Is This Really the Best Partner for Us

Are we solving or creating problems? Dell’s partnership with ASUS wound up almost costing Dell their business. They never anticipated a partner who became a competitor. Motorola lost its chip business when Apple switched to Intel. Sennheiser and Adidas opened new markets for each through a joint venture. Partnerships are too often dealt with as a decision of convenience or immediacy rather than a reciprocal exchange of value. Businesses fail to ask the key questions:

"What is my reason for seeking a partner?"
"How will I help my partner’s business?"
"What are the risks in this partnership?"

This session talk is an introduction to thinking strategically about your partnerships using an analytical tool and methodology for understanding the reason, impact and risks involved in partnerships. Using real wool illustrations Michael will address understanding the reasons for and nature of partnerships, an introduction to the partnership modelling tools and method and assessing the risks involved in partnerships.