An organization is a living organism that needs to form winning relationships with other entities for survival and growth. In a hyper-competitive economy, ability to create and sustain fruitful collaborations creates vital competitive leg up. Collaboration is as old as history of business and existence, but to master the art requires a conscious strategic effort.
Why Collaborate
There are significant reasons to include collaboration as a staple part of corporate growth strategy. Companies have used alliances to acquire new technologies, skills, access to marketplaces and much more. The most cogent argument in favour of collaboration is that it helps companies develop in a short time the capabilities which would be impossible to develop otherwise.
Top 6 factors to consider before collaborating:
- Fear of Missing out: Sometimes working together is a clear win, but even if it isn’t, collaborate, as it may still be better than allowing someone else to take your place.
- Protect Your “Secret Sauce”: A collaboration must not imperil your trade secrets and intellectual properties and leave you at a severe disadvantage.
- Clear Division of Gains: A clear agreement on sharing of gains can avoid many conflicts.
- New Value Creation: A successful collaboration must create new value, and thus sustainable competitive advantage. A mere exchange of value may not be worth it.
- Collaboration is about Present as well as the Future: Beyond the immediate rationale, as synergies evolve, they open doors for new and unimagined possibilities. Strategic myopia is not advisable.
- Mindset of Nurturing: The effort of controlling a collaboration does harm to both parties. Together the relationship needs to be nurtured.
When to Collaborate — 4 Strategic Principles for Successful Collaboration
Here are 4 Strategic principles that should guide collaboration:
- Divergence of Competitive Goals for Convergence of Strategic Ones
Partners contribute to mutual prosperity, by not entering each other’s business territory. Philips and Du Pont collaborated to make compact discs, and prospered as they honored the upstream/downstream division of effort and never entered into other’s business territory. - Neither party has a special sauce at risk
Apple and Samsung, Philips and Du Pont did not have any trade secret at stake. - Sharing Special Sauce to Create New One and Beat Competition
Consider the case of Ford and GM, in 2013, who agreed to share transmission technologies, and freed their engineers to work on electric vehicles. This made them excel in the present market as well as work for the future together. - Can Take on the Market Leader Together
Two small companies in alliance can fruitfully join forces to take on the leader. The success of this collaboration is more likely and long term because both partners benefit from their mutual stand that hurts the leaders.
To read More about the art of collaboration: read our blog
