But true strategic alliances require effective management to realize their true potential, and given the time and energy required for traditional partnerships, this is more difficult than it seems. Choosing the right partner for the right project requires in-depth knowledge of partners` sales, marketing, and project data, as well as an understanding of their customers and the overall solutions they are looking for. How do you know if a partner is really strategic for your business? In general, it meets one or more of the following criteria: There are times when two heads are better than one. If you`re working with another company on a project, a strategic alliance agreement is exactly what you need. It is a formal agreement between two or more companies that have agreed to share resources in a particular project in order to create a competitive advantage. The agreement is often used to share products, distribution channels, manufacturing capacity, project financing, capital goods, knowledge, expertise or intellectual property. While the partners, unlike a joint venture, have the same goal, each company remains independent for the duration of the alliance. A strategic alliance agreement has several advantages. Your business may be able to grow and develop faster if you focus on the areas that best suit your skills. You can also access knowledge and resources that you didn`t have before the Alliance. A strategic alliance (see also strategic partnership) is an agreement between two or more parties to pursue a set of agreed objectives that are necessary while remaining independent organizations. Strategic partnerships have also emerged to solve many of the company`s business problems. The book Vested: How P&G, McDonald`s and Microsoft are Redefining Winning in Business Relationships[2] describes strategic partnerships in large-scale business process outsourcing relationships, public-private infrastructure projects, facilities management, and supply chain relationships.
Modern strategic procurement and procurement processes allow companies to use performance-based or acquired procurement business models to build strategic relationships with suppliers. [3] There are different types of strategic partnerships, each offering its own benefits. Before entering into a strategic partnership, think about which of the following business relationships would be most beneficial for your business: However, when companies talk about strategic alliances, they are referring to a much more flexible structure. A contractual strategic alliance arises when two or more companies sign a contract to pool their resources and jointly seek mutual benefits. This agreement is less costly and less burdensome than share purchases and joint ventures. Instead, the two companies remain autonomous and explore new opportunities together. Creating strategic partnerships can have many benefits. As Robert M. Grant in his book Contemporary Strategy Analysis states, “For comprehensive strategies, as opposed to individual projects, option value creation means positioning the company in a way that makes a wide range of opportunities available.” [4] Companies that leverage strategic partnerships can leverage the strengths of other companies to make both companies stronger in the long run. There are several ways to define a strategic alliance. Some definitions emphasize the fact that the partners do not create a new legal entity, that is, a new company.
This excludes legal forms such as joint ventures from the field of strategic alliances. Others see joint ventures as possible manifestations of strategic alliances. Some definitions are given here: cooperation agreements can also be concluded at an informal level. The agreement partners can come together to develop a strategic response to various social or community concerns. Local, regional or national collaborations may take place between social organizations or charities. The mission of each partner can be defined in a non-binding form. Sometimes these types of cooperations are formed to promote the exchange of information between authorities or governments. There are three types of strategic alliances: joint venture, equity strategic alliance and equity-free strategic alliance.
There are many ways to start a strategic partnership, but if you decide to enter into one is the right decision for you, you should consider the following general steps you can take: Another thing to keep in mind is that strategic partnerships can also mitigate risk. This means, for example, that if you choose a strategic manufacturing partner who operates a plant and insures its employees, you are exempt from the responsibility of operating a similar plant yourself. A strategic partnership is a business partnership that involves sharing resources between two or more people or companies to help everyone involved succeed. Strategic partners are usually non-competing companies and often share both the risks and opportunities of both companies` decisions. The same logic can be applied to a variety of different products, so it is worth considering in many situations. If you want to enter into a strategic marketing partnership, you need to look for a referral with whom you share a customer base or business that operates in a related field and can market your goods or services to a new audience. At first glance, you may not have much in common with a proposed strategic partner – few would have imagined how successful a partnership between a coffee shop and a bookstore could be. But if there`s room for you to give and get something in return, then the relationship might be worth exploring. One type of popular (and extremely valuable) alliance is the strategic supply chain partnership.
One of the most obvious places where you can see strategic supply chain partnerships in action is the film industry. If you`ve ever noticed that the opening credits of most movies list various strangely named companies before the movie starts, it`s because movies are usually made using a supply chain method. A relatively small production company takes care of the filming and post-production, and a larger studio takes care of the financing, marketing and distribution of the film. Think of J.J. Abrams` Bad Robot and Paramount Pictures, which maintain such a partnership agreement. This is also why the various strategic partnerships we have mentioned in this article are between some of the biggest names in the industry. Joining forces in a strategic partnership has worked for big players like Nokia and Microsoft, and with careful planning, it can also work for your business. It all comes down to taking the plunge and saying “I want” to a strategic partnership agreement. However, a strategic alliance can carry its own risks. While the agreement is generally clear to both companies, there may be differences in the way companies do business.
Differences can lead to conflict. If the alliance requires the parties to share proprietary information, there must be trust between the two allies. At this stage in the life of a strategic alliance, an internal structure emerges under which its functions develop. During its operation, the alliance itself becomes its own new organization with members of the original companies with the aim of achieving all the previously defined objectives and improving the overall performance of the alliance, which requires effective structures and processes as well as good, strong and reliable leadership. The budgies must be linked, as well as the most strategically important resources, and the performance of the Alliance must be measured and evaluated. [9] [26] Agreement between pharmaceutical company Abbott India to market Zydus Cadila medicines throughout India. An agreement like this allows any business to focus on what it does best. .
