SDC PhD student receives EliteForsk travel grant

Every year outstanding Danish researchers are celebrated with the awarding of EliteForsk prizes and travel grants from the Danish Ministry of Higher Education and Science. This year SDC PhD student Annesofie Lindskov from Roskilde University is among the winners.

Is the world becoming hypercompetitive? Many scholars contend that competition has intensified over the last few decades, making industries around the world more competitive and dynamic. Business leaders are therefore encouraged to adapt to this new ‘hyperworld’. But what if these scholars are wrong?

In her PhD project, Annesofie Lindskov is looking into this question and she has now been awarded the Elite Research Travel Grant in the value of DKK 200,000 to pursue research stays at two leading US universities within market competition and strategic management.

‘Of course the grant provides me with new opportunities, but for me the acknowledgement is just as important. I was nominated by my supervisor, my Dean, and the Prorector of Roskilde University which was already a great honour. And to be among the winners is just fantastic,’ says Annesofie Lindskov.

A lack of data and clear results

She plans to join research environments at the University of Kentucky and Michigan State University where some of the leading scholars within competitive dynamics are found. She is looking forward to learn from them, ask critical questions, and to be challenged on her point of view.

‘I belong to the smaller group of researchers who are critical towards hypercompetition as a global and universal phenomenon of the competitive environment. The empirical methodologies and results are inconsistent, but the number of scholars citing hypercompetition as the environmental situation is increasing. Therefore we risk business leaders adapting to ‘wrong’ interpretations of the competitive environment and in worst case scenarios it leads to a deterioration of their competitive position,’ says Annesofie Lindskov and emphasises that business leaders risk to accept temporary advantage as the best that can be achieved.

'As a PhD student you often question both whether the quality of your work is good enough and the your pace of progress is high enough etc. Therefore an acknowledgement like the EliteForsk prizes travel grant means a lot to me and tells me that I am going in the right direction’, says Annesofie Lindskov.

She acknowledges that external shocks like the global financial crisis, COVID-19 and the dot-com bubble may cause a situation that calls for prompt decisions from the industries to survive. However, the question is if quick competitive actions continue to be necessary or if there will be room for building long-term competitive advantages again?

’I am looking into the competitive development in Europe, US, Japan, and China since 1980. I try to find empirical evidence of change in the nature of competition towards hypercompetition. My preliminary results lead to a caution against the use of hypercompetition, as a universal label for the competition worldwide. Therefore, managers may still be able to make long-term strategic plans.’ says Annesofie Lindskov.