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Understanding Collaboration

Effective collaboration can help companies to make the most of internal and external alliances to achieve long-term objectives and business success - -

CONTENTS

Introduction: Playing the tune of shared success

In the age of globalisation, where business is conducted across borders, cultures and sectors, collaboration is changing the way companies manage their relationships

Choosing the right type of transaction is the key

Collaborations are more flexible than M&As, and enable companies to access specific skills. But organisations need a broad strategic armoury and must be adept enough to employ the right transaction for any situation

Using collaboration to fuel the ideas factory

An effective collaboration process can help enable the cross-pollination of ideas between internal business units and with external partners, suppliers and even customers

Putting the house in order

Many big organisations can find it more difficult to collaborate internally than with outside partners. But companies need to be active in nurturing and exploiting internal networks and ideas

Teaming with outside partners to hit the target

Collaboration with external companies, including competitors, can take many forms. Such relationships require agreeing on the extent of the collaboration, defining shared goals and a relationship built on trust

A broad constituency

Public sector collaboration means dealing with a range of stakeholders and coping with the political issues

The power of difference

Collaboration often entails working with companies across national and cultural borders. Businesses need to consider the cultural and regulatory differences when deciding their long-term collaboration strategy

People are the DNA of successful collaboration

As with any business process, collaboration will only be successful if companies are able to engage and involve their employees in implementing it. After all, businesses don’t collaborate, people do

Case study: Airline alliances

Global airline alliances were among the first collaborations, but they have yet to achieve their full potential

Case study: Areva and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries

Two nuclear energy companies need each other

Case study: Welsh Water