Co‐opetition applied to training – a case study

Abstract Although technology makes communication technically instant and infinite, old‐fashioned one‐to‐one is still best for building relationships. Networking is one of the best ways to expand business. People join forces for bigger schemes than they could manage individually. This has now extended beyond individuals. Two or more companies will join, share and co‐operate for joint ventures. This article describes a corporate leadership project jointly run by a management consultancy, a business school and an outdoor activities provider. Their different approaches, which might have been considered as in competition with each other, were blended to provide something brand new, that could not have happened with any one of the organisations without the others. All three have also been able to expand their own market through new contacts. This type of joint enterprise, a mixture of co‐operation and competition, is called co‐opetition.