Back to Newsletter Archive

Newsletter - June 09

Partnership eNews

- news & views from the Global Business Partnership Alliance

This month
	> WELCOME > Partnering to enhance patients' quality of life > Partnering to provide outstanding customer service > Managing the Generation Gap - 24th June > Using our Linguistic Toolkit - 9th June > Climbing out of Silos - 1st July

Sign up for eNewsletter

Quick links
	> GBPA NEWS > GBPA's Relationship Healthcheck > More on events > GBPA services

Building relationships to deliver business value

> WELCOME

It is easy to lose sight of positive initiatives as the economic environment continues to be challenging. But the pulse is not just beating in most businesses; many have taken significant steps to establish stronger relationships with their key suppliers and customers. They are learning how greater and more sustainable value can be created through greater transparency and collaborative relationships. In this Partnership eNews we identify some of the significant enablers for success that a Pharmaceutical company and a Clinical Research Organisation (CRO) based in the US have embraced to build a successful partnership; and what has enabled a European fund management business and its provider of administration services to confidently take their relationship forward to ensure the highest possible quality customer services are provided. Each is motivated by the ultimate beneficiary of their relationship. In the case of the Pharma-CRO it is patients whose quality of life will be enhanced by their endeavours. For the fund management business and its partner, they recognise that they can provide industry leading quality of services to customers from which both parties will benefit, and which will create a rewarding environment for their staff. These organisations, and many others with whom we work, see the opportunity in this economic downturn to take the lead in their sector and proactively build a more trusting partnership relationship that enables them to best serve their customers. Well managed, with the key enablers to partnering success in place, this galvanises their people and creates the excitement and positive mindset to exceed delivery expectations. Also in this Partnership eNews, we invite you to participate in a range of upcoming GBPA events, which include how to harness the collaboration power of the Net Generation, how to utilise our linguistic toolkit to achieve relational breakthrough, and how to ensure we create a silo-free environment as we adapt our organisations to be better equipped to perform effectively. We hope we will see you soon at one of our events, and wish you well for the summer. Do get in touch if there are any particular areas that you would like to explore with us. Amanda Crouch CEO Global Business Partnership Alliance

> Partnering to enhance patients' quality of life

Pharmaceutical companies and their external clinical research organisations (CROs) are not renowned for truly collaborative and trusting partnership relationships. There is often an assumption that the CRO will not continuously meet requirements, and it is not uncommon for clinical trials to get pulled and sourced elsewhere rather than building the necessary understanding to ensure long term relational success. GBPA is working with partners Customized Improvement Strategies (CIS) in support of a Pharma in the US which has chosen a major CRO with whom they are embarking on proving that a value-adding partnership can be built. These are early days, but some significant enablers for success have been or are being addressed: The partnering CRO have been selected after a very thorough selection process facilitated by CIS against clear objective criteria, and a wide constituency of the Pharma's staff were involved in the decision process, which helps ensure organisational buy-in subsequently There is senior executive sponsorship at the highest level, who are pledged to maintaining their support with well constructed governance and communications processes There is a very clear description of what the relationship will look like and how it will work when the true partnership state has been achieved, with a clear timeline for achieving it that both organisations are committed to realising There is a committed Pharma-CRO team engaged in the first clinical trials that is leading the way in learning and developing best practice in the relationship from which other teams will be able to benefit There is a hunger to understand 'how well are we doing so far' and on what do we need to focus to move the relationship forward, for which GBPA's Relationship Healthcheck has been utilised Across the critical professional and functional areas (eg relationship management, medical practitioners, procurement, project management) the leading individuals are building relationships, and exploring each organisation's approaches and processes to identify how best to integrate and work together. More than anything else, they have identified the greatest possible motivator for success. Both parties know that if they can transform the way they develop best in class medicines, they will more quickly be able to enhance patients' quality of life. And this will attract the best talent in the industry to work with them on this mission.

> Partnering to provide outstanding customer service

Outsourcing its customer contact services is not a decision taken lightly by a fund management business - as the experience of interfacing with a fund manager's customer relations team is a key influencer of investor confidence in the institution. A leading player in this field, and longstanding GBPA community member, took this decision and implemented the transition late last year. In working with both parties, it is clear that they have each separately and together created the greatest possible foundations for success that are already bearing fruit in a more collaborative relationship that is leading to the continuing delivery of high quality customer services, and the development of a mutually rewarding relationship. Some of these success factors are: The supplier of investor-recordkeeping services and systems had created considerable confidence in the client through successfully providing retail administration services to the fund management business over several years The leaders of both businesses had the vision and belief that they could create a more collaborative relationship that would ensure the successful outsourcing of the customer contact services In preparation for outsourcing its customer contact services, the client utilised GBPA's Cultural Assessment Framework for Successful Partnering to explore areas of compatibility and difference so as to address key areas likely to influence effective deeper collaboration Both leaders continuously tend to the key enablers for building trust through their mutual commitment, the confidence and respect they demonstrate, and the clear and transparent communications they practice - thereby providing the role modelling behaviours to their teams that is ensuring transparency and mutual confidence is building through both teams A few months after transferring its customer services people, the leaders jointly commissioned a GBPA Relationship Healthcheck to enable both parties to provide clear feedback on critical elements to partnering success. The Relationship Healthcheck surfaced areas of great strength and some misalignment, as well as issues which, if not addressed, would severely undermine the relationship's potential for true partnering success GBPA facilitated a joint workshop with the key players from both teams to orientate them to the learning from the Relationship Healthcheck, and to help them agree how they wished to work together, agree a compelling ultimate goal for their relationship, and identify the enablers and blockers for achieving this. And then introduced and utilised techniques for dealing with the issues, that they discovered they could unblock and resolve when they adopted the appropriate mindset and approach. The teams are now striving to work as a partnership rather than customer and supplier, and are committed to making it firm and strong. In their own words: we're committed to solve issues so that 'we don't go to bed on an argument', and ensure that the relationship can continue to flourish in support of our customers. This example, and many others, indicates that in these tough economic times it is the organisations that proactively reach out to their key suppliers to build a more trusting partnership relationship that enables them to best serve their customers that will take the lead in their sectors. Well managed, with the key enables to partnering success in place, this galvanises their people and creates the excitement and positive mindset that is lost when otherwise absorbed in the pursuit of cost short term reduction. To find out more about building successful partnering relationships, please contact Amanda Crouch

> Managing the Generation Gap - 24th June

How do you harness traditional management skills, new technologies and the collaboration power of the Net Generation (those under 30 years of age)? Whatever our age, this is either a challenge or significant opportunity depending on how well equipped we are to maximise the collaborative capabilities of the Net Generation and to utilise technologies that can fundamentally redefine the way we live and work. During this morning event we will explore: The skills and mindset needed for successful leadership in this new environment, and the commercial opportunities that are emerging What it means to have a connected and collaborative business environment The expectations of the Net Generation and how can organisations respond to them and harness their collaborative approach to deliver business success How to separate fads from the real commercial tools that will enhance the future organisation The event will be highly interactive, and there will be an opportunity to participate in a real time experience which is designed to highlight the issues and provide direction as you develop your strategy to manage the future of your business. It is on Wednesday 24 June, commencing at 9.00 am followed by buffet lunch at midday, and is being held at New Broad Street House, 35 New Broad Street, London EC2M 1NH To participate, please contact Magda Pansegrouw

> Using our Linguistic Toolkit - 9th June

If language is not correct, then what is said is not what is meant; if what is said is not what is meant, then what must be done remains undone; if this remains undone, morals and art will deteriorate; if justice goes astray, the people will stand about in helpless confusion. Hence there must be no arbitrariness in what is said. This matters above everything. - Confucius The GBPA Special Interest Forum in London on 9 June (09:00 to 11:30) will focus specifically on how our communication at work can be understood as a series of "linguistic acts". At this session we will explore our own use of these linguistic acts and how these can lead to either breakthrough or breakdown conversations. To register, please contact Magda Pansegrouw

> Climbing out of Silos - 1st July

As we aim to adapt our organisations to be better equipped to perform effectively, how often do we find that we have created new silos or are still hampered by existing ones? How can you overcome the consequent negative impact on internal collaboration? This GBPA Special Interest Forum in London on 1 July (09:00 to 11:30) will focus on the techniques we can use to avoid silo creation and improve collaboration. We will also consider the differences between silos and teams, and internal structures that promote collaboration. To register, please contact Magda Pansegrouw Find out more about GBPA Events