value themselves in an all-win scenario. The focus of this study is to investigate the concept of competitive collaboration in the engineering services industry. In this regard, one of the innovations of the present study is to try to design a conceptual model for this strategy and then to modify it based on the Iranian engineering services. Using grounded theory, methodology as a qualitative method based on primary data of 12 in-depth interviews with experts in the field, a theoretical framework was formulated regarding the systematic view of Strauss and Corbin. The research data were analyzed in three stages: open coding (650 descriptive codes), axial coding and selective coding. The findings show that the final model consists of 6 main categories, 14 subcategories, and 98 abstract concepts. By gathering the data and evidence from analysis of inter-firm level, a conceptual model relationship for coopetition strategy in the field of engineering services. The research findings show that engineering services managers and policymakers need to pay attention to all categories of causal conditions, intervening conditions, contextual conditions, strategies and outcomes of competitive collaboration.