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Newsletter - January 07

GBPA eNewsletter

- news & views from Global Business Partnership Alliance

January 2007

This month
	> UK events start with culture > FT Partnerships for Innovation Dinner > GBPA Special Interest Forums > GBPA contracts lunch > GBPA Netherlands: executive roundtable > Looking back at 2006 > GBPA in the press > GBPA partnership skills workshop > Latest GBPA Discovery project

Quick Links
	> Benefits of membership > Join GBPA > Learn about GBPA Discovery projects > More on GBPA skills programmes



Have you made a New Year resolution? Here at GBPA, ours is to communicate relevant points of interest on a regular basis to all members. This eNewsletter is the start of that commitment - and our Connect member magazine will follow soon.We have a packed programme of exciting and relevant events planned for 2007. And we hope that you and/or your colleagues will be able to attend, as participation in GBPA events is the most effective way to gain access to the broad expertise of GBPA and its members, and discuss collaboration issues and solutions with your peers.

> UK events start with culture

The GBPA calendar of evening events starts on 30 January with Culture - is it really that difficult? The event is being hosted by GBPA member Mischon de Reya at their London office with guest speaker Neil Urquhart. Neil has extensive experience in facilitating intercultural and multicultural programmes. Each time GBPA members discuss partnerships, the issue of culture arises as a significant challenge. This event will cover: Key cultural values - typical values in key countries and how to use these as pointers to respond to crises or to initiate change Three categories of cultures - and how these shape behaviours Key cultural concepts - how values learned in early life entrench our approach to such things as time, status and leadership How culture influences communication patterns, listening, body language and manners How relationships between different cultures can develop as time moves forward. Register for this event, contact Sue O'Connor soconnor@gbpalliance.com For more information on Neil ...

> FT Partnerships for Innovation Dinner

To coincide with the World Economic Forum, the Financial Times is hosting an exclusive Executive Dinner Forum on 25 January in Davos, Switzerland. Guests at the FT Partnerships for Innovation Dinner will debate agenda setting issues, including: What are the partnerships, cross-industry, cross- border, and public-private collaborations, which will create the competitive industries and markets of the future? What are the challenges, organisation structure and and essential ingredients for ensuring the success of such collaborations? What is the promise and potential of science and industry /public- private sector partnerships, and what needs to be done to improve the climate for such ventures? What are the new global hotspots for collaboration and partnerships in R&D, and how can Europe compete with emerging innovation centres such as China, India and Russia? The event is limited to a small number of C-level executives. Chairman Philip Anderson will be attending on behalf of GBPA. C-level GBPA members interested in attending should contact alex.gayle@ft.com Find out more ...

> GBPA Special Interest Forums

The following SIFs are planned for January and February: Strategic Alliances: 23 January 09.00-11.30 Working in collaboration with a strategic partner is a very different proposition from working with customer or supplier partners. Successful strategic collaborations require a focus on several key areas, such as mutuality of objectives, alignment of goals together with compatible organisational structures. During this session we will highlight issues experienced in these areas and seek to determine effective solutions. Customer Supplier Collaboration: 25 January 09.00-11.30 Innovation is the key requirement that customers want from their supplier organisations. However, what do customers mean by innovation? And how easy or difficult is it for suppliers to respond? During this session we will explore this topic from both the customer and supplier perspective. Internal Collaboration: 7 February 09.00- 11.30 GBPA is currently undertaking a Discovery project to determine the key elements which an organisation needs to have in place to establish an internally collaborative culture. During this session, we will explore some preliminary findings. Relationship Management: 28 February 09.00- 11.30 Language and communications are key criteria when establishing effective relationships, but how do we know what language to use or how good our communication skills really are? GBPA have conducted extensive work in this area and will facilitate the session to identify key issues in these areas. Register for one or more SIF contact, Sue O'Connor soconnor@gbpalliance.com Read more on SIFs ...

> GBPA contracts lunch

At a GBPA recent event When should you take the door market exit? significant interest was expressed in whether it was possible to approach contracts in a different way. We are, therefore, pleased to invite you to attend a lunch on Friday 9 February (12.00-14.00) hosted by Stephen Ashton at Dresdner Kleinwort's offices together with Kiran Sandford from legal firm Mishcon de Reya to discuss this subject. There are only eight places available for GBPA members at this special event, so please register your interest early with Sue O'Connor soconnor@gbpalliance.com

> GBPA Netherlands: executive roundtable

Establishing and Maintaining Effective Collaboration The dos and don'ts in a cross- enterprise environment Working with other organisations to achieve true collaboration is a difficult task. The failure to establish effective collaborative relationships has a direct impact on an organisation's growth opportunities and profits. However, partnering with other organisations is a necessity in a globally competitive environment. During this session we will explore what collaboration really means and what companies can do to improve their collaborative capabilities and approach. This session will particularly focus on companies who collaborate in joint IT projects to benefit from an innovative, competitive or cost advantage, so as to identify why these joint IT projects often fail or do not meet the expectations of the companies involved. Register for this event, contact Sue O'Connor soconnor@gbpalliance.com

> Looking back at 2006

2006 was busy with GBPA events in the Netherlands and UK. In addition, chairman Philip Anderson (far left) and chief executive Amanda Crouch (far right), attended a number of member conferences as guest speakers or to facilitate workshops in India, Spain and Mexico. While it may look like they are playing snakes and ladders here, they are actually facilitating a workshop at a multi vendor conference in Mumbai. Why the snakes and ladders? GBPA used this well known board game as a practical visualisation of the highs and lows in the business relationship journey. Did you know? Snakes and ladders originated in India as Moksha- Patamu.

> GBPA in the press

This month's What's New in Marketing (the eNewsletter of the UK's Chartered Institute of Marketing) features an article by chief executive Amanda Crouch. It's never been easier for the competition to catch you napping, Amanda says in the article, and she suggests how marketers can avoid this by looking to partner with other companies to get new ideas. Read on...

> GBPA partnership skills workshop

6 February: This all day workshop is for senior managers with responsibility for developing and sustaining key business relationships. The session will focus on real case studies, and provide participants with an opportunity to identify those areas of their relationship which are working well and those which are not. Participants will be able to actively address the areas of concern in the session and develop a practical action plan. Please identify colleagues who you feel will benefit from joining this event. Register for this event, contact Sue O'Connor soconnor@gbpalliance.com Read more on GBPA skills workshops ...

> Latest GBPA Discovery project

GBPA's latest Discovery project is exploring the attributes of corporate culture that support the successful formation and operation of partnership relationships. Partnership typically involves the cross- fertilisation of ideas, information, skills, function and people across organisational boundaries. Corporate culture ("the way we do things round here") may be conducive to incorporation of such external influences, or may act as a substantial barrier. The project will: identify the key internal elements which help establish collaborative cultures highlight the obstacles which prevent the development of these key elements produce a framework for GBPA members to assess whether their organisation's culture is conducive to developing collaborative relationships. If you would like to get involved by contributing your thoughts and experience on how your organisation's culture impacts the ability to successfully partner and collaborate - both internally and with others - please contact Dave Percival dpercival@gbpalliance.com More on Discovery projects ...

We do hope that you and/or your colleagues will be able to attend these events, and we look forward to your continued participation in the GBPA programme this year. As always, please contact Sue O'Connor for more information or to register your attendance at an event. soconnor@gbpalliance.com

With best wishes from the GBPA team

Global Business Partnership Alliance

email: pbaines@gbpalliance.com

phone: +44 (0)1279 722949

web: http://www.gbpalliance.com