Is Business Strategy a Non-Zero-Sum Game?

Is Business Strategy a Non-Zero-Sum Game?

I found that a ZERO-SUM GAME is a game with a clear winner and one or more clear losers. The more outcomes or results one player receives, the fewer outcomes or results are available for the other players. In other words, in zero-sum games the total benefit to all players in the game, for every combination of strategies, always adds to zero.
In a NON-ZERO-SUM GAME on the other hand, there is not a fixed pie of outcomes or possible results, there is an opportunity for all players to maximize their outcomes simultaneously. In a worst-case scenario the outcomes of one player do not remove outcomes from any other player. And in a best-case scenario, the outcomes of one player may be interdependenty linked to the maximization of the other players' outcomes.
Often (typically) business strategy is seen as a zero-sum game, but it has elements of both game types ... What are NON-zero game characteristics of business strategy?

		Comments Sort by date Sort by rating Rating
		0 Ian Sutherland, UK
	Rational or not As I understand it, game theory persumes that players on the same side have the same motivation. In ... Sign up

		0 Mary, USA
	Assumption of Utility Indeed Ian, another game theory assumption is that all participants are motivated inherently to maxi... Sign up

		0 Jaap de Jonge Editor, Netherlands
	Utility variations Note that there could be conflicting group and individual utilities and short-term and long-term uti... Sign up

		1 srikanth, India
	Business is a NON-zero sum game I think the definition of "ZERO SUM GAME" by Ryan is slightly wrong. A "ZERO SUM GAME " is a game i... Sign up

		0 Richard D. Cushing, USA
	Free Market Exchanges I would add to and extend srikanth's (India) statement to say this: All real-life business exchange... Sign up

		0 Gillion Utens, The Netherlands
	Game Theory literature Recommended literature on this subject: Robert Axelrod - The evolution of cooperation (1981). Or wat... Sign up

		0 Bas, Netherlands
	Differentiation As was said in the article, this is just a simplification. In the real world, no two consumers are t... Sign up