Journal of Complex Adaptive Systems

Journal of Complex Adaptive Systems

A Partnership Capability Matrix for Escaping the Coexistence Trap: A Mixed-Methods Study of Strategic Regret in Mission-Oriented Industrial Ecosystems

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
Arman Azarli 1
Mohammad Barzegar Mohammadi 1
MohammadMehdi Jaferi 2
1 Department of Strategic Management, National Defense University, Tehran, Iran.
2 Department of Industrial Engineering, Islamic Azad University, South Tehran Branch, Tehran, Iran.
10.22059/jcas.2026.418776.1004
Abstract
Objective: Mission-oriented industrial organizations increasingly rely on external actors to secure technology, preserve strategic value chains, and fulfill public-purpose mandates. However, their partnership choices frequently remain governed by transactional routines that conflict with declared ecosystem ambitions. This study develops and validates a Partnership Capability Matrix to explain how economic and technological capabilities jointly shape interaction strategy, exposing the gap between analytically preferred action and realized organizational behavior.
Methods: An exploratory sequential mixed-methods design was employed, integrating inductive thematic analysis of interviews with senior managers, analytic hierarchy process weighting, and partial least squares structural equation modeling of survey evidence.
Results: The analysis identified four distinct interaction strategies—hunting, care, exploitation, and coexistence—located at specific combinations of economic and technological capability. Hunting held the highest analytical priority, while observed organizational behavior concentrated in coexistence, producing an inverted preference–practice pattern conceptualized as strategic regret. Care occupied an intermediate position, indicating a viable transition for organizations seeking deeper ecosystem involvement but lacking capacity or readiness for acquisition-led control.
Conclusion: Rather than treating partnership modes as isolated governance choices, the matrix connects capability conditions to strategic consequences and enables decision-makers to diagnose where execution departs from intention. Its application can support movement from passive contracting toward active ecosystem coordination, although the single-country setting, cross-sectional design, and modest quantitative base limit broader generalization.
Keywords
Business Ecosystem
Interaction Strategy
Mission-Oriented Organization
Partnership Capability
Strategic Regret
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Journal of Complex Adaptive Systems
Volume 1, Issue 1
Winter 2026
Pages 49-68