• Drive innovation faster by implementing successful alliances
• Adopt an alliance strategy to respond more rapidly to competitive challenges
• Learn to avoid M&A failures and to mirror M&A successes of over 1,400 companies
• Get results more quickly by implementing a proven, step-by-step process
• Avoid mistakes by learning how to define, identify and locate an appropriate strategic partner
• Increase alliance success rates by managing change and maintaining communications
• Eliminate subjectivity by applying metrics to measure the success of strategic alliances

Course Goals

• To use alliances to achieve your organization’s strategic goals
• To apply a systematic framework, including processes and tools, for planning, forming, operating, and reviewing your alliances
• To develop your alliance management capability and skills
• To develop a learning action plan for going forward

Getting Started

• Alliance relationship management facts
• Building organizational capability
• Emerging trends in innovation alliances, leadership, and globalization

Planning the Alliance—Phase 1

• Defining the strategy
• Screening alliance opportunities
• Defining alliance objectives and goals
• Using strategy to surface hidden agendas
• Choosing an appropriate alliance type
• Developing internal alignment
• Developing partner criteria

Forming the Alliance—Phase 2

• Initiating a partner search
• Evaluating partner candidates
• Conducting due diligence
  • Determining capability
  • Determining compatibility
• Negotiating the alliance
  • Forming the negotiation team
  • Preparing internally for strategy, tactics, and roles
  • Launching negotiations
  • Conducting negotiations
  • Including legal counsel appropriately
• Transitioning to implementation
  • Debriefing the negotiation
  • Determining accountability
  • Transferring the knowledge and responsibilities

Operating and Managing the Strategic Alliance—Phase 3

• Conducting joint operational planning
  • Scenario planning
  • Governance structure
  • Decision making
• Assigning an alliance manager
• Launching the alliance
  • Developing joint metrics
• Solving problems and resolving conflict within strategic alliances

 Review and Evaluation of the Alliance—Phase 4

• Monitoring performance and report results
• Conducting an alliance audit
• Managing change
  • Re-launching the alliance
  • Re-negotiating the alliance
• Terminating the alliance
• Building organizational alliance capability
• Alliance portfolio management
• Supplier relationship management
• Cross-border alliances

Managing Alliance Portfolios and Unique Alliance Types

• Alliance portfolio management
• Supplier Relationship Management (SRM)
• Key account relationship management

Managing strategic alliances is a process involving the highest levels of the organization. Senior executives with general management responsibilities, as well as those involved in strategic planning, marketing, and R&D will benefit from this course. In particular, those seeking to expand strategic options will find the course valuable in considering how strategic alliances and joint venture relationships support corporate strategy.

The course is applicable to small, medium, and large companies, and to all industries—manufacturing, service, distribution, and retail. It will assist companies diversifying into new markets and products, as well as consolidating their present position. To achieve maximum impact from future strategic alliances, a company will benefit from team participation in this course.