Role
Tatbeeq is an Associate Professor of Strategy and Marketing at Nottingham Business School (NBS), Nottingham Trent University (NTU).
He is involved in a wide range of activities at NBS, including teaching and supervising students at all levels, with several PhD candidates under his guidance. He served as the interim head of Marketing and Consumer Studies (MACS) centre for over a year and is the director of the peer-review scheme (PRS) at the department. Tatbeeq also mentors numerous early-career researchers (ECRs), contributes to several review panels at NTU, participates in recruitment/selection interviews, and provides line management support to research-active staff, among other responsibilities
Career overview
Tatbeeq completed his PhD at Umeå University in Sweden. His thesis, titled “A theory of experienced paradoxical tension in co-opetitive alliances” was recognized for its exceptional quality, and earned one of Sweden's most prestigious scholarship awards - a three-year, full-time research grant from The Jan Wallander and Tom Hedelius Foundation.
Before joining NBS, Tatbeeq worked as an Associate Professor (Docent) of Strategy and Entrepreneurship at Umeå University, where he designed and taught several courses and supervised students across all levels of study. He also spent about a year as a visiting scholar at Loughborough University.
Research areas
Tatbeeq’s research broadly focuses on how interfirm coopetition (i.e., simultaneous pursuit of cooperation and competition between firms) can enable firms to undertake highly complex, large scale, risky and innovative projects and thus create superior value at different levels (e.g., firm, alliance, network, societal). More specifically, his research uncovers the nature, consequences, and management of paradoxical tensions and complex emotions inherent in such relationships.
He is currently investigating how small firms in the creative and cultural industries can scale up their businesses by focusing on both artistic and economic value creation. Other current projects include topics such as coopetition for life sciences, blockchain governance, sustainability, entrepreneurial orientation/bricolage, and wellbeing. His work has been published in shape of several book chapters and articles in top-tier journals such as Long Range Planning, Industrial Marketing Management, and Journal of Management Inquiry. Tatbeeq also serves on the editorial board of Industrial Marketing Management.
Tatbeeq’s research has received some outstanding attention. For example, a bibliometric analysis appeared in a recent article in Journal of Business Research (2022) reports that he is ranked at number 5 and 8 on the list of Top-20 authors in the field of coopetition based on page rank and total citations respectively. Tatbeeq was also ranked at number 77 in the list of 100 topmost productive and cited researchers in social sciences in Sweden by FOKUS 2019.
Furthermore, his research work received several awards. To name but a few, he received the Best Doctoral Research Proposal Award by European Institute of Advanced Studies in Management (2014), Maud & Samme Lindmark Family Foundation Award for excellent Inter-org Innovation Research (2016), and Best Paper Award from the European Academy of Management (2019).
Tatbeeq is open to receiving proposals from highly driven, hardworking candidates who are eager to pursue a PhD and have a strong interest in topics related coopetition, digital governance (e.g., AI/Blockchain), strategic alliances, innovation clusters, B2B marketing, sustainability, paradoxes, and emotions.
External activity
Editorial:
- Special issue on collective strategy, Strategic Organization
- Research Handbook on Interfirm Cooperation, Edward Elgar
- Member editorial board, Industrial Marketing Management
Reviewer:
- Journals: including Academy of Management. Learning and Education, Long Range Planning, Journal of Management Studies, and British Journal of Management, among others.
- Book publishers: SAGE, Springer, Taylor & Francis.
External examiner: Doctoral theses and academic promotions
Conference Roles:
- Organizer, Moderator, Discussant for several Professional Development WOrkshops (PDWs) at Academy of Management (AOM) annual meetings
- Track chair for the CENA track - Strategic Management SIG at European Academy of Management (EURAM).
- Paper session chair at AOM, EURAM, and European Group for Organization Studies (EGOS)
Invited Speaker and Contributor:
- Invited by Nottingham University Business School for a research seminar on Coopetition (2025)
- Invited by MultiHelix AB to a Think Tank Workshop on Coopetition for the Life Sciences Industry and lead roundtable discussions (2021).
- Invited by the Scandinavian Outdoor Group to give a talk on the need and benefits of coopetition (April 2019, Stockholm).
- Invited speaker to the Blockchain Forum, attended by 50+ companies involved in developing the Blockchain technology through coopetition (Dec 2016, Paris).
- Presented my research and engaged in exclusive discussions with the senior executive team of Strategic Sourcing and Partnering at Ericsson on the implications of coopetition (2016, Stockholm).
Business support:
- Strategy and Sustainability Advisor, Burgeon Business Solutions Ltd.
- Consultant non-profit sports clubs on successfully applying for and securing public grants.
Sponsors and collaborators
Tatbeeq’s research projects have received substantial financial support from various public and private foundations. These include Tillväxverket (4.59 million SEK), FORTE (2.73 million SEK), JWTHS (1.73 million SEK), the USBE Research Institute, and the PEW Foundation (0.4 million SEK). Collectively, these contributions amount to over £1 million.
Tatbeeq collaborates with scholars worldwide on joint research projects, grant applications, and conference-related activities, with partnerships spanning Europe, North America, and Asia
Tatbeeq also co-founded the Umeå Cricket Club in 2012 and served as its president for five years. During his tenure, he successfully secured support from a number of reputable sponsors and raised substantial funds for the club.
Publications
Research Publications
Bengtsson, M., & Raza-Ullah, T. (2025). Paradoxical tensions at multiple levels and top management team cross-level bridging in coopetition: a conceptual model. Strategic Management Review. 6(1) https://strategicmanagementreview.net/assets/articles [~ABS 4*]
Raza-Ullah, T., Kouamé, S., Deken, F., Bengtsson, M., Leiponen, A., & Cloutier, C. (2024). Special Issue of Strategic Organization Collective Strategy: Exploring the Contemporary Landscape of How Organizations Strategize Together. Strategic Organization. 22(2): 424-426 https://doi.org/10.1177/14761270241234415 [ABS 3*]
Raza-Ullah, T., Stadtler, L., & Fernandez, A.-S. (2023). The individual manager in the spotlight: Protecting sensitive knowledge in inter-firm coopetition relationships. Industrial Marketing Management, 110: 85-95. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indmarman.2023.02.012 [ABS: 3*]
Xu, R., Wu, J., Gu, J., & Raza-Ullah, T. (2023). How inter-firm cooperation and conflicts in industrial clusters influence new product development performance? The role of firm innovation capability. Industrial Marketing Management, 111: 229-241. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indmarman.2023.04.009 [ABS: 3*]
Raza-Ullah, T. (2021). When does (not) a coopetitive relationship matter to performance? An empirical investigation of the role of multidimensional trust and distrust. Industrial Marketing Management. 96, 86-99. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indmarman.2021.03.004 [ABS: 3*]
Carmine, S., et al., 2021. A Paradox Approach to Organizational Tensions During the Pandemic Crisis. Journal of Management Inquiry: 30 (2): 138-153. https://doi.org/10.1177/1056492620986863 [ABS: 3*]
Raza-Ullah, T., Stadtler, L., & Fernandez, A-S. (2021). The Individual Manager in the Spotlight: Knowledge Protection in Coopetitive Relationships. Academy of Management Proceedings, 2021(1). ISSN: 0065-0668. https://doi.org/10.5465/AMBPP.2021.11361
Raza-Ullah, T. (2020). Experiencing the paradox of coopetition: A moderated mediation framework explaining the paradoxical tension–performance relationship. Long Range Planning, 53(1): 101863. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lrp.2018.12.003 [ABS: 4*]
Raza-Ullah, T., Bengtsson, M., & Gnyawali, D. R. (2020). The nature, consequences, and management of emotions in interfirm paradoxical relationships—A conceptual framework. Scandinavian Journal of Management, 36(4): 101127. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scaman.2020.101127 [ABS: 2*]
Raza-Ullah, T., & Kostis, A. (2020). Do trust and distrust in coopetition matter to performance? European Management Journal, 38(3): 367-376. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.emj.2019.10.004 [ABS: 2*]
Bengtsson, M., Raza-Ullah, T., & Srivastava, M. K. (2020). Looking different vs thinking differently: Impact of TMT diversity on coopetition capability. Long Range Planning, 53(1): 101857. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lrp.2018.11.001 [ABS: 4*]
Raza-Ullah, T., Bengtsson, M., & Gnyawali. D. (2019). Paradoxical tension and firm performance: The contingent role of coopetition capability. Academy of Management Proceedings, 2019(1). ISSN: 0065-0668. https://doi.org/10.5465/AMBPP.2019.14771
Raza-Ullah, T. (2017). The Role of Emotional Ambivalence in Coopetition Alliances. Academy of Management Proceedings, 2019(1). ISSN: 0065-0668. http://doi.org/10.5465/AMBPP.2017.17710
Bengtsson, M., & Raza-Ullah, T. (2016). A systematic review of research on coopetition: Toward a multilevel understanding. Industrial Marketing Management, 57: 23-39 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indmarman.2016.05.003 [ABS: 3*]
Bengtsson, M., Raza-Ullah, T., & Vanyushyn, V. (2016). The coopetition paradox and tension: The moderating role of coopetition capability. Industrial Marketing Management, 53: 19-30. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indmarman.2015.11.008 [ABS: 3*]
Raza-Ullah, T., Bengtsson, M., & Kock, S. (2014). The coopetition paradox and tension in coopetition at multiple levels. Industrial Marketing Management, 43(2): 189-198. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indmarman.2013.11.001 [ABS: 3*]
Raza-Ullah, T., & Bengtsson, M. (2014). Emotions in paradoxical inter-firm relationships: A conceptual framework. Academy of Management Proceedings, 2019(1). ISSN: 0065-0668. https://doi.org/10.5465/ambpp.2014.15851
Chapter in Book
Raza-Ullah, T., Bengtsson, M., & Vanyushyn, V. (2018). Coopetition Capability: What is it? In A. S. Fernandez, P. Chiambaretto, W. Czakon, & F. L. Roy (Eds.), Routledge Handbook of Coopetition: An Outlook Beyond Coopetition Strategies. Routledge Companion. https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters
Bengtsson, M., & Raza-Ullah, T. (2017). Paradox at an Inter-Firm level: A Coopetition Lens. In W. Smith, M. Lewis, P. Jarzabkowski, & A. Langley (Eds.), Oxford Handbook of Organizational Paradox: 296-314. Oxford: Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780198754428.013.16
Raza-Ullah, T., & Eriksson, J. (2017). Knowledge Sharing and Knowledge Leakage in Dyadic Coopetitive Alliances involving SMEs. In S. Sindakis, & P. Theodorou (Eds.), Global Opportunities for Entrepreneurial Growth: Coopetition and Knowledge Dynamics within and across Firms: 229-252. UK: Emerald Publishing Limited. https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/978-1-78714-501-620171015/full/html
Conference Contribution
Raza-Ullah, T., & Kouamé, S. (2023). Linking coopetition paradox with firm performance: The roles of emotional capability, ambivalence and unintentional knowledge leakage. European Group for Organizational Studies, Cagliari, 6-8 July.
Bengtsson, M., Manzhynski, S., Stål, H., & Raza-Ullah, T. (2021). Out of the ashes and into the fire? Organizing mechanisms navigating multiple paradoxes in cross-sectoral collaboration for sustainability. European Group for Organizational Studies, Amsterdam, 8-10July.
Raza-Ullah, T., & Bengtsson (2020). Does size matter in achieving private and common benefits from coopetition? European Group for Organizational Studies, Hamburg 2-4July.
Raza-Ullah, T., Bengtsson, M., & Gnyawali. D. (2019). Managing the dark side of coopetition. Presented at the European Academy of Management, Lisbon, Portugal, 26-28 June.
Bengtsson, M., Raza-Ullah, T., & Bouncken, R. (2019). The Paradox Perspective and the Interplay of Cooperation and competition. Presented at the Strategic Management Society, Palermo. Italy, 21-22 June.
Raza-Ullah, T., (2019). The power of 'both/and': simultaneous trust and distrust in inter-firm coopetitive alliances. In: BAM2019 Conference Proceedings: Building And Sustaining High Performance Organisations During Uncertain Times. London: British Academy of Management. ISBN 9780995641327
Raza-Ullah, T., Bengtsson, M., & Gnyawali. D. (2018). Experienced paradoxical tension in coopetition and firm performance: The moderating role of coopetition capability. Presented at the European Group for Organizational Studies, Tallinn, Estonia July 5-7.
Raza-Ullah, T. (2017). Emotions…Really? The Role of Emotional Ambivalence, Acceptance Response and Balancing Capability in Explaining Tension–Performance Relationship in Co-opetition Alliances. Presented at the European Group for Organizational Studies, Copenhagen, Denmark, July 6-8.
Bengtsson, M., Raza-Ullah, T., & Vanyushyn, V. (2014). Linking coopetition tensions with performance: The mediating role of ambidexterity. Presented at the European Institute for Advanced Studies in Management. Umeå, Sweden, May 22-23.
Bengtsson M. Johansson, M., Näsholm, M., & Raza-Ullah, T. (2013). A systematic review of coopetition: levels and effects on different levels. Presented at the European Academy of Management, Istanbul, Turkey, June 26-29.
Raza-Ullah, T., & Bengtsson, M. (2013). Tension in paradoxical relationships between firms. Presented at the European Group for Organizational Studies, Montréal, Canada, July 4-6.
Thesis
Raza-Ullah, T. (2017). A theory of experienced paradoxical tension in co-opetitive alliances. Doctoral dissertation, Umeå University. Series B, No. 97, ISSN 0346-8291. http://www.diva-portal.org
Press expertise
Coopetition (competitor-collaborations)
Trust and Distrust
TMT diversity