Newsletter - June 07
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There are three GBPA Special Interest Forums (SIFs) in London
during July. All these events are morning sessions (09:00 to
12:45):
To
register for any of these SIFs, contact Sue O'Connor soconnor@gbpalliance.com
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Following the recent publication of GBPA's Discovery on
'Organisational culture - its impact on successful partnering', the new Discovery is underway. Members have selected 'Aligning partnership
objectives' as its focus. Misaligned objectives are frequently cited as a
cause of stress or failure in partnerships. This GBPA Discovery project takes as its starting point several assumptions:
In
these circumstances the alignment of objectives is less about changing any
one partner's thinking (and hence behaviour), and more about discovering
the full ambit of interests to each stakeholder. Within this context one
may then frame overall objectives that are inclusive of the main interests
of the parties, or devise mitigation measures to deal with areas where the
interests are in opposition.
This GBPA Discovery project will seek to explore the extent
to which the objectives of different stakeholders in partnership
relationships are known, how closely they align, the relative importance
and influence of different objectives, and the route by which the
objectives were discerned.
If
you would like to get involved by contributing your thoughts and
experience on aligning objectives, please contact Dave Percival dpercival@gbpalliance.com.
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by
GBPA chairman Philip Anderson
Two main themes struck me at the FT Global Outsourcing and Offshoring Conference - Relationships and measurable outcomes. They seemed to be right brain and left brain oriented. The first day, when I spoke about the need for effective key
collaborative relationships for successful outsourcing or offshoring, was
very much a right brain day. There were interesting presentations and
discussions on the 'smart client', managing the arrangement across the
organisation, on human resourcing challenges, and even something on
innovation too.
The rest of the conference was definitely a left brain day. There
were explorations of what to do when it all goes wrong - the theme of a
recent GBPA event - captives, the new outsourcing territories, and
creating value. It was topped off in amusing style by futurologist Peter
Cochrane, who shared thought provoking views on the future of
IT.
Members can read Philip's insights in the next issue of our member
magazine, Connects.
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When GBPA members got together to explore experiences in dealing
with Intellectual Property, it was clear that most organisations tend to
take a protectionist stance towards existing IP. Collaborative
relationships require a different approach to IP: a collaborative
approach. During the session, such an approached was explored and the
issues this raises. Many key points emerged, such as the need for the
business to have an active interest in the IP, not just by its lawyers. IP
needs to be regarded as a business asset.
It
was also clear that certain things need to be in place from the start,
such as discussing and agreeing early on how IP will be handled. Though IP
may not appear to be an issue for you, as the deliverable is not core to
your business (eg a bank utilising software), you need to be sure that you
can continue using the deliverable if ownership of the IP changes. Also,
agree before you start what you'll do if it doesn't work out - have a
clear exit strategy.
Other learning points emerged on what to do 'on the journey' when
working with a partner, and these plus more are in the 'Learning nuggets'
from this session available to members on the members area of the GBPA
website.
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According to a recent PWC survey, Outsourcing Comes of Age: The
Rise of Collaborative Partnering, partnership rather than procurement
is the new path to effective outsourcing.
The observation is made that outsourcing now involves an extended
network of relationships that require more transparency, better
communication, greater trust, and genuine reciprocity. And that success in
this environment will heavily hinge on shifting the customer-service
provider relationship from adversarial to collaborative; from one based on
procurement to one grounded in partnership.
The PWC survey indicates a tangible payoff to collaboration. Those
outsourcers who customers identified as high collaborators were more
likely to be open minded, enabling them to better manage around barriers
to outsourcing, were more willing to support the use of many
suppliers/providers, and tended to support shared risk and reward over
traditional commercial terms.
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Last month's CEO Refresher featured an article by GBPA chief
executive Amanda Crouch. Collaboration is the key to success, according to
Amanda, but only with the right attitude. In the article she lists the top
10 fundamentals for successful partnerships.
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We look forward to the participation of members and their colleagues in the GBPA programme during the year. As always, please contact Sue O'Connor for more information or to register for 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
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