Becoming a Partner of Choice—Challenges Beyond the Alliance
By Philipp Bastian
In alliance management, we often focus on the specific collaboration we manage. We engage in early negotiations, familiarize ourselves with the partner’s details, successfully execute joint kickoff meetings, establish a charter, conduct smooth governance meetings, achieve top grades in health checks, and deliver outstanding collaboration results.
With everything running smoothly, it might seem as though there is nothing to worry about for the alliance manager. However, an alliance does not operate in isolation; it exists within a larger organization, such as a therapeutic area or regional hub, which influences the collaboration.
As an alliance manager, it is my responsibility to ensure awareness of the rights, restrictions, and obligations involved in the collaboration. Ieducate my team, and we adhere to these guidelines diligently. Nevertheless, these contractual details can be so extensive and comprehensive that they might not be known to everyone in the company, yet they do impact other parts of the organization.
Throughout my professional life, I have encountered numerous instances where decisions made outside an alliance impacted the alliance itself. For example, internal targets were agreed upon that did not align with the external agreement; resources were cut despite commitments; and exclusivity provisions were not adhered to.
Necessary Capabilities Outside the Standard Alliance Framework
To not only deliver on the alliance but also assure the partner that all agreements are upheld, I have identified three areas of optimization: 1) Technical, 2) Organizational, 3)Cultural.
Technical. Agreements often include clauses that require certain access rights on a need-to-know basis. Confidential data from the partner must be protected. Furthermore, after termination of the agreement, shared data, know-how, and IP of the other party must be safely deleted. Before the first email is sent and the first file is saved, it is essential to ensure that the IT systems are properly set up to fulfill these requirements. Even after years of intensive collaboration, one must be able to identify the shared data. Keep all alliance data on dedicated, separate server structures or drives, and share data only on a need-to-know basis via links. Do not let alliance data contaminate your organization, as this could lead to the risk of co-invention or legal disputes later.
Organizational. Sometimes decisions are made outside your scope of influence by internal governance bodies that you may not be part of. It is important to ensure that alliance management is represented in governance and decision-making bodies within your company. Ensure that rights and restrictions are reflected in the meetings and that the obligations of your agreement are known to the decision-making bodies. This can be achieved by maintaining close connections with key stakeholders of the meetings and having strong support from senior management and C-level executives. They need to consider the indirect/consequential impact of their decisions on alliances and maintain close contact with the alliance managers.
Cultural. “If you can’t collaborate internally, you can’t collaborate externally.” This principle emphasizes the importance of fostering a culture of trust, transparency, and a collaborative spirit within your organization. This cultural shift is the most challenging aspect to implement, as it requires changing long-standing habits and attitudes, but it is also the most impactful. By embedding these values, you create a solid foundation for successful alliances. When your internal teams work seamlessly together, this collaborative spirit naturally extends to your partnerships, enhancing trust and reliability.
Extending Partnering Capabilities to Become the Partner of Choice
Once you have signed an agreement, you are at the heart of delivering what you agreed upon. With a structured alliance management process, you are equipped to deliver, and it goes without saying that this is the basis of alliance management. However, by having the three above-mentioned partnering capabilities in place that go beyond the “classical” alliance management skills and capabilities, you give your partner additional confidence that you are committed to collaborations and treat the collaboration seriously. You ensure that partnering is in your company’s DNA and that partners can trust you and your company for years to come.
This article was written by Philipp Bastian, Director Alliance Management at CureVac SE.
About the alliance leadership spotlight series
The alliance leadership spotlight series is a joint initiative of The Association of Strategic Alliance Professionals (ASAP) and allianceboard. It aims to showcase Alliance Management professionals taking the lead in addressing challenges and driving alliance success - to share experiences in the alliance management community.
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