The Partnership Blog

To EU, or not to EU, that is not really the question

2011-12-16T11:26:00.001Z

I’ve been reflecting on the challenges ahead for one of the most critical and complex partnerships the world has seen; the European Union.

The UK’s decision to prevent a re-drawing of the European Treaty through use of a veto was perhaps not a surprise. Perhaps the greater surprise was the lack of other countries ready to express their concerns. Time will tell if others that remain party to the inter-governmental agreement currently under development will be able to remain party to it. Already there seem to be cracks appearing between the Eurozone and Non-Eurozone countries along the lines that prevented the UK from signing up.

But as a case study of partnership working, the events over the past week or so are really interesting. Here’s my take, in the context of the collaboration cycle.

Connecting

Accusations have been made that the UK delegation at the summit did not engage enough with colleagues in France and Germany, particularly. So perhaps David Cameron was at fault and hadn’t done enough connecting for this important summit.

Having said that, Cameron did meet with Nicolas Sarkozy and Angela Merkel. It’s difficult to believe the British PM did not express his concerns about a new deal then. If he didn’t, then he fell at the first hurdle. Establishing wants and offers at the connecting stage can be a vital action in smoothing any future outcome.

Contracting

The fact that there was such apparent surprise at the UK position was in itself a surprise. Much of the blame for the lack of a contract with which to move forward involving all EU states, has been directed at David Cameron. (It’s interesting to note that Labour and Lib Dem politicians haven’t really come up with an alternative other than “we would have talked more.”)

Given the UK’s position in the EU and the significance of financial services to the UK economy, the question has to be asked of France and Germany, why they didn’t pose the questions to their UK partner. It’s not as if both countries have never focused on their own interests before that of their European partners! Perhaps this also goes back to their connecting with David Cameron; perhaps they could have done more too.

We know that contracting is a continuous process, and an initial agreement was made on the actions necessary to begin the process of creating a framework for those countries inside and outside the Eurozone to work together on the financial issues. That agreement still has to be ratified in a number of national parliaments and could give rise to further re-contracting.

So we sort of have an initial contract that is really about working out what the final contract should be for some of the partners.

Collaborating

Well, one thing that happened in the collaborating phase was that the UK and the rest agreed not to collaborate; at least on the issue being discussed at the summit.

Of course, good partnership practice says we can both compete and partner with the same stakeholder. In any case, the UK – as the German Chancellor has stated - remains a significant player in all other aspects of the EU, and therefore collaboration continues.

It is also interesting to note the role that the UK will play in the ongoing financial framework discussions; an “observer” role. One could argue that the UK was now well placed to provide brokering support to the ongoing discussions. But, politics will, I’m sure, prevent that from happening.

Closing

Normally, one would expect a review now: lessons learned, what can we do next, and indeed, we have already seen this happen at a multi-national level and certainly within the UK parliament. And there remains little doubt that rightly, the UK will continue to engage with its European partners across a range of critical issues.

* * * * *

Partnership working is hard work, and what we have witnessed is the impact of tension within two key partnerships; the European Union and UK Coalition Government. This situation certainly looks to be the biggest test for the EU to date; at least until the next biggest test!

One thing is for sure, the reality of joint working is plain for all to see; at the national and European level. We can work more closely with our partners on one issue than on others. And on some, we will compete. But holding the tension between these situations and enhancing its creative energy is, and will continue to be critical for the partnership’s ongoing success.

When is a Partnership Development Manager not a Partnership Development Manager?

2011-11-25T15:08:00.002Z

It’s funny, I noticed a recruitment ad for a Partnership Development Manager and I thought, I wonder what the job looks like; what activities will the successful candidate be expected to undertake? What capabilities will the employer be looking for?

So I looked into the detail.

It started quite well: “Your overall objective will be the delivery of profitable growth of Corporate Partnerships through the acquisition and implementation of new business within the Financial Services sector.”

There were some high level specifics which all looked consistent with my understanding of what a Partnership role should entail, but then it started to take a familiar turn.

It described targets (my words) as “prospects” and talked about an expectation that the role would “develop and deliver pitch presentations and manage tender responses.”

Hhmmm! It's beginning to sound like Account Management or Business Development. I read on.

“You`ll be an experienced strategic sales professional seeking the next step in your career with a market leader in their set. You`ll have a demonstrable track record in new business development with a track record of securing major new business wins from targeting to closure.”

Ah! They came clean – it’s about developing new business not necessarily partnerships.

They are looking for good market technical knowledge, good stakeholder insight, “outstanding relationship management skills and proven track record at negotiating complex programmes at a senior level,” and, “a professional business developer in a sophisticated B2B environment.”

Funny, no mention of developing business to the mutual benefit of own and client organisation and the consumer. No indication that someone to be called Partnership Development Manager had experience of developing, co-creating and leading partnership work.

OK, it’s a bit of a hobby horse of mine; but I do wish business would differentiate business development and account management from partnership working because they are not the same.

Looking forward to next week's KAM Summit

2011-11-15T11:48:00.003Z

I’m looking forward to next week’s KAM Summit with Eyeforpharma. It’s a great opportunity to network as well as catch up with what’s going on in the KAM arena.

My interest is particularly in the collaborative working aspects of KAM; how that manifests itself back into the (pharma) organisation, because my sense is that is where many of the challenges lie for the industry.

I’m also interested in listening to what’s different and what hasn’t changed. And, I’ll be fascinated to see if there are some signals that organisations – or more realistically perhaps some individuals – are looking at to consider future implications for KAM, as certain drivers become more or less impactful or uncertain.

For me, economics, consumerism, the commissioning and provider landscapes look to be near to mid-term game changers, based on my futures work.

Issues such as longevity, demographic change and supporting, diagnosis and treatment technology become relatively more significant the further into the future one looks. All of these issues will undoubtedly impact upon commissioners and providers and change the way they perceive value provided by their suppliers, including what we see now as the pharmaceutical industry.

Perhaps all that seems a long way into the future; and for operationally focused market affiliate organisations, it probably is. But I would argue that those companies considering these issues now; making informed choices about the near, mid and long term futures for their organisations and the conversations they have with the stakeholders, will increase their chances of success.

To find out more about my own futures work into healthcare or enquire about consulting support and training in partnership development and collaborative working , please complete the contact form or see me at the conference!

Another Roundtable discussion: What are the drivers and hurdles for the development of KAM in the future?

2011-11-08T16:38:00.008Z

I enjoy working with the folks at Eyeforpharma, and that’s why I’m facilitating another Roundtable Discussion at the Key Account ManagementEurope Summit later this month. The whole summit takes place between the 21^st and 23^rd with the Roundtables on 23^rd. I generally find the Eyeforpharma events very interesting and the programme for this one looks no different.

The issue of KAM is interesting to me because of the more collaborative nature of the relationships that need to exist between the seller and the buyer; and because of the sense of fashion I get about the pharma industry’s use of the approach. I believe there are a set of competences and capabilities required that are not necessarily met by successful sales reps; strategic thinking, consulting, for example.

With a depreciative hat on, one might say that the industry has not got KAM right; it's not FMCG, after all. Customers and other stakeholders might not want it. The imperative for collaboration between industry and NHS is largely accommodated within account management teams, but do the functions of selling and partnering sit comfortably enough together? In the same role / person?

On the other hand, an appreciative perspective might be that the significant change in how the industry is seeking to do business with the NHS was always going to be evolutionary rather than revolutionary, and the changing face of pharma sales and collaborative working has in reality come on quite a way in a short period of time.

Time will tell how the KAM implementation is / was regarded by NHS stakeholders.

So the overarching question I'm posing is: What are the drivers and hurdles for the development of KAM in the future?

There are lots of supporting questions – in part based on my Healthcare Systems Futures work - but here are a few I'll use to stimulate discussion and debate:

How might KAM evolve between NHS providers & commissioners?

Who will be your Key Accounts in the future?

What are the predictors of in how KAM might evolve in pharma?

Why is KAM so essential to pharma?

How will we recognise the right form of KAM?

How has our KAM working practice evolved within our organisations and how do we expect it to continue to evolve?

What room will exist in the market place for new healthcare providers and what are the implications for pharma KAM?

How will customers and other stakeholders welcome and regard KAM from pharma?

What part will health consumerism play in a KAM approach?

If you want to know more about this event, contact Theo Fellgett at eyeforpharma on 0207 3757591 or by email.

To find out more about my own futures work into healthcare or enquire about consulting support and training in partnership development and collaborative working , please complete the contact form or see me at the conference!

What are the drivers for NHS collaboration in the future? A Roundtable discussion

2011-09-09T16:50:00.000+01:00

I’m currently preparing to facilitate a Roundtable Discussion at Eyeforpharma’s Engage with the new NHS conference on 27^th / 28^th September in London.

The topic of the discussion is: What are the drivers for NHS collaboration in the future?

There are a number of questions – in part based on my Healthcare Systems Futures work that I intend to pose to stimulate debate, including:

What are the predictors of how we will collaborate in the future?

How will we recognise the right form (depth and breadth) of collaboration?

How has our collaborative working practice evolved within our organisations? How do we expect it to continue to evolve?

Could cross-public sector collaboration squeeze out the private sector?

How does public / private sector joint working support the rise of health consumerism?

How might product and service be packaged in support of joint working with the NHS?

What role can the private sector play in facilitating the interface between commissioners and providers?

What room will there be in the market place for new providers and what are the implications for pharma?

If you want to know more about this event - and Eyeforpharma events are normally very good - contact Mariana Flores Serrano at Eyeforpharma on 0207 375 7190 or by email.

To find out more about my own futures work into healthcare or enquire about consulting support and training in partnership development and collaborative working , please complete the contact form.

Only partnership working will resolve the Libyan crisis for Libyans

2011-03-01T11:11:00.000Z

It is interesting to observe the current political turmoil across North Africa and the Middle East. Information revolution seems to me to be behind a strengthening desire for freedom of expression and access to (relative) wealth and opportunity.

So what has this got to do with partnership? Well, the situation in Libya is perhaps the most striking example. As a historically tribal society, it would seem that the coming together of tribes opposed to Col Muammar Gaddafi and his tribal and mercenary alliance hold the key to unlocking the door to a free and fair society in Libya.

The tribes and their leaders opposed to the eccentric dictator will have to consider the form of collaboration they want, perhaps based on an assessment of the nature of their goals - are they individual or collective; and the clarity of their goals – are they clear and predictable or are they uncharted and uncertain.

Perhaps the brave protestors in Tripoli, Benghazi and elsewhere are hoping that the tribal leaders’ goals are NOT individual and clear, as a go it alone approach could spell the breakup of the country and even civil war.

The issues are complex; goals (some at least) seem to be collective, and logic suggests they will be uncharted and uncertain, so perhaps the opportunity for the co-creation of a new Libyan state will be the rewards for true partnership. The stakes are that high.

Roundtable Discussion: Partnership working – reality or fallacy?

2010-12-09T12:07:00.006Z

At last week’s Eyeforpharma KAM Conference in London, I facilitated a roundtable discussion entitled as above.

As ever, I’m fascinated by people’s experiences of collaboration and partnership; and of the pharma industry and NHS’s almost schizophrenic perspective on the issue of partnership. On the face of it, this looks like a criticism, but it’s not.

From the pharma perspective, the whole process of changing the nature of the business interaction with an increasingly diverse stakeholder base is so complex and leads to evolution rather than revolution in approach. The uncertainty and complexity of the situation is faced by an industry that has until recently thrived on certainty and science, and the straight-forward proposition that a clinical effectiveness conversation with a prescriber is the pre-requisite for commercial success.

The NHS continues its struggle to come to terms with pharma as not being all bad. For many in the public sector, working with pharma yields may positives but there are strong conservative perspectives too. Nevertheless, the NHS is one of the most experienced organisations at collaborating – albeit with other public sector bodies – and in working with private sector providers of public health services; for example, GPs and retail pharmacists!

You can learn more about the collaborative working landscape between the pharma industry and the NHS in my report: http://www.nhspharmacollaboration.blogspot.com/.

To stimulate the discussion at the conference, which was fundamentally about partnership within the context of KAM, I posed five questions:

How do you recognise and stimulate collaborative working in your own organisation?
How does the organisation support collaborative working with customers?
How do KAM and Partnership working relate – or not?
What aspects of collaborative working need to improve in your organisation?
Why are most of the exemplars of good collaborative working practice the same ones that have been used for a number of years now?

The feedback from the discussions fell into five themes:

Organisational commitment to collaboration and partnership working
Tension between pharma and NHS
Understanding our customers / partners
Success factors
Capability and competence

Here is the feedback:

If you want to know more, contact me via the contact form on my website.

Eyeforpharma KAM Summit - Registration News

2010-11-04T13:46:00.002Z

As a follow up to my last post, Eyeforpharma do have a number of Gold Passes remaining at a 50% discount rate of €995.

It genuinely looks a good programme to me, including a Bayer led workshop focusing on the alignment of KAM in the UK to Europe, presentations from the Department of Health and the NHS and my roundtable discussion on Partnership Working - Reality or Fallacy?

To take advantage of this special rate, email Kate Eversole at Eyeforpharma. You can also see the latest confernce brochure here.

Partnership working – reality or fallacy?

2010-11-01T11:30:00.000Z

I thought I’d mention the Eyeforpharma Key Account Management Europe Summit 2010 as I’m hosting one of the Roundtable Discussions.

Partnership is the issue we’ll be discussiing, specifically: Partnership working – reality or fallacy?

I’m very much looking forward to the meeting; eyeforpharma tend to put on a good show and I’m delighted to be participating. It will be a great chance to re-new some acquaintances and make some new ones.

The subject of partnership for pharma seems to come round regularly but application of the approach as a way of doing business is patchy at best. Having said that, it’s easy to be critical of this situation but you have to put the evolution of collaboration between pharma and the NHS in the context of a business relationship that has remained unchanged and been maintained by the stakeholders on the basis on mutual self interest for a generation.

The industry has yet to get its collective head around what it means by partnership and where it sits within their organisations. It is interesting to note that many companies have opted to give responsibility for partnership to their Account Managers who have a sales role. I’m not sure that’s the right place; but where is?

The NHS are more experienced in joint working (I wouldn’t call it partnership) than I think they think they are! Health organisations (PCT’s, Hospital Trusts etc) have had to working with other public bodies to deliver local health care; social services, local authorities etc. And the imperative to continue to do so is never been more apparent than the current economically motivated re-structuring.

So partnership working is a complicated beast and we clearly won’t come up with too many answers in one roundtable discussion. We will however use the time to share some perspectives, share our experiences and perhaps consider these questions:

How do you recognise and stimulate collaborative working in your own organisation?
How does the organisation support collaborative working with customers?
How does KAM and Partnership working relate – or not?
What aspects of collaborative working needs to improve in your organisation?
Why are most of the exemplars of good collaborative working practice the same ones that have been used for a number of years now?

In addition, I have some of my own independent research we can use as stimulus and if you are intending to come to the summit and would like the roundtable discussion to address a particular question, feel free to get in touch by email.

See you in London.

Partnership in Government

2010-05-12T16:38:00.001+01:00

Until now, I have been a casual observer of politics in the UK but the recent General Election has truly captured my interest, and particularly in how collaboration (partnership?) has been identified as the response to an indecisive electorate and the challenges facing the country.

I confess to being very sceptical that a truly collaborative deal was possible between the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats (and time will tell if my initial scepticism was valid). But for the time being, the early signs are encouraging.

The essence of good partnership practice is respect, mutuality and honesty. Collaboration is widely recognised to provide individuals and organisations with a means to achieve goals that they could not realise on their own.

Today’s unprecedented press conference in the garden at 10 Downing Street has started to reveal some of these collaborative working principles at the heart of the agreement between the two governing parties.

The Oxford University Press says that coalition is:

a government formed by two or more political parties working together; or
a group formed by people from several different groups, especially political ones, agreeing to work together for a particular purpose.

The definition of partnership that I follow says:

“Partnership is a way of working between two or more organisations which aims to achieve a shared goal that would be difficult to achieve alone. It is based on sharing rewards, resources, responsibilities and risks, and respects the fundamental differences that each partner contributes.”

So the overlaps are clear.

Some of the interesting characteristics of the new coalition in government in the UK are the clear similarities and differences that exist between the parties. Clearly, the negotiating teams have focused on the stakeholder needs, the similarities in their respective manifestos, the deal breakers and embraced the creative tension to arrive at a workable programme.

So it’s a coalition – a partnership – of similarities and difference. It’s an emergent situation – particularly with question marks as to how the deal will be perceived by the party activitists of both parties – a calculated gamble by both leaders – and one based on an apparent positive personal chemistry between David Cameron and Nick Clegg.

Interestingly, the parties have agreed to continue normal political behaviour outside the coalition government – competing at by-elections for example – and to maintain the culture, principles and values of the two separate party organisations.

As the birds sang out across the garden at number 10, our new Prime Minister David Cameron said that he and his new partner were working towards a “progressive partnership.”

“This (the coalition) is much more than what might have been,” if the Tories had tried to form a minority administration, for example. This is, “Two teams trying to form one strong government,” he added.

The leader of the Liberal Democrats and now the Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg added that the two parties are: “united by a common purpose,” and that the “good government” they are seeking will be, “underpinned by a common purpose.”

Whether or not the policies are ultimately proven to be effective and successful or costly and failures, is another debate. For now, and out of a complex and uncertain situation (often a start point for partnership) the language of partnership has become part of main-stream political speak; this time with a sense of authenticity, rather than fashionable rhetoric.

I look forward to seeing how this particular partnership – this collaborative government venture - develops. After all, we are all stakeholders in this one!

Tools – The Collaboration Cycle

2010-05-12T15:27:00.003+01:00

Collaboration / partnership is an intervention that evolves on the basis of existing relationships and a shared business need and that it creates new possibilities and opportunities which wouldn’t otherwise exist.

This framework helps practitioners to navigate their way through the collaboration process, paying attention to the nature of the relationships, conversations and activities that need to take place to ensure desired shared outcomes are delivered to the partners concerned and potentially to other stakeholders.

The entry point to this framework for an organisation is likely to be a business idea or problem that it doesn’t feel it can resolve effectively by working alone.

There are four stages to the Collaboration Cycle:

CONNECTING is bringing organisations together: this involves identifying & selecting potential collaborators, understanding the differences and developing connections between values, styles, wants and offers.

CONTRACTING is creating a framework between parties that outlines what each party is expected to contribute in terms of resources, what each party will gain in terms of reward, what risks each party is prepared to take on, and what responsibilities each party will have.

COLLABORATING is designing, developing & delivering the mutual goals of the parties. This phase is a critical time when parties need to hold the inherent tensions of conflict and creativity. It is important that learnings are shared and implemented as quickly as possible.

CLOSING is reviewing the collaboration: what worked well, what didn’t work so well, what new capabilities have been created, what new opportunities have arisen through the collaboration?

See our website at http://www.informingchoices.com/.
Contact me by email.

Defining Partnership

2010-05-12T11:47:00.002+01:00

It seems sensible to me to start with some of the fundamentals of partnership; the underpinning values, why partnering is an option in the private and public sectors and how I define it.

The fundamental requirements for partnering are a relationship based on the values of:

honesty / openness;
respect - of the partner and their views and ideas); and
mutuality - an appreciation of the need for successful partnership to deliver equitable value to the parties involved and often other stakeholders.

But considering the high costs of setting up and maintaining these collaborations, why do organisations collaborate? Collaboration is widely recognised to provide individuals and organisations with a means to achieve goals that they could not realise on their own. This is because collaboration typically provides:

access to complementary skills, technologies, expertise, capabilities, networks; and
an opportunity to share the risks and costs of developing new products & services and entering new markets.

So how do I define partnership? This definition does it for me:

Partnership is a way of working between two or more organisations which aims to achieve a shared goal that would be difficult to achieve alone. It is based on sharing rewards, resources, responsibilities and risks, and respects the fundamental differences that each partner contributes.

Introduction and Intentions

2010-05-12T11:40:00.001+01:00

This is an occasional blog about my experiences and observations of collaborative working and partnership.

I’ve been thinking about starting to blog on the issue of collaborative working / partnership for some time. In my professional life, I spend a lot of time thinking about it, talking about it and facilitating it. But a recent conversation with a friend and former colleague convinced me that now is the time to share my perspective.

Given the recent outcome of the General Election and the formation of a coalition (partnership ?) government, it seemed even more pertinent.

My intention is to start by sharing some under-pinning values and a definition of “partnership”. A lot of this has been informed by my experiences with a former employer as a Partnership Development Manager and by my ongoing experiences as an independent management consultant in the field.

I also find my views constantly challenged, re-enforced and evolving and the blog will also help me to reflect on that evolution too.