Last week Ben Gomes-Casseres was my guest in the Collaborative Business Podcast. Ben, professor of strategy at Brandeis International Business School in the Boston Area, has extensive experience in working with strategic alliances and in researching the topic of strategic alliances.
The week before, Anoop Nathwani was my guest in the podcast. Anoop is an independent alliance professional with a long time experience in a wide field of alliances and collaborative customer – supplier relationships.
In the conversations with both experts we have been looking ahead towards 2015: what do Anoop and Ben expect will happen with strategic alliances in 2015?
Anoop recognizes two main trends for the year: first he expects a rise in awareness among CPO’s that collaboration with suppliers is essential and second he expects more collaboration among competitors.
Ben expects that 2015 will be the year where we put strategy back in strategic alliances; strategic alliances will come back on the agenda of the CEO and it will become part of the overall company strategy.
In both conversations many examples of major alliances that were established in 2014 are used to highlight the trends Anoop and Ben expect. Firstly the Novartis – GSK joint venture – alliance swap, secondly the collaboration between GE, Verizon, Cisco and Intel in the space of the Internet Of Things and thirdly the way Proctor & Gamble works in collaboration internally and externally; three examples used by Anoop and Ben to underpin their expectations.
Both Anoop and Ben follow the recent IBM – Apple alliance closely and independently they bring this alliance up in our conversation as an example of a renewed way of establishing alliances, true strategic alliances. Are we onto an emerging trend in strategic alliances?
Listen to my conversations with Anoop and Ben here:
CBP-49: From cost to value, with Anoop Nathwani
CBP-50: Putting Strategy back in Strategic Alliances, with Ben Gomes-Casseres
Two experts might not provide enough substance to spot an emerging trend, so join the conversations and tell me what you think: are we onto a new trend in strategic alliances?
Have a great week!