Tweet

A Business Alliance is Not a Marriage - Part 3

Written by: Jeremy Tucker

Article Overview: “What kind of team building can we do to get both sides of our business alliance working better together?” “How can we get them to trust us more?” “As partners, shouldn’t we be looking at the balance between risk and reward equally?”

A Business Alliance is Not a Marriage - Part 3

A Business Alliance is Not a Marriage - Part 3

By Victoria Tucker, June 2007

Step 7. Clarify Roles & Responsibilities

Along with your project charter (see Step 2), take time to thoroughly flesh out a roles and responsibilities assignment matrix. Who is doing what and to what degree of decision making is critical. Nothing worse than an alliance member coming back and saying “But I thought you were going to do that!”

What to do? Create a RRAM or RACI chart. Clarify decision makers and degree of authority on both sides of the alliance. Do this for each key project associated with the alliance.

RRAM = Roles & Responsibilities Assignment Matrix (click here to download a free template)

RACI = Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, Informed


Step 8. Shared Pool of Meaning

I’m reminded of a former student of mine who worked for a company created as a joint venture between Hewlett Packard and Kodak in the San Diego region during the mid 90’s. He recounts the story of how during company presentations, there were actually two screens used with two simultaneous PPT slide decks. One screen in the room referenced the vernacular of HP, the other – Kodak. You can imagine how long this company lasted.

What to do? Don’t assume that your definition of Targeted Outcome is the same as your alliance cohort. You need to spend time talking through key points and meanings until each side understands the other. Use stories, anecdotes, or illustrations to convey and codify your meaning. Ask better questions of your counterpart to get at any underlying meaning he or she may have on key topics. Creating a shared pool of meaning only happens when you spend a decent amount of time in one-to-one conversations.


Step 9. Adopt the Author-Edit Rule™

For those in life science industries and high tech R&D enterprises, it’s amazing to me how many brilliant people are sitting waiting for someone else to tell them what to do. “If only my manager would provide the updated roadmap for our department, then I would know what direction to move toward.” “I’m waiting for Samantha to clarify her parameters for the product portfolio.” “Chi-Lu was supposed to fill me in on his plans three weeks ago, but I’m still waiting.” Savvy people twiddling their thumbs equates to loss of productivity and decreased motivation.

Anticipate vs. react.
In alliances, you need to be thinking well ahead rather than hoping all works out well.

Anderson Cooper, reporting on the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, stated that as he interviewed city and state officials, there appeared to be a common phrase – they “hoped”. He then went on to say that “vision requires more than hope… it requires a plan.”

There’s an interesting rule we’ve discovered. We call it the Author-Edit Rule™. If you author a plan, a concept, a project or an action and then respectfully submit it to your manager and or your peers for their edit, you’re likely to get much more of a response than if you simply sat back and waited for them to create the thing.

What to do? You be the author of next steps in the alliance project. Is there ambiguity? Lack of clarity in direction? Take a stab at what you believe would be the most reasonable approach to take. Put it on the table with your counterparts and ask them to edit your plan.

At the very least, you’re likely to engage them in a much better conversation than if you simply sat back and waited for someone else to do the work. Also, when you take a more active role in authoring, you end up creating guidelines, and parameters that, in many cases, others end up adopting.

Related Articles
  “Your Strategic Thinking Coach’s List of Ten Key Components of Effective Strategic Alliances”
  Strategic Alliances
  A Business Alliance is Not a Marriage - Part 1
  Stop Divorce Proceedings and Repair Your Marriage
  How to Build Successful Strategic Alliances

Article Tags: alliance member, anecdotes, assignment matrix, brilliant people, business alliance, company presentations, counterpart, d enterprises, decision makers, free template, joint venture, key project, life science industries, project charter, roadmap, roles and responsibilities, rram, step 8, two screens, vernacular



Related Forum Posts
Funny one liners! - Hi there, There are people who are very good in telling One Liners. Here is one: Originality is the art of concealing your sources. or another one: Marriage is not a word. It's a sentence. I wonder if some has some more to make us laugh? Regards Beat
My entry - 1. The Best Business Books Ever: The 100 Most Influential Business Books You'll Never Have Time to Read - this is a fascinating book about the history of Business theory, and I'd recommend it to anybody. 2. The Big Book of Small Business: You Don't Have to Run Your Business by the Seat of Your Pants, by Tom Gegax. Ditto. 3. PADI: The Business of Diving Book Okay, so this book won't be of use to anyone who doesn't want to start a scuba store, but I did, and this book was of course invaluable to me in reaching that goal.
Business Coaching Internship Review - I joined in during the first phase of the internship and at this point we are committed to doing research and development of RSC Business Group operating in Toronto. RSC Business Group already has products and services in Coaching Small businesses in Los Angeles but we didn't want to assume that the same products were wanted and needed in the Toronto market. Our goal at this point is to commit to interviewing 1000 business owners to capture this data. Through the teleconference internship I've been involved in we've been focusing on Communication Skills and on active listening which are practiced when we conduct our interviews and Coach our clients when they come on board. This is a lot harder than it sounds! Part of the internship is also creating the Toronto RSC Business Group's departments, job descriptions, Marketing and Communication plans etc that a business owner would create for their own company. This trains us in the way we would coach a company as well. The internship is phased in two parts and there is compensation plan involved as well for the clients you personally bring in. These clients are coached directly by Robert Chun as you begin but you are given a chance to learn his techniques. I haven't gone through this experience yet though. It's hard to explain Robert Chun's method of Coaching as it happens at a psychological level in his ability to listen and question the person being coached into the next steps they need to take. The Teleconferences are 2 hours long but it's very interactive. If you have a desire to explore this area of Business I'd recommend contacting Vwodek listed above and get invited to a Coaching Conference call. You can decided then if it's for you. Note: it is a commitment but the skills you walk away with whether you plan on working with RSC Business Group or not is invaluable.
Patent information - I'm also interested in Part 2. Thanks.
Re: How to Promote Your Business Online - Good info ZekeLL, but I'm confused about this one. Could you explain it in further detail when you have time? Alliance Marketing Let’s go back to the business attorney example. Who are his clients? Mostly startups. What do startups need? Well, maybe a website, office space, office supplies, and startup money. He could have arrangements with web designers, office space owners, office supplies vendors, and investors.


Share this article with your friends. Fund someone's dream.

Leave a comment below or share on the left and you'll help support entrepreneurs in Africa through our partnership with Kiva. Over $50,000 raised and counting - Please keep sharing! Learn more.

Tweet

Newsletter

Get advice & tips from famous business
owners, new articles by entrepreneur
experts, my latest website updates, &
special sneak peaks at what's to come!

Name:
Email:

Popular Articles

10 Steps to Excelling at Franchise Sales

Adjusting Your World

ROSI Return on SUNK Investment

Suggestions

Email us your ideas on how to make our
website more valuable! Thank you Sharon
from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for
your suggestions to make the newsletter
look like the website and profile younger
entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez.