Dueling coalitions. How extreme conflict engenders cooperation under institutional complexity

This paper investigates how intra-organizational coalitions face major conflicts and promote cooperation. Drawing upon a longitudinal case study, we discover a sequence of cooperative and conflictual interactions between power coalitions in a multinational corporation facing institutional complexity. Paradoxically, cooperation smoothly followed extreme conflict between the two coalitions. Based on our empirics, we isolate and conceptualize the duel script as a form of high risk, visible and regulated conflict engendering cooperation. We also discuss the boundary conditions of such script. In so doing, our paper contributes to the debate on intra-organizational conflict and institutional complexity.