ABSTRACT
The media often portray business organizations as warring enemies that define their own success by the demise of their competitors. Executives sometimes use similar imagery to motivate their “troops.” What such images ignore are the strong interdependencies among business organizations and the degree to which cooperation results in mutual gains. Just as nations have discovered the benefits of economic cooperation, businesses have learned that success often depends on forming strategic alliances. As a result of the formation of strategic alliances among companies often viewed as fierce competitors, industries are sometimes completely transformed (Freidheim, 1998).
