Tracing Constellations of Conflict and Competition in German Higher Education – a Temporal Approach

Present organizational research considers competition as one of the major transformative forces of the 20^th and 21^st century (Porter 1985). In sociological theory, competition is thereby considered as a social form that avoids direct conflicts (Simmel 1903). While competition is a triadic relationship in which Ego and Alter court for the favour of a third party in the absence of direct conflict, a conflict is a situation characterized by direct interaction between two or more actors with opposed interests in the absence of a third party (Dahrendorf 1972).

The panel raises the question if the focus on competition in organizational studies leads to overseeing situations in which conflict and not competition is still the form of social action that determines organizational developments. In our empirical data, conducted to explore multiple competitions in and between organisations in the German higher education system, we recognize relations and actions in the context of competition, which are outside the triadic scheme. Based on these observations, we trace different constellations of conflict and competition. We thereby argue that it is common that many situations into which an organization manoeuvres are not characterized either by competition or conflict but involve both. To analyze such situations allows us to create a heuristic of constellations.

To take first steps to create such a heuristic we conduct a temporal approach and focus on three time periods: The time in which actors prepare for competitions, the time in which competitions take place, and the time after the competition. First empirical insights point to different constellations regarding the relation between competition and conflict. The first constellation are conflicts provoked by preparatory activities. The second constellation is when actors who are actually competing cause conflicts at the same time and the third constellation is conflict as an (un-)intended consequence of competition.