Co-Opetition : A Revolution Mindset That Combines Competition and Cooperation : The Game Theory Strategy That's Changing the Game of Business

• #6 in Best Game Theory Books

48 Reviews

Sort by: Most Helpful ▲ Date Rating

Just out of college I was very enthusiastic to use game theory to solve business problems. But never found a way to use it. That was forty years ago. This is the first book that transforms a wonderful theory into something you can apply. The three key concepts are the "value net", PARTS and role-playing. The value net is a simple model of the players to consider. Not just your business and your client, but also the competitors, suppliers and complementors (a complimentor adds value to your product like mustard to hot dogs). PARTS are five ways to look at the game. P from players-who are they; may be add new ones, A from Added Value- how much value do you add to the game, if any, R from Rules-can the rules be changed, T from tactics, and S from Scope- making the game bigger. With role-playing I refer to putting yourself in the shoes of all the other players. How do they see the game? The book contains many practical examples. Some of these do not require game theory to think of them but without game theory you would never see all the interesting options. The book also has "spiritual" content. It shows how to find "win-win" theories and avoid price wars that are "lose-lose".Very worthwhile.

Look at the world economy, Toyota just passed Ford in US, Sony is doing very good, even they make the dead-Ericson alive, look at Kodak, Panasonic, Honda, Japon Tobacco Ind, Seiko....
They all do excellent/very good, except a few industries as pharmetucals and FMCG, where US or Loreal gets all the profit from dumb products...

What is the reason for this? If you have some money to spend for nothing read this book, and read "Mind of Strategist" from Ohmae, and compare both of these books...

you will see the answer of the first paragraph above: US is dealing with theory and Japan with excellent execution.

This book is so theoretical that, almost none of the things mentioned are applicable. The critical thing is, even this book does not show how to think, since the writers are so much involved in theoretical aspects of strategy/game theory, in their offices at the universities that, applicability is dying in united states..

as told, there are some categories still US dominates, in belgium huge profits is done in pharmacy/beauty care products, as other US companies do in europe, (except Germany, Russia, UK, where Lever and Henkel is more powerful).

but all dying, thanks to theorical works as Co-opetition. As I told, please read Ohmae, and compare those books. The difference is so significant.
I do not know why this book get so much good comment, it can be due to positioning/image. But nothing inside.

First of all I should state that this book is the kind that will make you ask yourself "Why have I not read it before?"! I strongly recommend it and shortly I will try to explain whom I recommend it and why.

In fact, we are not talking about some recent business book, and therefore the potential reader should not expect to see very recent cases as support to arguments discussed. But still, the issues are very systematically, clearly and simply explained, although the examples that are used to support the arguments are "old".

I met this "potential classic business book" (or maybe already a "classic business book") as I began to be interested in game theory. Therefore I can easily declare that "Co-opetition" is very appropriate for a person who would like to see solid, practical and especially business-oriented application areas of game theory. With this book, a "101 game theorist" can try and improve herself easily. But on the other hand, this doesn't mean that the only target readers of the book are the ones that are interested in game theory. The authors have achieved to develop and illustrate practical recommendations for business world by utilizing game theory concepts. So anyone who is business life will benefit from the concepts for sure.

The language and the methods of explanation are very clear, far from being complicated and straightforward. The authors have supported all the major concepts and conclusions by using real-life examples. This way, the reader has more "reasons" to learn and remember the arguments discussed throughout the book. The logical order and the simple modular approach used to lead the discussions also help the reader understand everything explained easily. Although the book is in fact a "strategy book", the reader does not have to be someone with background information on strategy. But still, if the reader already has some background in strategic analysis, then the book offers a much more beneficial and enjoyable read. On top of everything, the nice but "not-so-difficult-to-handle complexity" of game theory itself is the real pleasure of the book.

I recommend this book to college students who are to enter business life shortly, to people with active roles in strategic decision making processes of their corporations and to people who are interested in game theory but who don't want to cope with the mathematical models of it. Have a nice read...

Co-opetition presents a refreshing & practical showcase of game theory. The book is concisely written with good case studies. Although the book lacks mathematical detail of game theory, it manages to vividly illustrate how game theory concepts can be applied in the dynamic business world.

Co-Opetition by Adam M. Brandenburger and Barry J. Nalebuff focuses on using competition to create a bigger market for the industry and for the individual company. It is an interesting approach to building win-win growth opportunities. The PARTS concept is an easy to remember idea that has been successful in several sited examples. Co-opetition discusses viable ideas that should be considered, particularly the "Pay me to play" suggestion. If the strategist carefully considers all options in the "big picture", they would undoubtedly use one or several of the ideas presented in this book. This book serves as a reminder manual when developing strategy.

The book provides a well-structured approach to Game Theory from the business perspective. The focus is placed on using Game Theory for developing successful strategies for businesses, excluding its mathematical aspects.

The whole book is so well-written, that most readers are barely aware of how deeply it is grounded in co-operative game theory.
It is full of real-world case studies, which further enhance its readability.

However, a star is deducted for a rather "quick" conclusion of the theory (and the book itself), which actually pays little favour to the "S" (Scope) parameter of the PARTS theory presented.

Also, frequently the reader gets the feeling that this is a book which presents case-studies and upon them builds a theory, although the opposite might have been more appropriate.

In any case, this is a book worth considering if you wish to examine how Game Theory might influence your business strategy.

I was given this book to read by a Professor when i was doing a Masters Program, upon asking him that i want to know and read a little about Game Theory. Well i liked this book so much that i went online and a bought a copy of my own.

Although, this book was first published in 1996 and for what i reason that i am unable to comprehend is not available with all that ease in book stores. But it was an easy find on Amazon.Com.

This book is ideal for someone like me who saw the movie " A beautiful Mind" and was intrigued by what the main character was doing in the first half of the movie, when he uses Game Theory to come out with a result as to how they can all win without anyone actually losing.

What this book does for a student of Business is, it tells you with Umpteen real world examples; how to make use of game theory in business.

Their easy explanation of and the coining of the term 'The Value Net' is a prime example of what they have done in this book.

All in All, a very good read for everyone, I would highly recommend it to anyone, simply because it is easy to understand and tackles a complicated subject with ease.

The name of the game in this book is 'get the biggest possible slice of the biggest possible pie'. '90% of $2,300 is a lot better than 50% of $2,600'. Says who? Says Barry Nalebuff.

They acknowledge that people instinctively start out by trying to get an equitable slice of a reasonably sized pie, and protect everyone else's pie at the same time - but you know what? With a little judicious ridicule, you can cure people of that attitude.

Suppose we don't want to be cured?

Nalebuff & Brandenburger regard business as both war and peace. But they see war only in its 'territory & asset-grabbing' sense, and peace, well, only in its 'territory & asset-grabbing' sense.

War on want? What's that? Real peace? What's that?

One person, in one of their audiences, proposed that business was neither war, nor peace, but marriage. Note that 'marriage' is not mentioned in the index. Note that 'divorce, threat of' is.

Co-opetition is what happens if you use co-operation to serve competition. If you'd like to see - in the interests of fair-mindedness - what happens if you put competition in the service of co-operation (comperation?), go read 'Banker to the Poor' by Mohammad Yunus. If you'd like to see the friendly face of big business, go to Amazon.co.uk (this edition not listed on Amazon.com) and put 1854105779 in the search field.

Better yet, put 'grameen' into Google, and find out why 2,300,000 people of a whole variety of faiths remember this man in their daily prayers. I'm a Quaker, and I do.

In short, while these guys were trying to teach people to make a killing, Muhammad Yunus was busy trying to help people make a living.

Comperation forever.

This book applies game theory on business and does so extremely well. I think game theory is clearly the way to approach the subject of strategy, because regular "corporate" and "business" strategy literature seems only loosely connected to actual strategic thinking. Game theory, on the other hand, is an actual theory for thinking strategically. No-one should probably even refer to himself or herself as a strategist without being literate in game theory.

The authors do a wonderful job laying out the principles. They introduce and give a thorough treatment of the concept of complementarity ("making the pie grow"), which is bound to make you a better strategist. What I also liked in this book is the notion that the best way of increasing profits is often not to play the game well but to actually change how the game is played. Reading about this really gives your mind a jump-start.

PARTS refers to the strategic levers of a game, that is the dimensions across which the game of business can be analyzed and changed (to your advantage of course). The book is filled with case studies where the principles can be seen at work. Co-opetition is simply great value for money.

If, after reading this book, you feel like digging further into game theory (there's a good chance you will) I recommend Games of Strategy by Dixit, which is a superb introductory book.

Co-opetition debuted before the net arrived commercially, however it could easily have been written about today's hyper-speed corporate environment. (Many companies in the Dot-bomb dead-pool may have benefited from this kind of rational strategic thinking.) As the title indicates, the book is about competition and cooperation in the marketplace. Much of that discussed in the book stems from game theory, determining what moves to make in a game (or marketplace) based on the anticipated actions of the other players. The book presents numerous case studies from a variety of businesses. Each example provides a background of the competitive environment, the implications of different possible moves, and ultimately explains the results of each particular decision. It's a fantastic book, and contains valuable lessons for decision-makers in virtually any capacity.

Co-opetition is especially for those interested in game theory and business strategy. It brings to light the fact that no decision is made in isolation, and demonstrates that a win at all costs mentality is often not the most successful plan of action. Learn to analyze a situation, understand the scenarios that may result because of particular actions, move forward with a better understanding, and well thought out contingency plans for anticipated counter moves.

The authors do an excellent job of applying modern game theory principles to past and current business strategies. Co-opetition provides useful tools for dealing in the competitive business environment. The book was easy to read and flowed logically.

...if only all books on game theory and strategy were written like this. The authors dissect a potentially confusing subject into easy, bite-sized chunks. Reads like a novel, and you can finish it in just one sitting.

I've read this book when I was pursuing my MBA and I am reading it again as a businessman and founder of a new strategy company - its simply superb. It completely changes the way you look at your competition. Read the PARTS of strategy and not only sharpen your thinking but also revolutionise it.

CO-OPETITION is a wonderful term that says exactly what it means. In many ways, if you think of a successful joint venture, you will have the right idea. Certainly between competitors, but even between company and supplier or customer, there is some competition, if only for lower prices and better service. This book explains both by steps to follow and great examples how two (or more) parties can win-win. Rosabeth Moss Kanter and Michael Hammer each talk about the cluster idea, that companies do better when competitors and the business chain are all in close proximity. Even when not directly cooperating, they encourage each other to develop new ideas and stay sharp. To succeed, we must be willing to change and be open to new relationships. The old Tradition Stall (see THE 2,000 PERCENT SOLUTION by Mitchell, Coles and Metz) of "Talk to the competitor, Cooperate with a competitor - Never!" must be tossed out the window. The Disbelief Stall of "A competitor would never try to help us" must be dispelled to make real progress. I encourage you to read many books on this subject, for they will each give you a new approach.

I took Co-opetition with me to a coast-to-coast flight hoping to start practicing a fast reading method. Brad Feld explained on his blog how he succeeds to read 8(!) books a week: "(a) no TV, (b) no kids, (c) four to six hours a night of reading, and (d) the willingness / ability to skim when things are dull". So I thought to try the method with Co-opetition and to complete it on my way from Atlanta to Palo Alto. From all the requirements only the willingness/ability to skim wasn't provided upfront. After the first dozen of pages I understood that that's not a skim-through book.

Adam and Barry made a book sharing principles of strategy, tactics, and planning carrying away your attention by clear reasoning, crystal logic, plain English, and bright examples. The book can takes it place on one's shelf next to "Good to great", "Marketing warfare", and the books of Jeoffrey Moore but unlike the latter doesn't goo too far in the academic direction. Quite the contrary, it oozes real, top brand examples, spending 90% of the text describing the stories of failure and success and only 10% devoting to formulating principles and recapping the arguments.

The book consists of two parts: the game of business and the PARTS of strategy.

The first part (about 1/3 of the book) introduces the concept of the value net reminding in a certain way Porter's five forces. The authors present a square graph with the business placed in the crossing of the diagonals and customers/suppliers and competitors/complementers taking the opposite corners of the square. The book explains the theory of balanced forces and promotes principles and approaches symmetrically applicable to the corners of the net.

The war/piece preamble breaks the concept of known in advance friends and foes. Introducing multiple perspectives the authors claim that in the modern business world everything should be viewed through the prism of the net and simple definitions don't work anymore.

The PARTS (Players, Added value, Rules, Tactics, and Scope) are the components describing the game and depending on particular circumstances and targets the components have to be re-evaluated and re-mapped.

After introducing the concept the authors in the rest of the book religiously describe each of the components bringing tens of examples following and breaking the principles (and leading to success or failure correspondingly. Bright and bold marketing strategies of great companies leading to win-win situations with competitors, customers, suppliers, and complementers captivate you and don't let skim over. For every case of success the book brings a counter-example of failure as well cementing the principle and equally teaching and convincing the reader.

Among many other topics particular attention is devoted to such as how to manage negotiations, how to deal with perceptions, how to plan prices and avoid wars, how to establish and change rules, which tactics to apply, and how to analyze scopes.

Many new ideas flooded by almost detective business examples preclude me from skimming a paragraph in the book. A great pace with which the book expounding the matter, vivid examples, clear language, and strong (at times shocking) ideas make this book a solid must for everybody who deals with building, positioning, and rolling out products or services. Highly recommended!

The book's objective - "to paint a more complete picture of business relationships"

What the book tells you: The "players" in a business environment and how each of them interacts with you. How to apply the basic elements of any game - Players, Added Value, Rules, Tactics and Scope (PARTS) to your advantage, using the concept of game theory. In this respect, the authors have met their objective by way of using their model to explain real world examples. In making strategic moves, the authors believe that the best strategy may have multiple winners by making the pie bigger.

What the books does not tell you: the game theory itself. The book does not touch on the theoretical aspect of the game. Hence I was disappointed not being able to learn how to create my own game modeling or use simple mathematics to map out my own, and more dynamic, game.

The bottom line: an easy-to-read book to understand the mindset of all players in a game and how to make a strategic move that is beneficial to you.

this book has been really inspiring and one the best i have read. its a revolutionary book changing the way people do business. business defined as a game and a game including players who have their added values, rules governing the game, tactical moves by the players and scope of the game are all revolutionary. micheal porters competitive advantage has been one revolution and this is another book which is a revolution.great book by all standards

this book has been really inspiring and one the best i have read. its a revolutionary book changing the way people do business. business defined as a game and a game including players who have their added values, rules governing the game, tactical moves by the players and scope of the game are all revolutionary. micheal porters competitive advantage has been one revolution and this is another book which is a revolution.great book by all standards

Wow! It's a game! Who thought selling is a game? Think off all the salesmen for which selling is war (and sometimes hell). And here comes a book telling you that it's a game! Co-opetition is about the basics of all business, about players, power, rules, tactics. But the most important story it tells you is: You can change the rules! Play to the existing rules and you may win. Change the rules and you will win!

The book starts showing that business is not always the adversarial relationship that is usually presented in many strategy books. The authors contend that business is war and peace at the same time, hence the name: cooperation and competition contract to co-opetition.

The book develops further the well known five-forces analysis to create the value net, and show that a company is interested in the well-being of some of the other market participants -a typical example is the DVD player makers and the movie producers, the more records are on offer the more DVD players are available, which makes more interesting to keep publishing records. Game theory is introduced as the method to link competition and cooperation opening the second part of the book, which shows a structured method how to approach and improve your position in negotiations.

The method follows the acronym PARTS, which stands for:
-Players, who profits from taking part in a negotiation.
-Added-values, what are you and other players bringing to the negotiation.
-Rules, how can you improve contracts.
-Tactics, how perceptions influence the results and how you can change it.
-Scope, are there other issues or negotiations that can be linked to the negotiation.

Every point is well developed linking it to the points mentioned earlier, or the idea of the value net, and with plenty of examples from real life.
If you want to read a basic book on negotiation this is a great choice.

It is book to be re-readed and "worked" because it is thorough and with lots of ideas that transform in some way the way we should see competition and the interaction of a company with the market, its competitors, etc....

Its clear for all that the world is not so simple as us and the rest that compete with us but the authors books elaborate a framework for better understanding of the market complexity.

Enrique.

I was lucky enough to read this book while being taught Game Theory & Business Strategy by Adam Brandenburger, who is unequivocally one of the best Professors I've had in B-school.

To the criticisms of this book that it does not include the theoretical aspects of game theory and modeling, that may be true, but the purpose is not necessarily theory but practical application. When I read this book, I was also in the process of reading and learning about specific game theory and actual games, so it tied together well. If that is what you are looking for, I recommend this approach.

In terms of what you will get: many "A-ha!" moments with regard to analyzing a competitive situation and how to take advantage of the opportunity available, including changing the game and learning who is really in a position of power.

A must read for anyone interested in learning how to leverage their position in the game of business strategy!

This is an important book to read for anyone involved in competitive strategy development and/or negotiations. Businesses are realizing that striving for a win-win situation in competitive negotiations is the preferred long-term approach as opposed to "crushing the competition at all costs". This book helps to develop the "gaming" mindset and does so in an easy to read, example filled way. Good addition to a business strategy library.

This book truly combines theory and practice. The theoretical part has already been published in scientific context, which means that there is not much new theory if you are already familliar with the topic. However, there is more flesh on the bones compared to the articles especially concerning the case descriptions. The book is easy to follow and read.

This book discusses co-opetition, the act of competitors working together in a collaborative effort to increase the pie overall. Co-opetition is a hot topic right now with new competitor-to-competitor exchanges. If you are a game theory enthusiast, you'll be a big fan of this book.

This book gives a good background on co-opetition and on game theory and business strategies. The book starts off dry - but it starts getting really good after the first 30 pages.

If you want a book about strategy READ this. One of the best books in this field. Well written and easy to read. A MUST !!

Not only do the principles shared in this book make for excellent and informative reading, they can also be practically applied. I personally have taken examples from this book, applied details from my own business negotiations and built multi-million dollar deals. Suffice it to say I feel it is worth a few dollars to pick up a copy.

The author puts a new spin on game theory and did create a new analytic paradigm for strategic planning. All I hope is the sequal of this book can provide even more insight on coopetion in the Internet era. It would be interesting to analyze the coopetition between Microsoft, IBM, Netscape, SUN, AOL,....

For those who are not familiar with game theory, this book has an excelent approach. It combines game theory, without mathematics, with strategy management and give good real life examples. I recommend it.

This book shows how interdependencies in markets present opportunities. The authors provide a five-part strategy revealing how companies can use game theory and change their views about customers, competition, cooperation and the market for success. The book provides guidelines for developing strategy with many cases. Stimulating and challenging.

You will never look at business strategy and decision making the same again after reading this book. Mr. Brandenburger and Mr. Nalebuff provide simple methods that help you solve complex problems. Everyone says to think "outside the box," but no one tells you how. These authors do!

A must read for all business men. The case studies are a bit dated now due to the ago of the book but they are still great lessons

http://www.linkedin.com/in/davidhughes1

Co-opetition is well written, and very eye opening. A good book to have on the shelf to flick through once a year, or whenever strategic decisions are being made.

I have no doubt that this will book will serve me well in years to come.

Nutshell review - This is a very interesting book about how players/companies can be both competitors and cooperative at the same time depending on the project or market. A clever insight and worth reading.

This book could've been easily titled as "Business Strategy: The Art of War for the 21st Century". It is an excellent book for gaining a better understanding of today's complex business landscape where the traditional rules of Business success do not apply. The game and the battlefield have both, changed. As a player of this new game, we must also adapt & learn new rules for strategic planning & success.

The book highlights the differences between the traditional game and the current games and provides pratical ideas and tactics for success. Traditionally, it was all about outsmarting the competition, capturing market share. Today's world, it is about establishing strategic partnerships, even with your competitors to create a win-win situation.

You do not need to be CEO to gain practical insights from this book. Examples provided include basic product pricing models, time to market, capacity planning, product positioning and marketing. The concepts and strategies provided in the book can be applied at various levels in the business. Recommended!

For a book that is promoted as THE business book based on game theory, there is surprisingly very little about game theory, or about games at all.

A lot of its premise have been on how you can add value, even to your competitors, so that you increase the pie, and thus play win-win. Unfortunately, this isn't the case for all kinds of competitive business situations.

Nalebuff's previous book, Thinking Strategically: The Competitive Edge in Business, Politics, and Everyday Life is a much better thesis on on how you can use game theory in business.

This book put those business games into a nice framework, it is probably the best one after "Thinking Strategically".

You'd be better off working through Competitive Strategy by Michael Porter, there's nothing in here that isn't in Porter's book. This books is a little easier to read for the casual reader however and does have more examples to explain the topics.

This book effectively combines real world examples of most every topic discussed. Many strategy books that I have read are rather academic. I read this last week and, I have already taken a strategy that the authors outlined and have applied it. Co-Opetition is presented in a very straight forward and engaging style. It was a JOY to read.

...is on the most pressing issues of it all: finding the right strategies and making the right decisions. Maybe a missed a lot on business education, but i never thought of complements. Or the effect of myself entering a market or not having an impact on the whole game. Not even in my MBA did we cover such profounde topic. The authors cover very well the ground of Game Theory applied to business and how companies cooperate in order to enlarge a market and that compete in splitting the market share. Very readable book, even though it gets a bit boring after reading half through.

It is an excellent book to apply Game Theory to analyse Business problem, and to develop corresponding strategy. Easy to read, to follow and to adopt!

Authors Adam M. Brandenburger and Barry J. Nalebuff understand that some business relationships are complementary, not competitive. Complementary relationships allow you to profit from another company's products or services. For example, a computer company can sell more hardware when a complementary company sells more software. The authors illustrate this clearly written book with examples of the strategic thinking and negotiating behind successful and unsuccessful game playing. You could cut to the chase by reading the capsule summaries, but we [...] advocate studying the examples if you plan on playing with the big kids.

One of the best gifts I have ever received...Co-opetition by Adam M. Brandenburger was given to me by the most astute businessman I have ever had the pleasure to work with. I highly recommend this book to anyone wanting to move up in the world of business.

I've used the lessons I learned from reading this book throughout my career as and IBM Software Manager and now as an Intellectual Property Licensing Negotiator. It is pure gold.

Read it once. Wait a while. Then read it again and again.

A very good book about the application of game theory. Structured and easy to read. I think there may be more different examples. Anyway it is one of the best books I read lately.

A great book that shows how to get paid to play the game by using game theory. Why should companies particpate in a game in which they aren't getting paid to play? This book has example after example of how some companies got paid to play the game and changed the way the game was played to their favor. The book doesn't dive into a deep explanation of game theory (pick up Mr. Nalebuff's, "Thinking Strategically : The Competitive Edge in Business, Politics, and Everyday Life" for that) but touches on the basics. Truly a new way for business decisions makers to think when "playing the game."

The authors approach the various existing business dilemmas using the conjunction of game theory, competition and cooperation in a very amusing and practical way. The lessons learned in this book go beyond the typical framework of though, encouraging the achievement of win-win situations in a complex scenario. The numerous case studies presented allow a quick understanding of the covered business topics.

Businesses' competing in prices and quantities amid complementing by adding values is a healthy practice. This book teach us how to use this game framework to everyday business and life situations.

Amid competing among us and dividing up the pie, we can build a bigger one. That is what is all about in business and life, a constant game of interaction and competition. This book will surely become a classic book on business and economics.