How can you align your innovation strategy with your alliance partner?

A study by the WEF shows that collaboration can lead to several benefits for innovation, including increased speed, improved quality, and reduced costs. Partnerships are a powerful way to drive innovation and business growth. Working together allows two businesses to pool their abilities, knowledge, and creativity to create something fresh and innovative. You can choose a partner with whom you share a common vision. It would be best if you were enthusiastic about the partnership's potential and committed to working together to achieve your goals. Could you check if the partnership matches your organization's overall plan? The partnership should not be from your primary business but rather a means to expedite speed growth and innovation.

Uno de los principios fundamentales para lograr una adecuada alianza estratégica es conocer cuál es la orientación o propuesta de valor de la alianza a formar, para este fin es necesario establecer una mesa de conocimiento o de participación abierta. Esta mesa tiene como finalidad darse a conocer en los aspectos básicos como son misión, visión, valores, y metas empresariales, buscando establecer una pauta común respecto de las actividades a desarrollar.

Before diving into how the alliance might work, you need to figure out the why clearly: Why are we doing this together? It is about taking a step back to fully grasp your partner's strategy and objectives, ensuring you have a clear picture of their overall direction. This mutual understanding allows for a more effective collaboration, as it highlights areas where both parties' ambitions and strengths intersect. It is only when you have done this that you can tailor your innovation strategy to complement your partner's goals and capabilities. The ultimate objective is a partnership that leverages the best of both entities.

Often, companies form partnerships to stop competitors from copying and replacing them. However, while the threat of copying should be addressed in the area of value, the response to substitution should be found in strategies at the business level. Companies that opt for strategic alliances should generally implement changes at the strategic level, including organizational structure, procedures, and, most importantly, commitment across all levels. The areas in which partnerships should be built should be defined by companies based on their general strategy and objectives.

La metodología PMO es una de las más comunes en el desarrollo, consecución y ejecución de proyectos, sin embargo, para poder sacar el máximo provecho de esta medida de trabajo es importante diferenciar el tipo de escalabilidad que tiene. Esto debido a que en una alianza empresarial es necesario diferenciar los objetivos de la alianza versus los objetivos propios de cada entidad. Asimismo, establecer las métricas conjuntas a desarrollar.

Have a clear understanding of how you will measure success. This will allow you to monitor your progress and ensure the partnership meets requirements. It would be best to be prepared to adapt and change as necessary. It is imperative to exhibit flexibility and be ready to adjust your approach as necessary, as circumstances may only sometimes align with the initial plan.

Algo muy útil en este tipo de desafíos está en las limitantes establecidas bajo contrato, en el cual se plantean cuáles serán las acciones, participación, entre otras de cada uno de los actores. Sumando a esto los planes de contingencia necesarios a fin de salvaguardar la imagen, calidad, entre otras que se pudieran presentar en el corto, mediano o largo plazo.

Según mi experiencia cuando se trata de alianzas empresariales hay que definir bien qué es lo que se busca con el partner. Esto debido a que cada empresa tiene un potencial y alcance diferencia dentro de su core del negocio, asimismo, las participaciones tanto económicas, sociales y de integrantes de equipo.

Whatever innovation strategy I have in mind, I normally throw into the PREPS formula and share on biweekly repeat - Point | Reason | Example | Point | Segway. I try to align the reason and example parts with my partners’ goals and ambition. Anytime we talk and the convo gets to a relevant point, I reiterate my PREPS pitch. I’d stay patient for a while and wait for the result.