In this paper, we first review the literature on business-civil society collaboration and identify as a gap the question about how companies and civil society groups collaborate in those cases where their relationship began with a confrontation. We also explore whether business-civil society relationships may be the fruit of emergent strategy rather than deliberate strategies. Through the analysis of four case studies, we derive four propositions regarding different paths that business-civil society interactions can follow, regarding the formation of triadic relationships rather than dyadic ones, regarding the role of third parties and the importance of emergent strategies. We conclude with some implications for further research as well as implications for practice.

<< Back to home