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

Purpose - Over the past few decades, many initiatives have been proposed in response to critical environmental challenges. However, in most cases, progress has been inadequate, raising questions as to why so few organisations have been successful in adopting effective sustainability measures. To address this dilemma, this paper aims to propose a range of sustainability-related co-opetitive strategies that are likely to be beneficial for organisations and society. The research findings provide support for co-opetitive approaches to corporate social responsibility (CSR) and sustainability by providing evidence within an Australian context. Design/methodology/approach - Research methods comprised 14 interviews with senior executives/managers from private and public sector organisations 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) related to co-opetition, CSR and sustainability. Findings - Findings indicate that inter-firm co-opetition could be considered a viable strategy to improve performance across the economic, social and environmental dimensions of sustainability. Limitations concern the number of interviews conducted. Originality/value - Based on the research findings, a typology was created that depicts different forms of co-opetition in CSR/sustainability and their relationships with firm performance. Moreover, the typology illustrates the importance of co‐opetitive partnerships in supporting effective responses to sustainability challenges and opportunities.