Focus not butterfly thinking!
It is quite clear in our first post in this series back in November that our interviewee did not have a clue what collaboration was all about. For years commonly held simplistic views have only led to a lack of success and frustration. Of course, this doesn’t apply to you because you’re organised to collaborate and you have strong leaders and everything is going swimmingly, isn’t it?
“Their financial system planning cycle reduces the relationship to fire-fighting. It's impossible to plan ahead.” UK Defence Supplier
“Their customer support and the design people appear to be rivals and we notice a poorer service as a result.”
“Our Contract people agreed to the price change without reference to us.” UK Defence Customer
The collaboration concept has been popular because of the potential value that is widely talked about. But, almost all of the guidance available points towards Vendor Management or Customer Management, not working on an equal basis with a partner. And lo and behold the results are disappointing.
“The name Vendor Management and their practice of sticking to the old Ts&Cs are not seen as aligning with collaborative working”. Global IT Outsourcer
“They were supposed to be a trusted partner but because of the problems we have reverted to instructing them.” Global Oil and Gas Company
Collaboration is different. Often due to its innovative nature it can be considered a ‘maverick’ operation that is outside the norm. It’s all about customisation and new products and services that may not exist elsewhere; turning one and one into three or more! It therefore needs a different style of management.
“The original break thru atmosphere was brilliant and we even signed a relationship charter but when we got down to the practicalities of doing business we are again walking through treacle.” UK Defence Supplier
Get it right and you will reap these rewards
· An efficient team bringing together the many parts of the joint enterprise into a single ‘machine’ for delivering high value goods, services and projects
· An environment in which innovation will thrive based upon trust, commitment, cooperative behaviour and good management
· A single agreed vision for the business with a unified view of the operation to achieve the best outcomes.
Hopefully we have convinced you that collaborative working needs the systematic management that we have described time and again. If you don’t have this then you are not collaborating and you will not pick the low-hanging fruit that are there before your eyes.