Exploring critical factors that enable coopetition strategy to succeed in private Jordanian universities

Exploring critical factors that enable coopetition strategy to succeed in private Jordanian universities

In the strategic management literature, hybrid relationships comprising competition and cooperation have been named 'coopetition'. Coopetition strategy means that organisations simultaneously cooperate and compete with each other. This strategy has been examined in different industries and contexts, and even though researchers have emphasised the increasing importance and benefits of coopetition for business today, there has been comparatively little attention paid to the critical factors that lead to sustainable and successful coopetition. In addition, there have been very few studies reporting on the strategy being used in the education sector in general, and there is a lack of theoretical and empirical studies reporting critical success factors for coopetition strategy in the private Jordanian universities context.

Therefore, the main objective of this research was to explore critical factors that enable coopetition strategy management to succeed at private Jordanian universities. To achieve this objective, a sequential mixed method research approach was used to explore success factors and those critical to successful coopetition relationships between private universities in Jordan. Based on a two-phase sequential mixed method approach, Phase 1, the qualitative phase of the study, collected data through semi-structured, in-depth interviews with 18 participants randomly selected from the Deans' Councils of nine private Jordanian universities. The qualitative data was then analysed in two processes. The first was a thematic analysis which was followed by a Leximancer analysis aimed at identifying themes and subthemes used to build the proposed conceptual framework that informed Phase 2, the quantitative phase. The Phase 2 questionnaire collected data from 303 participants at management level (such as members of Trustees' Councils, University Councils, Deans' Councils and College Councils) who could be considered decision makers and business managers at the universities. An exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis were used to confirm the factors and subfactors in the proposed model of coopetition success factors for the private Jordanian universities. Then, structural equation modelling was used to test the hypothesis.

The findings of this research indicated that, of the 13 factors identified, eight were found to be critical for coopetition strategy success. These included management commitment, perception, top management support, strategic leadership, trust development, organisational learning, geographical proximity, and the Ministry of Higher Education. These critical factors were found to have a positive and significant influence on the indicators of success in coopetition strategy adoption by private Jordanian universities. The indicators included enhanced productivity and effectiveness, social responsibility, improved services' quality, and decreased costs and increased profits.

The study offers theoretical and practical contributions. It addresses a theoretical gap in the existing literature related to the scarcity of coopetition success factor studies in the higher education sector and offers a new model. This model links critical factors for successful coopetition and the indicators of success for a coopetition strategy adopted by private universities in Jordan. In terms of the practical contributions, the findings of this research can be used to assist decision-making related to the management of a successful coopetition strategy which may improve the efficiency and effectiveness of university performance in the Jordanian higher education sector by managing a successful coopetition strategy model.

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