Collaborating to Compete

Collaborating to Compete

Author: Joel Bleeke

Publisher:

Published: 1993-01-19

Total Pages: 312

ISBN-13:

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Some companies discover the value of cross-border collaborations only after fighting long, head-to-head battles that leave them financially exhausted, intellectually depleted, and vulnerable to the next wave of competition and innovation. Grudgingly they come to recognize the benefits of sharing and trading control, costs, skills, capital, information, technology and access to markets - but only after a heavy price. Now companies can begin to learn the value of collaboration and how to capitalize on strong, flexible alliances by reading Collaborating to Compete. Written by McKinsey & Company's leading international management consultants, this strategic and operational guide provides practical information on how to design effective cross-border alliances-based on hundreds of case studies worldwide that illustrate the common factors that go into winning alliances. The authors argue that successful companies are transferring competence across borders by retaining key managers from acquired companies and by employing other strategies designed to reap the best from both companies in the consolidation. The authors also argue that effective collaboration is based on a long-term sequence of actions and that alliances fail when they're driven by hasty shortsighted goals. The authors highlight key steps in putting together a powerful alliance including: overcoming the resistance to alliances from executives and managers; finding the best structure and partner to meet a given set of goals; building flexibility into your collaboration to permit changes in legal and financial structures; ensuring good, frequent communication between you and your partners; setting up internal mechanisms to resolveconflicts quickly; and rescuing poorly conceived alliances. In reading about the activity of leading companies in the U.S., Japan, and Europe, readers will discover that even acquisitions - once a strictly predatory enterprise - are now taking on a more collaborative color. Drawing on McKinsey's strategies from the Triad, Collaborating to Compete goes on to show why cross-border strategy approaches need to account for the unique regulatory structural, and cultural barriers presented by individual countries and regions. The book shows that by following through on the basic prescription: U.S. companies can "ally for advantage" to open up the once impenetrable Japanese market; Japanese MNCs can successfully move into those complex U.S. markets; U.S., Japan, and other countries can crack the European Economic Community; and European companies can transcend obstacles and make successful U.S. acquisitions. Collaborating to Compete also looks hard at the dramatic restructuring of Europe and Asia and points out how European companies will have to use cross-border acquisitions and alliances to respond to new threats from global and Pan-European competitors.


Book Synopsis Collaborating to Compete by : Joel Bleeke

Download or read book Collaborating to Compete written by Joel Bleeke and published by . This book was released on 1993-01-19 with total page 312 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Some companies discover the value of cross-border collaborations only after fighting long, head-to-head battles that leave them financially exhausted, intellectually depleted, and vulnerable to the next wave of competition and innovation. Grudgingly they come to recognize the benefits of sharing and trading control, costs, skills, capital, information, technology and access to markets - but only after a heavy price. Now companies can begin to learn the value of collaboration and how to capitalize on strong, flexible alliances by reading Collaborating to Compete. Written by McKinsey & Company's leading international management consultants, this strategic and operational guide provides practical information on how to design effective cross-border alliances-based on hundreds of case studies worldwide that illustrate the common factors that go into winning alliances. The authors argue that successful companies are transferring competence across borders by retaining key managers from acquired companies and by employing other strategies designed to reap the best from both companies in the consolidation. The authors also argue that effective collaboration is based on a long-term sequence of actions and that alliances fail when they're driven by hasty shortsighted goals. The authors highlight key steps in putting together a powerful alliance including: overcoming the resistance to alliances from executives and managers; finding the best structure and partner to meet a given set of goals; building flexibility into your collaboration to permit changes in legal and financial structures; ensuring good, frequent communication between you and your partners; setting up internal mechanisms to resolveconflicts quickly; and rescuing poorly conceived alliances. In reading about the activity of leading companies in the U.S., Japan, and Europe, readers will discover that even acquisitions - once a strictly predatory enterprise - are now taking on a more collaborative color. Drawing on McKinsey's strategies from the Triad, Collaborating to Compete goes on to show why cross-border strategy approaches need to account for the unique regulatory structural, and cultural barriers presented by individual countries and regions. The book shows that by following through on the basic prescription: U.S. companies can "ally for advantage" to open up the once impenetrable Japanese market; Japanese MNCs can successfully move into those complex U.S. markets; U.S., Japan, and other countries can crack the European Economic Community; and European companies can transcend obstacles and make successful U.S. acquisitions. Collaborating to Compete also looks hard at the dramatic restructuring of Europe and Asia and points out how European companies will have to use cross-border acquisitions and alliances to respond to new threats from global and Pan-European competitors.

Collaborate to Compete

Collaborate to Compete

Author: Robert K. Logan

Publisher: [Etobicoke, Ont.] : Wiley

Published: 2004

Total Pages: 330

ISBN-13:

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Collaborate, or die! Knowledge has become the new source of wealth, and the co-creation and sharing of knowledge through collaboration, the key to the success of today?s organization. Collaboration is everyone?s business and every business?s concern. Unfortunately, the mindset of most business people is not one of cooperation, but of competition. Collaborate to Compete, offers a practical, applied approach to fostering a spirit of cooperation not just within an organization, but also with suppliers, customers, and even competitors to gain a competitive advantage. Many knowledge management initiatives and approaches have failed in their attempt to harness and share the knowledge resident in organizations because they focus on technology, systems, and the valuation of intellectual property, but often neglect the human side. Collaborate to Compete goes beyond the traditional technological approaches of knowledge management systems to address the human challenges, as well as the psychological, cultural, and organizational barriers to employees, suppliers, and customers actually using these systems. Collaborate to Compete Shows how to create an atmosphere of trust, teamwork and collaboration and the promotion of emotional intelligence. Offers practical tools, processes and exercises that are helpful in developing a culture of collaboration. Introduces a unique assessment instrument, the Collaboration Quotient?, that measures the readiness of individuals and of their organization to collaborate. It is also used to monitor the organization?s progress in developing collaboration. Provides a detailed design for a practical and effective Internet-based knowledge network that facilitates knowledge sharing and co-creation. Includes comprehensive coverage on: how to transform a command-and-control organization into a collaborative one; how to measure, maintain, and increase collaboration; how to identify and eliminate the systems and processes that hinder collaboration; how to reward and encourage collaboration; and much more. Features examples and case studies that provide a blueprint for implementation, including organizations such as Documentum, Hill & Knowlton, Intel, Northrop Grumman, Open Text, Siemens, Turner Construction, Vignette and others.


Book Synopsis Collaborate to Compete by : Robert K. Logan

Download or read book Collaborate to Compete written by Robert K. Logan and published by [Etobicoke, Ont.] : Wiley. This book was released on 2004 with total page 330 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Collaborate, or die! Knowledge has become the new source of wealth, and the co-creation and sharing of knowledge through collaboration, the key to the success of today?s organization. Collaboration is everyone?s business and every business?s concern. Unfortunately, the mindset of most business people is not one of cooperation, but of competition. Collaborate to Compete, offers a practical, applied approach to fostering a spirit of cooperation not just within an organization, but also with suppliers, customers, and even competitors to gain a competitive advantage. Many knowledge management initiatives and approaches have failed in their attempt to harness and share the knowledge resident in organizations because they focus on technology, systems, and the valuation of intellectual property, but often neglect the human side. Collaborate to Compete goes beyond the traditional technological approaches of knowledge management systems to address the human challenges, as well as the psychological, cultural, and organizational barriers to employees, suppliers, and customers actually using these systems. Collaborate to Compete Shows how to create an atmosphere of trust, teamwork and collaboration and the promotion of emotional intelligence. Offers practical tools, processes and exercises that are helpful in developing a culture of collaboration. Introduces a unique assessment instrument, the Collaboration Quotient?, that measures the readiness of individuals and of their organization to collaborate. It is also used to monitor the organization?s progress in developing collaboration. Provides a detailed design for a practical and effective Internet-based knowledge network that facilitates knowledge sharing and co-creation. Includes comprehensive coverage on: how to transform a command-and-control organization into a collaborative one; how to measure, maintain, and increase collaboration; how to identify and eliminate the systems and processes that hinder collaboration; how to reward and encourage collaboration; and much more. Features examples and case studies that provide a blueprint for implementation, including organizations such as Documentum, Hill & Knowlton, Intel, Northrop Grumman, Open Text, Siemens, Turner Construction, Vignette and others.

Co-Opetition

Co-Opetition

Author: Adam M. Brandenburger

Publisher: Crown Currency

Published: 2011-07-13

Total Pages: 305

ISBN-13: 0307790541

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Now available in paperback, with an all new Reader's guide, The New York Times and Business Week bestseller Co-opetition revolutionized the game of business. With over 40,000 copies sold and now in its 9th printing, Co-opetition is a business strategy that goes beyond the old rules of competition and cooperation to combine the advantages of both. Co-opetition is a pioneering, high profit means of leveraging business relationships. Intel, Nintendo, American Express, NutraSweet, American Airlines, and dozens of other companies have been using the strategies of co-opetition to change the game of business to their benefit. Formulating strategies based on game theory, authors Brandenburger and Nalebuff created a book that's insightful and instructive for managers eager to move their companies into a new mind set.


Book Synopsis Co-Opetition by : Adam M. Brandenburger

Download or read book Co-Opetition written by Adam M. Brandenburger and published by Crown Currency. This book was released on 2011-07-13 with total page 305 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Now available in paperback, with an all new Reader's guide, The New York Times and Business Week bestseller Co-opetition revolutionized the game of business. With over 40,000 copies sold and now in its 9th printing, Co-opetition is a business strategy that goes beyond the old rules of competition and cooperation to combine the advantages of both. Co-opetition is a pioneering, high profit means of leveraging business relationships. Intel, Nintendo, American Express, NutraSweet, American Airlines, and dozens of other companies have been using the strategies of co-opetition to change the game of business to their benefit. Formulating strategies based on game theory, authors Brandenburger and Nalebuff created a book that's insightful and instructive for managers eager to move their companies into a new mind set.

The Collaboration Economy

The Collaboration Economy

Author: Eric Lowitt

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons

Published: 2013-04-17

Total Pages: 196

ISBN-13: 1118573366

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How six industries are collaborating with competitors, society, and the public sector for competitive advantage No longer can we consume the equivalent of 1.3 Earths resources and expect to remain prosperous in perpetuity. We need a new economic paradigm, one that yields growth in a way that strengthens the global systems we rely on daily for survival, such as the global water, food, and energy systems. The Collaboration Economy—a model where the private, public, and civil sectors collaborate for prosperity that can last in perpetuity—is emerging. But what does this economic model look like? How does it work? How can companies survive and thrive in the Collaboration Economy? The Collaboration Economy provides easy to use frameworks and tools to enable leaders of industry, of government, and of society to lead the effort to align growth with sustainable development. Offers a plan for how the private, public, and civil sectors can successfully collaborate to steward resources, fortify global water, food, and energy systems, and spark a new era of prosperity at the same time Contains case study profiles of the leaders of the Collaboration Economy, including Unilever, GE, Coca-Cola, Nestle Waters North America, Grieg Green, and the European Parliament Written by Eric Lowitt, a globally recognized and sought after consultant, thought leader, and speaker in the fields of competitive strategy, growth, and sustainability, who has been named one of the Global Top 100 Thought Leaders on Trustworthy Business Behavior by Trust Across America


Book Synopsis The Collaboration Economy by : Eric Lowitt

Download or read book The Collaboration Economy written by Eric Lowitt and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2013-04-17 with total page 196 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: How six industries are collaborating with competitors, society, and the public sector for competitive advantage No longer can we consume the equivalent of 1.3 Earths resources and expect to remain prosperous in perpetuity. We need a new economic paradigm, one that yields growth in a way that strengthens the global systems we rely on daily for survival, such as the global water, food, and energy systems. The Collaboration Economy—a model where the private, public, and civil sectors collaborate for prosperity that can last in perpetuity—is emerging. But what does this economic model look like? How does it work? How can companies survive and thrive in the Collaboration Economy? The Collaboration Economy provides easy to use frameworks and tools to enable leaders of industry, of government, and of society to lead the effort to align growth with sustainable development. Offers a plan for how the private, public, and civil sectors can successfully collaborate to steward resources, fortify global water, food, and energy systems, and spark a new era of prosperity at the same time Contains case study profiles of the leaders of the Collaboration Economy, including Unilever, GE, Coca-Cola, Nestle Waters North America, Grieg Green, and the European Parliament Written by Eric Lowitt, a globally recognized and sought after consultant, thought leader, and speaker in the fields of competitive strategy, growth, and sustainability, who has been named one of the Global Top 100 Thought Leaders on Trustworthy Business Behavior by Trust Across America

Collaborative Advantage

Collaborative Advantage

Author: Paul Skinner

Publisher: Robinson

Published: 2019-04-30

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9781408710746

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'Collaborative Advantage offers the perfect recipe for successful businesses that improve lives' -- Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, co-founders of Ben and Jerry's 'A valuable contribution to the vital task of getting people to see the business world as a complex, interconnected ecosystem, rather than as a sharp-elbowed race to the bottom' -- Rory Sutherland, Vice-chairman of Ogilvy Group UK, and the Spectator's 'Wiki Man'. Strategic consultant and social entrepreneur Paul Skinner argues that we have now reached a turning point in history from which creating Competitive Advantage may no longer be in the best interests of an organization. He presents today's business and social challenges through a new strategic lens and offers this book as a practical guide to help you create Collaborative Advantage, transform your business and change the world. You will gain access to world-leading techniques to enable you to: · Mobilize staff, partners, collaborators and customers around a common purpose that gets everyone you need firmly on your side. · Foster improved innovation, reach more customers or beneficiaries, build greater loyalty, generate greater income and forge more ambitious partnerships. · De-couple your potential for growth from the level of resource your organization controls. This is an indispensable guide that will help you transform the growth of your business or the impact of your non-profit by bringing the fuller value-creating potential of the outside world inside your organization.


Book Synopsis Collaborative Advantage by : Paul Skinner

Download or read book Collaborative Advantage written by Paul Skinner and published by Robinson. This book was released on 2019-04-30 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 'Collaborative Advantage offers the perfect recipe for successful businesses that improve lives' -- Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, co-founders of Ben and Jerry's 'A valuable contribution to the vital task of getting people to see the business world as a complex, interconnected ecosystem, rather than as a sharp-elbowed race to the bottom' -- Rory Sutherland, Vice-chairman of Ogilvy Group UK, and the Spectator's 'Wiki Man'. Strategic consultant and social entrepreneur Paul Skinner argues that we have now reached a turning point in history from which creating Competitive Advantage may no longer be in the best interests of an organization. He presents today's business and social challenges through a new strategic lens and offers this book as a practical guide to help you create Collaborative Advantage, transform your business and change the world. You will gain access to world-leading techniques to enable you to: · Mobilize staff, partners, collaborators and customers around a common purpose that gets everyone you need firmly on your side. · Foster improved innovation, reach more customers or beneficiaries, build greater loyalty, generate greater income and forge more ambitious partnerships. · De-couple your potential for growth from the level of resource your organization controls. This is an indispensable guide that will help you transform the growth of your business or the impact of your non-profit by bringing the fuller value-creating potential of the outside world inside your organization.

Management

Management

Author: Thomas S. Bateman

Publisher: McGraw-Hill Higher Education

Published: 2007

Total Pages: 774

ISBN-13: 9780071108539

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This text discusses and explains the traditional, functional approach to management, through planning, organising, leading and controlling.


Book Synopsis Management by : Thomas S. Bateman

Download or read book Management written by Thomas S. Bateman and published by McGraw-Hill Higher Education. This book was released on 2007 with total page 774 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This text discusses and explains the traditional, functional approach to management, through planning, organising, leading and controlling.

A Systematic Guide to Collaboration and Competition Within Organizations

A Systematic Guide to Collaboration and Competition Within Organizations

Author: Kenneth Thompson

Publisher:

Published: 2017-02-28

Total Pages: 204

ISBN-13: 9781544000237

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We expect our organizational leaders and managers to be competent in collaboration and competition. However, truly exceptional leaders are masters of collaboration and competition at the same time, within the same projects and even within the same teams. These Interplay Leaders understand the subtle yet continuous interplay of collaboration and competition necessary for a project's success. The central argument of this book is that the current unspoken assumption in organizational leadership and management that all projects are either collaborative or competitive but never both is fatally flawed and produces, at best, sub-optimal results and at worst total failures. I discuss why I believe this 'single dynamic' mindset has gripped organizations by first reviewing the literature and then examining the etymology of the words "collaborate" and "compete." I then look to biology, war, politics and sport to show that this division between collaboration and competition is artificial and not a natural state of affairs. I propose a new understanding of how these two activities, collaboration and competition, fundamentally interplay and suggest two new hybrid dynamics "Edgy Collaboration" and "Eco Competition" which organizational teams can recognise and employ. I also identify and describe 9 practical disciplines/skills for mastering the Collaborate/Compete "Interplay":1. Qualification2. Teaming3. Game Mapping4. Scorecards5. Reputation6. Alliancing7. Principled Negotiating8. Decision-Making9. Course CorrectionsI conclude by discussing how learning/simulation games can assist in building the skills needed to succeed in Interplay and describe 3 real on-line team game examples which explore the new interplay dynamics experientially and socially


Book Synopsis A Systematic Guide to Collaboration and Competition Within Organizations by : Kenneth Thompson

Download or read book A Systematic Guide to Collaboration and Competition Within Organizations written by Kenneth Thompson and published by . This book was released on 2017-02-28 with total page 204 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: We expect our organizational leaders and managers to be competent in collaboration and competition. However, truly exceptional leaders are masters of collaboration and competition at the same time, within the same projects and even within the same teams. These Interplay Leaders understand the subtle yet continuous interplay of collaboration and competition necessary for a project's success. The central argument of this book is that the current unspoken assumption in organizational leadership and management that all projects are either collaborative or competitive but never both is fatally flawed and produces, at best, sub-optimal results and at worst total failures. I discuss why I believe this 'single dynamic' mindset has gripped organizations by first reviewing the literature and then examining the etymology of the words "collaborate" and "compete." I then look to biology, war, politics and sport to show that this division between collaboration and competition is artificial and not a natural state of affairs. I propose a new understanding of how these two activities, collaboration and competition, fundamentally interplay and suggest two new hybrid dynamics "Edgy Collaboration" and "Eco Competition" which organizational teams can recognise and employ. I also identify and describe 9 practical disciplines/skills for mastering the Collaborate/Compete "Interplay":1. Qualification2. Teaming3. Game Mapping4. Scorecards5. Reputation6. Alliancing7. Principled Negotiating8. Decision-Making9. Course CorrectionsI conclude by discussing how learning/simulation games can assist in building the skills needed to succeed in Interplay and describe 3 real on-line team game examples which explore the new interplay dynamics experientially and socially

The Age of Thrivability

The Age of Thrivability

Author: Michelle Holliday

Publisher: Cambium Press

Published: 2016-10

Total Pages:

ISBN-13: 9780995275904

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In The Age of Thrivability, Michelle Holliday offers a bold reinterpretation of human history and a clear course to a better future. At the root of every major problem we face - individually and collectively - is the need for a new way of understanding ourselves, our work and the purpose and patterns of our lives. In contrast to the still-dominant mechanistic paradigm of the Industrial Era, an expanded story is emerging, this time with life solidly at the center of its plot. This new narrative invites us to see our organizations, communities - and even all of humanity - as dynamic, self-organizing, living systems. To embrace this view and to operate effectively within it, you need to understand how to support a living system's ability to thrive - its thrivability. With this knowledge, you can step into wise stewardship of life wherever you find it-and you find it everywhere. As real-life stories throughout the book demonstrate, viewing our businesses and communities through this lens reveals tremendous new possibilities for success and sustainability. With mounting threats to the continued existence of life on Earth, nothing could be more important. The Age of Thrivability represents a comprehensive guide, describing the nature of the transition humanity is undergoing and outlining a straightforward framework for enabling life to thrive within it. As real-life stories throughout the book demonstrate, viewing our businesses and communities through this lens reveals tremendous new possibilities for success and sustainability. In fact, in an increasingly complex world, aligning with life's elegant core patterns is the only viable option. And with mounting threats to the continued existence of life on Earth, nothing could be more important. In all, The Age of Thrivability offers profound insights, practical guidance, and plenty of inspiration for organizational and community leaders-and for anyone who is deeply concerned about the future of humanity. Visit www.ageofthrivability.com to learn more and to share your own thoughts and observations.


Book Synopsis The Age of Thrivability by : Michelle Holliday

Download or read book The Age of Thrivability written by Michelle Holliday and published by Cambium Press. This book was released on 2016-10 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In The Age of Thrivability, Michelle Holliday offers a bold reinterpretation of human history and a clear course to a better future. At the root of every major problem we face - individually and collectively - is the need for a new way of understanding ourselves, our work and the purpose and patterns of our lives. In contrast to the still-dominant mechanistic paradigm of the Industrial Era, an expanded story is emerging, this time with life solidly at the center of its plot. This new narrative invites us to see our organizations, communities - and even all of humanity - as dynamic, self-organizing, living systems. To embrace this view and to operate effectively within it, you need to understand how to support a living system's ability to thrive - its thrivability. With this knowledge, you can step into wise stewardship of life wherever you find it-and you find it everywhere. As real-life stories throughout the book demonstrate, viewing our businesses and communities through this lens reveals tremendous new possibilities for success and sustainability. With mounting threats to the continued existence of life on Earth, nothing could be more important. The Age of Thrivability represents a comprehensive guide, describing the nature of the transition humanity is undergoing and outlining a straightforward framework for enabling life to thrive within it. As real-life stories throughout the book demonstrate, viewing our businesses and communities through this lens reveals tremendous new possibilities for success and sustainability. In fact, in an increasingly complex world, aligning with life's elegant core patterns is the only viable option. And with mounting threats to the continued existence of life on Earth, nothing could be more important. In all, The Age of Thrivability offers profound insights, practical guidance, and plenty of inspiration for organizational and community leaders-and for anyone who is deeply concerned about the future of humanity. Visit www.ageofthrivability.com to learn more and to share your own thoughts and observations.

Collaboration and Competition in Business Ecosystems

Collaboration and Competition in Business Ecosystems

Author: Ron Adner

Publisher: Emerald Group Publishing Limited

Published: 2013-08-08

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9781781908266

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A volume devoted to understanding the competitive and collaborative challenges that firms face when interacting with different actors in dynamic environments increasingly referred to as business or innovation 'ecosystems'. New findings in 'ecosystem analysis' are discussed and the unique roles of individual actors within this system explained.


Book Synopsis Collaboration and Competition in Business Ecosystems by : Ron Adner

Download or read book Collaboration and Competition in Business Ecosystems written by Ron Adner and published by Emerald Group Publishing Limited. This book was released on 2013-08-08 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A volume devoted to understanding the competitive and collaborative challenges that firms face when interacting with different actors in dynamic environments increasingly referred to as business or innovation 'ecosystems'. New findings in 'ecosystem analysis' are discussed and the unique roles of individual actors within this system explained.

The Alliance Revolution

The Alliance Revolution

Author: Benjamin Gomes-Casseres

Publisher: Harvard University Press

Published: 1996

Total Pages: 330

ISBN-13: 9780674016477

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More than we ever anticipated, alliances among firms are changing the way business is conducted, particularly in the global, high-technology sector. The reasons are clear: companies must increasingly pool their capabilities to succeed in ever more complex and rapidly changing businesses. But the consequences for managers and for the economy have so far been underestimated. In this new book, Benjamin Gomes-Casseres presents the first in-depth account of the new world of business alliances and shows how collaboration has become part of the very fabric of modern competition. Alliances, he argues, create new units of competition that do battle with one another and with traditional single firms. The flexible capabilities of these multi-firm constellations give them advantages over single firms in certain contexts, offsetting the advantage of a single firm's unified control. When managed effectively, alliances can strengthen a firm's competitive advantage and narrow the gap between leading firms and second-tier players. This often results in intensified rivalry, and the competition within an industry is transformed. Alliances often spread swiftly through an industry as firms jockey for advantage. Yet the very spread of alliances increases their costs and poses new limits on their use. Gomes-Casseres concludes that firms need to manage their constellations to enhance collaboration within their groups, while raising what he calls "barriers to collaboration" for rivals. These ideas are developed and illustrated through original case studies of alliances among U.S., Japanese, and European firms in electronics and computers, including Xerox, IBM, and Fujitsu as well as other small and large companies. The book should be of interest to business academics, managers, and general readers concerned with contemporary capitalism.


Book Synopsis The Alliance Revolution by : Benjamin Gomes-Casseres

Download or read book The Alliance Revolution written by Benjamin Gomes-Casseres and published by Harvard University Press. This book was released on 1996 with total page 330 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: More than we ever anticipated, alliances among firms are changing the way business is conducted, particularly in the global, high-technology sector. The reasons are clear: companies must increasingly pool their capabilities to succeed in ever more complex and rapidly changing businesses. But the consequences for managers and for the economy have so far been underestimated. In this new book, Benjamin Gomes-Casseres presents the first in-depth account of the new world of business alliances and shows how collaboration has become part of the very fabric of modern competition. Alliances, he argues, create new units of competition that do battle with one another and with traditional single firms. The flexible capabilities of these multi-firm constellations give them advantages over single firms in certain contexts, offsetting the advantage of a single firm's unified control. When managed effectively, alliances can strengthen a firm's competitive advantage and narrow the gap between leading firms and second-tier players. This often results in intensified rivalry, and the competition within an industry is transformed. Alliances often spread swiftly through an industry as firms jockey for advantage. Yet the very spread of alliances increases their costs and poses new limits on their use. Gomes-Casseres concludes that firms need to manage their constellations to enhance collaboration within their groups, while raising what he calls "barriers to collaboration" for rivals. These ideas are developed and illustrated through original case studies of alliances among U.S., Japanese, and European firms in electronics and computers, including Xerox, IBM, and Fujitsu as well as other small and large companies. The book should be of interest to business academics, managers, and general readers concerned with contemporary capitalism.