Framing Work in Metacompetition
Title
Framing Work in Metacompetition
Author
Barnett, William P.
Research Area
Social Institutions
Topic
Complex Organizations and Bureaucracies
Abstract
Existing research studies competition among organizations, but normally takes as a given the formal and informal “rules of the game” governing competitions. Yet, these “rules” are often determined through a prior, higher‐level competition over the game to be played. Such “metacompetitions” determine who can compete, what kinds of competitive moves can be made, what criteria will be used to evaluate competitors, and what will be the payoffs to competitions. By prevailing in metacompetitions, organizations gain the advantage of competing in a game for which they are well suited, and the disadvantage of rivals who find themselves playing the wrong game. This essay notes that organizations engage in framing work to influence the outcome of metacompetitions, and argues that this behavior shapes the distribution of strategies that we observe among organizations in competition.