RELATIONAL COMPETITION: INTERESTING IDEA, QUESTIONABLE CONSTRUCT

The relational competition concept introduced by Chen and Miller (2010, 2011, 2015) represents a potential new view of competition that is culturally distinct from traditional models of competition, with the lifting of all boats as a key feature. While the concept has grown in popularity over the years, its application to a diverse set of research ques-tions has rarely advanced its theoretical development. We stress test the relational com-petition concept to better evaluate its claim as a new view of competition in today's culturally and institutionally complex world. In particular, we assess the construct validity of relational competition and identify two issues hindering its theoretical devel-opment. The first stems from its reliance on an outdated linguistic theory, the Whorfian hypothesis. The second arises from inadequate construct clarity. As a result, although relational competition is an interesting concept, its validity as a theoretical construct remains questionable, thus weakening its claim to be a fundamentally new view of com-petition. We close by proposing three avenues for further scholarly development of the relational competition concept as well as outlining policy implications.

Automated summary

The relational competition concept introduced by Chen and Miller represents a potential new view of competition that is culturally distinct. However, its validity as a theoretical construct is questionable due to its reliance on outdated linguistic theory and inadequate construct clarity.