Partnering  &  Alliancing  (Collabora2on  Services)  

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Content Page About Excellence in Business 3

Partnering & Alliances 4-6

EiB Collaboration Services •  Transformational Route Maps (TRM)

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Baselining and Strategic Development •  BS11000 •  Cultural Assessment Framework •  Behavioural Assessment Toolkit •  EFQM Excellence Model

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Relationship Management •  Establishing Effective Relationships •  Behavioural Development •  Leadership in a Collaborative Environment •  Mediation and Conflict Resolution •  Managing in a Collaborative Environment

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Performance, Innovation and Improvement •  Continual Improvement

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Procurement and Supply Chain Management •  Procurement •  Joint Ventures •  Supply Chain Management

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EiB Partnering and Alliancing Clients 16

EiB Professional Services supports organisations involved in the commissioning and delivery of public services to identify, select and embed the most efficient and effective service delivery model.                    

                 

                                               

About Excellence in Business

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Too often partnerships and Alliances start with good intentions but fail to deliver targeted outcomes. They often become a label on traditional contracting models, masking what can be an adversarial relationship. Successful partnerships and alliances can deliver significant benefits including improved customer service and substantial cost savings. Success requires an entirely new way of doing business, founded on a strong approach to collaboration amongst all partner/alliance members. Our approach to the ‘Relationship Journey’, necessary to achieve effective collaboration ensures: •  Clarity on the purpose of collaboration, including the establishment of clear outcome/impact

focused objectives and performance indicators; •  Each organisation understands their individual baseline position, as well as the collective

position of the alliance; where the alliance is going; and the journey (workstreams) that will be required to ensure the required transformation;

•  All partners/alliance members have the capability and capacity to operate in the context of a collaborative based partnership/alliance;

•  Directors, managers and staff have the skills and competencies to work in a collaborative environment;

•  The partnership/alliance releases the potential and innovation of organisations, teams, individuals and the supply chain in order to improve efficiency and effectiveness;

•  Waste and inefficiency in structures, systems and business processes are eliminated; •  The sharing of best practice and organisational learning (knowledge management).

Partnering  &  Alliancing  

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Partnering  &  Alliancing  –  Keys  to  success  

Forming Partnerships & Alliances

•  Establishing the desire and capacity to partner.

•  Facilitating strategy development - vision, values, behaviours & priorities.

•  Structuring and forming joint boards and management teams.

•  Coaching and mentoring the leadership and management teams.

•  Benefit Management - assessing the risks and rewards.

•  Developing and aligning partner/alliance behaviours.

Collaborative Working

•  Establishing the transformational route map.

•  Developing a joint Relationship Management Plan (RMP).

•  Aligning the approach with the principles of BS11000 (compliance or certification).

•  Implementing a collaborative working ‘competence and skills programme.’

•  Cascading collaborative working into the supply chain.

•  Monitoring and sustaining Partnership/Alliance health.

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Partnering  &  Alliancing  

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EiB Collaboration Services

The alliancing/partnering journey starts with each organisation ensuring it is has the internal capacity, capability and competence to operate using this business/service delivery model. The Journey is about establishing and then delivering the changes and transformations that must be undergone to move from a traditionally adversarial and confrontational relationship to that of genuine collaboration. Transformational Route Map Our approach to supporting this journey helps the partners/alliance members to create a Transformational Route Map (TRM), which describes the start point of each organisation and the partnership/alliance as a whole. It creates a clear and shared vision of what the partnership/alliance wants to achieve through collaborative working; and sets out the actions (within workstreams) that will be required to achieve the desired transformation. EiB facilitate the production of the alliance’s route map. The TRM is developed by the partners/alliance members to ensure commitment. It provides a powerful communication tool as well as a baseline against which progress and on-going ‘relationship health’ can be monitored and evaluated.  

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Baselining & Strategic Development

Successful Partnering/Alliancing starts with ensuring that the potential partners/alliance members have the internal capacity, capability and competence to operate using this business/service delivery model. We work closely with the partnership/alliance to ensure this happens, deploying the baselining tools that are right for the individual alliance, this can include: •  BS11000 – We carry out a full baselining of partner/alliance organisations to help

establish their capacity to enter into a collaborative relationship. This informs the partnership/alliance strategy and route map. We support individual organisations and/or partnerships/alliances to implement BS11000, gaining accreditation if required.

•  Cultural Assessment Framework – Our cultural assessment tool provides a clear picture of what actions need to be taken to establish the alliance/partnerships desired culture. It maps each organisation against the desired culture and informs the route map for alliance/partnership development.

•  Behavioural Assessment Toolkit – Our Behavioural Assessment Toolkit is used to assess managers and staff against the partnership/alliances required behaviours. It is then used to inform recruitment, selection and organisational/personal development.

•  EFQM Excellence Model – Based on recognised international best practice our bespoke Excellence Model Assessment Tool is used to baseline the partners/alliance members against key enablers, result areas and their ability to continually improve in order to inform the route map for alliance/partnership development. 8  

Relationship Management

   

Establishing Effective Relationships Our support focuses on providing your people with the skills and competencies to develop, embed and sustain effective collaborative relationships. In particular we will develop the skills required to build trust, influence key stakeholders and achieve a symbiotic relationship. We focus on the challenges, specific to each relationship, to ensure success.  Behavioural Development Developing a behavioural framework and ensuring it is understood by all managers and staff is critical to success in establishing effective relationships within a collaborative culture. Our behavioural workshop builds on the output of the Behavioural Assessment Toolkit. It includes feedback on where the organisation sits against a framework of best behavioural practice, in a collaborative environment. The senior team work together to translate organisational values into a behavioural framework to shape the future development of organisational capacity to operate in a partnership/alliance structure. It enables individuals to understand how their own behaviours affect the perceptions that others have of them and the organisation. It offers advice on how to become more effective and skilled in a collaborative culture.  

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Relationship Management

   

Leadership in a Collaborative Environment We work with/coach your top team - equipping them with the strategy, competence and skills to ensure effective partnering/alliancing. We ensure the senior team support, nurture and encourage individuals and teams to focus on the behaviours, values and processes required to bring about significant improvement in business successes and establish effective collaborative working. We work closely with the team to prepare them for all engagements with clients and partners, to ensure success in establishing and maintaining the alliance/partnership. Mediation and Conflict Resolution Conflict happens!! - Resolving issues without damaging or even destroying the relationship is both an organisational imperative and a key relationship skill. We provide training to senior teams to provide them with greater confidence in handling difficult conversations to build trust, retain staff, and focus creative energy on problems not people. We also, when required, provide a full mediation and conflict resolution service for alliances and partnerships, to prevent unnecessary tension or, in the worst cases, the need to resort to law.

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Relationship Management

   

Managing in a Collaborative Environment Managing  in  an  alliance/partnership  is  different  and  can  be  challenging.  It  is  easy  for  managers  to  become  frustrated  as  a  result  of:  •  Structural  issues  within  the  alliance/partnership;  •  Non-­‐aligned  processes;  •  Barriers  within  their  own  organisa2on’s  policies,  processes  and  culture;  and  •  Lack  of  rela2onship  skills  and  competencies.  Managers  can  find  themselves  behaving  and  managing  in  a  way  that  becomes  destruc2ve  to  the  alliance/partnership  –  oYen  rever2ng  to  type  (conflict  based). Managers  need  to:  •  Understand  the  nature  of  the  alliance/partnership;  its  purpose,  objec2ves  and  priori2es;  •  ShiY  their  mind-­‐set  and  a]tudes  to  make  alliancing/partnering  represent  ‘business  as  usual’;  •  Develop  new  skills  of  influencing,  nego2a2on  and  communica2on  to  enable  them  to  work  in  a  

collabora2ve  environment;  •  Understand  what  it  means  and  takes  to  create  a  symbio2c  collabora2ve  rela2onship,  based  on  

trust  and  empathy;  •  Understand  that  alliances/partnerships  are  very  much  about  people  and  rela2onships;  •  Recognise  that  self-­‐serving  behaviours  are  not  acceptable;  •  Understand  that  success  is  based  on  delivering  objec2ves  in  terms  of  outcomes  and  impact.    

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Relationship Management

   

Managing in a Collaborative Environment We  provide  a  full  range  of  skill  development  through  training,  coaching  and  mentoring  to  ensure  that  managers  are  able  to  operate  within  an  alliance/partnering  rela2onship  based  on  effec2ve  collabora2on.    These  skills  include:  

•  Strategy  development;  •  Visioning  in  an  alliance/partnership;  •  Collabora2ve  nego2a2ng;  •  Leading  and  developing  teams;  •  Managing,  implemen2ng  and  

embedding  change;  •  Con2nual  Improvement;  •  Influence  people  

•  Inter  personal  communica2ons;  •  Trust  building;  •  Co-­‐opera2ng  &  interfacing;  •  Performance  Management;  •  Evalua2on  and  Impact  Assessment;  

and  •  Knowledge  Management    

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Performance Innovation & Improvement

Continual Improvement We work with the partnership/alliance to to ensure that they deliver continual improvement in all business processes. Partnerships/Alliances must avoid becoming complacent in terms of performance and must ensure that they provide demonstrable value for money. There must be transparency across all partners/members in relation to performance in order to both build and maintain trust. We provide support using a number of tools, including: •  Lean Six Sigma; •  Peer review and challenge processes built around the Excellence Model; •  Investors in People; •  Performance Management and Accountability Framework; •  Task and Finish Groups; •  Leadership and Management Development

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Procurement & Supply Chain Management

Procurement In this field we focus on supporting our clients to find and select the right partner/s. This includes ensuring your procurement team have the right knowledge and skills to manage a partnership/alliance contract based on collaboration. We have particular expertise in designing and managing/facilitating competitive dialogue. In particular we help your team to establish cultural alignment and ensure you select a partner that you can do business with. The procurement process sets the foundations for the future relationship and getting it right is critical to ensuring success in collaborative working. We support all aspects of the procurement process including, if required, producing all documentation, facilitating all meetings and supporting the evaluation process. We will often work closely with the partnership/alliance through mobilisation and transition, to ensure the new partnership/alliance is built on strong foundations.

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Procurement & Supply Chain Management

Joint Ventures Increasingly partnerships and alliances will be based on some form of Joint Venture. We provide support to the creation of all forms of JV. These can take many forms including:

−  Incorporated or unincorporated −  “Thin” “thick” “segregated” or “unsegregated” - contractual or not −  Varying proportions of interests, holdings or shares of the respective parties −  Special purpose vehicle, special purpose company, limited liability partnerships etc

Supply Chain Management In this field we focus on advising on the selection of appropriate supply chain partners, initiating and sustaining relationships, which provide excellent returns for the partner companies. Improving the effectiveness of transactions between individuals and companies within the supply chain. Enabling high levels of focused and value adding communication.

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EiB Partnering and Alliancing Clients (Some Examples)

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Client EiB Support DerbyRoads Working with Derby City Council and Carillion Highways Maintenance to create a public

private partnership for the delivery of Highway Maintenance Services. The work included creating a TRM, Behavioural Framework and an annual Partnership Health Check.

CarillionMouchel Supporting the creation of a partnership between Carillion, Mouchel PLC and Scottish and Southern Electricity to bid for a PFI contract with Sheffield City Council. Our support included creating shared business processes, strategic option appraisals, culture development and developing an approach to Client Relationship Management.

New Era Alliance Working with Invensys, Buckingham and Carillion Rail to bid for an Alliance contract with Network Rail. The work included BS11000 baselining of each alliance member and the alliance as a whole; the establishment of a behavioural framework; creating a Relationship Management Plan; and preparing the alliance for all client meetings with Network Rail.

Herefordshire Council

Working with the Council to select and procure a private sector partner to enter a formal Joint Venture for the delivery of outsourced Council Services. The support included establishing and embedding a collaborative culture for the new business and developing the skills and competencies of staff to operate in a collaborative environment.

For More Information

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Contact: Excellence in Business Hawk House Falcon Court Stockton-on-Tees TS18 3TU Tel: 01642 661940 Email: michelle.elwine@excellenceinbusiness.com

Excellence  in  Business  is  a  trading  name  of  EiB  Professional  Services  Ltd