![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.bridge-global.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/07\/successful-150x150.jpg\" "\\"K\\"")
I recently heard a great presentation of Amanda Crouch<\/a>, partner at\u00a0Global Business Partnership Alliance<\/a>\u00a0.She identified 7 steps that lead to real collaboration in an outsourcing relationship.<\/p>\nAn interesting statistic that underscores the importance of \u2018relationships\u2019: 70% of performance\/delivery problems have relational root causes. On top of that, a United Nations 2010 study shows:<\/p>\n
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- 80% failure rate for an ad hoc collaborative approach<\/span><\/li>\n
- 80% success by investing in collaborative capability<\/span><\/li>\n
- 50% of alliances and partnerships fail<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
An important question is ‘what do you mean by\u00a0collaboration?’ Wikipedia\u00a0says: Collaboration<\/strong>\u00a0is working together to achieve a goal, a deep, collective, determination to reach an identical objective. This \u2018objective\u2019 is thus at the center of any collaboration; the purpose, vision and objectives should be clear to all people involved.<\/p>\n
Amanda Crouch has developed a framework to picture the 4 levels involved in creating \u2018collaboration\u2019, with the objective in the center as the starting point:<\/p>\n
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What I find most striking about the model is that it focuses mainly on the \u2018soft side\u2019 of cooperation: the people and the relationships. Instead of directing attention to systems, tasks, operational procedures and rules, the research shows that we can improve results by making better connections on a human level. We need to ensure that all people involved look in the same direction, work towards the same objective, share a certain mindset (values) and show certain behavior.<\/p>\n
The purpose of the cooperation then becomes collaboration instead of \u2018finding a partner that says yes sir, no sir\u2019. The mindset becomes \u2018teamwork and empathy\u2019 instead of competition and challenge\u2019. The central ingredient becomes \u2018trust\u2019. We can understand the level of trust from the terminology used:\u00a0
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.bridge-global.com\/blog\/\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/07\/vendor.jpg\" "\\"vendor\\"")
<\/a><\/p>\nTo increase the chances of success in collaboration, we need to focus on 5 steps:<\/p>\n
1.Change \u2013 Purpose, values and believes, capability, environment<\/p>\n
2.Invest \u2013 Time, money and energy<\/p>\n
3.People \u2013 Skills development<\/p>\n
4.Relationships \u2013 Importance and dependency<\/p>\n
5.Governance \u2013 measures to ensure adoption<\/p>\n
An addition to the model could be \u2018feedback loops\u2019 (which could be part of governance): continuous feedback to show whether the people involved have the desired behaviors, mindset and dedication. These feedback loops can be created at different levels in the organization. There can be tactical\/operational feedback on the level of the person who does the \u2018real\u2019 work. Another level can be strategic\/process-oriented feedback on management level to track alignment with the core purpose of the cooperation and the desired behaviors of the operational team.<\/p>\n
I believe that these 5 steps can greatly increase the chances of success in outsourcing and specifically in offshoring. In any initiative, the collaborating companies need to be clear about the destination (purpose\/vision), be ready to dedicate sufficient time and money, get the right people in the right seats, invest in building relationships between the people involved and ensure that people show the desired behavior and create the desired outcome.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
- 80% success by investing in collaborative capability<\/span><\/li>\n
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