Coopetition as an emergent strategy: the case of the LLP consortium of Opera Houses

In coopetition strategy literature, firms are often seen as organizations adopting coopetitive arrangements in an intentional fashion. Drawing on the received distinction between deliberate and emergent strategies, this paper provides new insights on the formation of coopetition as an unintended and therefore emergent strategy. In more detail, an in-depth case-study on a renowned consortium of Italian Opera Houses is carried out to illustrate the role played by the external environment (e.g., the institutional one) in triggering coopetitive strategies through the imposition of cooperation. Accordingly, the brand-new concepts of imposed cooperation and induced coopetition are introduced and discussed.