In 2025, the sharpest strategy in business isn’t built on rivalry – it’s fuelled by relationships. As markets shift, technologies accelerate, and stakeholder expectations multiply, the most resilient and innovative companies are embracing a mindset that may once have seemed counterintuitive: partner with your competitors to get ahead.
Welcome to the era of coopetition, where collaboration is no longer a side strategy. It’s the edge.
Author: Belinda Cavé, operations executive at Brandfundi
Redefining competitive advantage
The notion that businesses must dominate at all costs is fast becoming outdated. Today’s success stories are written in partnerships, strategic alliances, joint ventures, knowledge-sharing frameworks, and cross-industry collaborations.
According to Loftware’s annual Top 5 Trends in Labelling & Packaging Artwork report, 90% of global supply chain leaders believe greater collaboration is essential to achieving operational excellence by 2025. This is driven by the complexity and urgency of challenges such as climate risk, digital transformation, regulatory demands, and economic volatility – issues that no organisation can navigate in isolation.
In South Africa, the shift is tangible. From telcos collaborating with fintech to bring mobile banking to rural communities to retailers teaming up with township entrepreneurs to solve delivery, cooperation is no longer a compromise; it’s a competitive advantage. This is evident in the Spar Group, which has partnered with township-based last-mile delivery services, such as KasiD and Delivery KA Speed, integrating them into its SPAR2U delivery platform. This collaboration ensures efficient grocery delivery in areas such as Mamelodi, Ivory Park, and Hammanskraal, reaching previously underserved communities ( ITWeb).
Similarly, facing crippling energy insecurity and rising operational costs, Vodacom and MTN, long-time competitors joined forces to build shared backup power infrastructure for their network towers. By pooling resources, the two telecom giants are enhancing national network resilience while reducing costs for fuel, maintenance, and downtime. It’s a win for both brands and their customers, especially in remote and high-traffic areas where connectivity is vital. This is coopetition in action: collaborating to protect an industry’s stability, not just to preserve profit.
What is coopetition?
Coined by Ray Noorda of Novell ( SpringerLink) and developed into a formal model by Adam Brandenburger and Barry Nalebuff (as detailed in their book 'Coopetition'), coopetition is the strategic practice of collaborating with competitors to achieve shared and individual goals.
It’s not about letting your guard down; it’s about raising your game by expanding the playing field.
When done well, coopetition enables:
- Faster innovation through pooled resources and shared experimentation
- Cost reduction by splitting infrastructure or logistics investments
- Market expansion via combined reach or complementary audiences
- Stronger influence in shaping policy, standards, or best practice
It’s the difference between zero-sum thinking (“I win, you lose”) and value-net thinking, where both players benefit without giving up their edge.
Internal Collaboration: The Untapped Growth Lever
But collaboration doesn’t stop at the market level; it starts within.
While external partnerships often receive the spotlight, internal collaboration remains a potent yet underutilised driver of growth. Companies that break down silos, enable agile cross-functional teams, and reward collaboration are seeing faster innovation, higher engagement, and stronger resilience.
In 2025, culture is strategy, and collaboration is its delivery system. The top-performing South African businesses are investing in internal tools, agile structures, and leadership that support a collaborative ethos. They understand that to collaborate externally with credibility; they must first model it internally.
What successful collaboration requires
Coopetition isn’t accidental – it’s engineered. It isn’t about playing nice, it’s about playing smart, and it thrives on:
- Strategic clarity: Know what unites you and where to focus your competition
- Mutual trust: Establish governance frameworks to protect all parties
- Cultural alignment: Partner with organisations that share your values, pace, and priorities
- Flexibility: From loose alliances to joint ventures, choose the model that suits you best
The verdict: Connectedness wins
In a year defined by disruption, one truth stands out: connectedness is the new measure of competitiveness. Whether in telecom, retail, finance, or FMCG, the businesses that will lead are those bold enough to collaborate and smart enough to compete.
Therefore, if you continue to treat your competitors as threats, it may be time to reassess your approach. Because in 2025, the future doesn’t belong to the fastest or the loudest. It belongs to those who collaborate with intent and compete with vision.
