Marketing & the evolution of collaboration
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Collaboration across business units and with external partners is essential for innovation but difficult to achieve. Leaders must change cultures from "win-lose" to "win-win" by collaborating themselves. Soft skills like listening, trust-building and effective conversations are key to collaboration but often lacking. Training can improve soft skills and measure collaboration's impact, starting with self-awareness and conversation skills. Successful partnerships like Senseo coffee show the benefits of collaboration in creating new innovations.
Marketing & the evolution of collaboration
- 1. CHALLENGE series ing & the Market evo lutio n of colla bor ation QUESTIONS IN MODERN MARKETING
- 2. CHALLENGE series “ Collaboration takes place when people from different units work together on a common task or provide significant help to each other. Most books and research on teams look at how a manager can best manage small teams. Collaboration instead focuses on how to get people residing in different units throughout the company to work together. Morten T Hansen, ‘Collaboration’
- 3. Wh at’s this CHALLENGE about? series issue all In the commercial world, success Rosabeth Moss-Kanter, who famously predicted the importance of marketing partnerships has always been built upon good and alliances in her seminal work ‘The Art of relationships, alliances and the Alliances’ points out that it is poor soft skills that effective management of critical cause potentially rewarding deals to fail. And in 2011 - Forrester Research reported that senior suppliers and important customers. executives surveyed saw poor internal and external collaboration as the two of the biggest To create and commercialise dynamic fresh weaknesses in marketing teams. ideas, it is rich, effective relationships – across and outside of the business that are needed. What needs to be done? Morten T Hansen Open innovation needs flexible networks and argues in his book ‘Collaboration’ that joint planning as innovation is increasingly successful organisations and brands of the recognised as not a game for gifted soloists – future need more ‘T-Shaped’ people. These but for smart collaborators. are the managers who can combine their specialist depth of knowledge with an ability Yet research consistently shows that commercial to work effectively across the organisation, to opportunities are most often lost by poor share fresh ideas and build better commercial personal skills (the building blocks of good solutions. He points out it does not pay to work relationship management) - rather than technical in isolation and the ability to manage and work problems. The Journal of Psychological Type with a network is the only unique career long (Myers Briggs) reports that the number one term career advantage. cause for business relationships derailment - is a lack of understanding, trust and fairness. So how do marketers create a more collaborative approach in their business? How And broader evidence points to a collaborative can they forge the important partnerships that paradox; at a time when businesses need to be can give their brand a valuable marketing better than ever at managing a diverse set of edge? What kind of skills need to be built relationships, research shows that as a whole, and nurtured? And what does this mean for we are generally not very good at collaborating. marketing resourcing and projects? QUESTIONS IN MODERN MARKETING 3
- 4. So how is CHALLENGE oration series collab ing to evolve? go Recently, Duncan Thomas, cases, they don’t see a need to collaborate and they may not want to collaborate. So there is a founder of leading digital agency difference. Collaboration often does not come Pomegranate Group, met with naturally to people. As you say, it should be. But collaboration & innovation it doesn’t. consultant Andrew Armour of Andrew Armour_ What’s interesting is that Benchstone and business and humans have survived through collaboration, leadership coach Steve Hemmings as have businesses – throughout history. It was of Realpoint Consulting to ask them Charles Darwin who pointed out that those tribes that collaborated best prospered and those that ‘How do you build a collaborative did not, perished. Likewise, from early trade and advantage?’ the industrial revolution to our network economy – it’s about strong personal connections. So, you would think it was part of our natural make Duncan Thomas_ In my view, people should up. We all have some sales, creativity and surely be able to meet and work together as collaboration skills that are inherent in us. But it’s a team? It’s a natural thing. So – how can you interesting that much of our education, business teach collaboration? courses, organisations and cultures have encouraged us to behave aggressively and Steve Hemmings_ Well, the fact is you can’t reward us to focus on ourselves – not the bigger teach it. And it’s important to make a distinction picture. This is the opposite of what you need between team work – and collaboration. They’re to build collaboration which requires people to similar ideas but not quite the same thing. In a have empathy, focus on the needs of the other team, everyone has the same goals, working and create a solution where you don’t know what for the same leader. But if you have ‘Team A’ it is yet. That’s very different from team work or and ‘Team B’ working in different areas – they just being an individual driving forward your own may have very different goals. And in many ideas and plans. QUESTIONS IN MODERN MARKETING 4
- 5. CHALLENGE series SH_ The late Steven Covey did some great bad at talking to each other) - and then let’s work around the concept of - ‘Win-Win’. He throw in finance into a project too, is that an pointed out that most people are scripted to organisational collaboration, business units to behave in ‘Win-Lose’ – and so when we come business unit - or is it the individual level? into the workplace and people say they believe in ‘Win-Win’ – its seldom people really behave SH_ There are all sorts of reasons why like that. More often than not people behave in a collaboration may not happen across a ‘Win-Lose’ style business. There are substantial barriers to collaboration. The larger the business the AA_ There’s a lot of recent research from the more difficult it becomes as you often find that likes of General Electric, Forrester and Cap finance, sales, marketing teams have their Gemini - surveying a lot of senior marketers and own objectives. So it’s difficult to build the business leaders and that has shown that there collaboration needed because it comes back is a need for organisations to be more innovative to that ‘Win-Lose’ not ‘Win-Win’ relationship and an acknowledgement that it requires a again. You have to change the mentality and lot more joined up thinking across the silos, change what the goal is. Where great leaders do collaborating across the business, between say, well is that they can bring people from diverse sales, marketing and operations for example. departments and different goals together, they Yet, in the Cap Gemini report, only 16% of can work to a new, combined, greater goal. CEO’s thought they had the right culture within their organisations to do this. And in 2011 and AA_ There are some companies doing this very 2012 GE investigated innovation and reported well at the moment. For example, Proctor and that whilst only 21% of businesses are forging Gamble have a whole Open Innovation model, external partnerships 86% of senior marketers which works right across the business and surveyed agreed that you need them innovate. with suppliers and customer groups too. And There’s a common picture emerging. It’s what’s General Electric and CISCO (Cisco Systems), called the ‘partnership gap’: people know they traditionally a very strong, command and control need to develop key relationships but find it very type companies, have both acknowledged hard to do so. they have to build more collaboration across their businesses. In fact, John Chambers from DT_ That’s an interesting point. If I need to CISCO, one of the most successful CEO’s in bring together a team, say involving sales the world, said recently that to build that culture & marketing (and I agree, they’re always inside CISCO – it has to start with him and QUESTIONS IN MODERN MARKETING 5
- 6. CHALLENGE series his behaviour, to be less the commander and used to think we could do it all ourselves, controller and more collaborator… that’s just not how the world works anymore’. She’s pointing out the only way to survive and DT_ OK, so what you are saying is that you innovate, even for a business as large as GE, have internal collaborations working across is to get the latest ideas, technology, software – the business and you also have what you and that means forging allies for your business. would call partners, working externally with The flip side for those suppliers is of course that specialist suppliers, like say Proctor and the best way to get new business is to maintain Gamble. But I suppose this all comes back to the relationship with the existing business and the relationships? How can collaboration help in as Steve says that comes back to a lot of those really difficult client relationships? tricky, hard to manage soft personal skills, such as awareness. DT_ So, you talk about the personal, the soft “ We used to think we could skills. And yet there is this big departmental and supply chain stuff too. So, where does it start do it all ourselves, that’s just then? Is it top down? not how the world works anymore. AA_ In the organisations that are doing this stuff best, it’s the leadership behaviour that creates the climate for collaboration and innovation. You cannot just say ‘everyone needs SH_ Well, nobody said it was easy. It’s difficult. to be collaborative but we will just stay as we’ve To start with it’s about self-awareness. This always been’ – and remain quite distant and not means how we communicate with other people engaging with the rest of the business, suppliers and our credibility. Relationship building is not and customers. achieved overnight – it takes a long time to build trust and credibility and without that trust and SH_ There’s hard skill stuff and the soft skill credibility you can’t really collaborate. stuff. In the UK, we’re actually quite good at all the hard stuff; the business processes, creating AA_ And, in terms of innovation, it means metrics, writing the agreements. But research building those really strong supplier shows it’s not those things that lead to key relationships. Beth Comstock from GE, business relationship failure. What does is that summarises it beautifully when she said ‘we QUESTIONS IN MODERN MARKETING 6
- 7. CHALLENGE series we don’t communicate very well. We have not business etc. But again remember, most key built the trust. And it’s all that soft stuff that lets relationships fail because of a lack of those us down – every time. How do you manage tricky soft skills - which as we say, are hard to trust? It’s something that is very personal, tricky measure around. to manage and hard to measure. AA_ In partnership work, we often use third DT_ You make it sound like a married couple, party surveys of the parties; say measuring not an enterprise?! the relationship satisfaction, between the key supplier and provider. And you can do that pre AA_ Yes, that’s true. A lot of the language in and post any training or major implementation partnership and alliance discussions is very for example… similar to the language of personal relationships because the common problems are so true! DT_ So, some kind of review framework that fits Its human relationships and you have to with what the business needs? understand the other person and seek to know the other business through them. As Steve said, SH_ Yes, you can rate the programme. So for it’s about getting all the real basic relationship our collaboration skills training we can build stuff right; building trust, honesty, turning up, pre and post programme surveys to test how doing what you said you were going to do. You confident and skilled people are at managing still have to get all the simple, little things correct some of the difficult relationships they are if you’re going to move on to develop a dynamic managing, either across the business or outside relationship. of it. DT_ So, if you can’t measure trust, how do you DT_ Can you give us a good example of how measure the impact of collaboration training or collaboration works? programme? AA_ In innovation, there are some fantastic SH_ You have to come back to what the examples where someone was brave enough business wants from collaboration. You have to pick up the phone and make the call to a to look at the fact that it is soft skills that cause different organisation to create something new. relationships to fail. And, yes it’s still important The Senseo coffee system is collaboration to build the right KPI’s. You can measure those, between Douwe Egberts and Phillips which in terms of ideas, competitive skills, increased resulted in the sale of 20 million coffee machines QUESTIONS IN MODERN MARKETING 7
- 8. CHALLENGE series “ There are some fantastic DT_ So, to get that innovative partnership you have to collaborate? examples where someone SH_Yes, exactly. To get an important was brave enough to pick up partnership to work effectively it’s all the phone and make the call about getting the people involved to work to a different organisation to collaboratively. If you have key relationships create something new. with allies, suppliers and customers – you need stronger relationships and to maintain those you need people who are strong collaborators… and four billion coffee pods in eight years. That commercial success and the system relies on DT_ So, I can see why it’s important but what the two brands working together. In the same kind of steps do you go through with a client way, Nike and Apple – creating the iPod Training then? system where the shoes communicate with your iPhone. In entertainment, there has always SH_Well our CollaborativeEdge Programme been the need for rights owners to collaborate starts with Self Awareness. How do others and work together – movies, music and book perceive you? And how do you look at other publishing for example. In the end, they can people? What difference does that make when all benefit from a shared hit. It’s the old adage you’re communicating with them? We then I learnt when I first worked in entertainment get on to Conversation skills. Most people talk licensing, do you want to work alone and keep but we are very bad at listening. Even when 100% of nothing - or work with the right partner we do listen how do you do that properly so and get 12% of a lot? that you get the important issues, questions and answers? Effective conversation is so DT_ What is the difference then between important… partnerships and collaboration? AA_ Part of our process is running a Café AA_ A marketing partnership or joint marketing Workshop that focuses on sharpening up two initiative is the deal where the two brands or very simple but such valuable skills. Listening organisations come together for the campaign, to other people - and asking them the right the outcome – but you need collaboration as questions. Questioning and listening. It sounds part of the skill and process to build those sorts so simple doesn’t it? It’s something that great of deals. marketers, business people, artists, doctors, QUESTIONS IN MODERN MARKETING 8
- 9. CHALLENGE series lawyers are all very good at. Questions and SH_ And that really needs a whole new big listening. Yet many people and business conversation… meetings really lack good questions and listening. It’s something we do not get time to DT_ OK. I agree. Sounds like we leave that think about and practice and that’s what the there and explore that next time. Thanks Café is all about, practicing and sharpening Andrew, thanks Steve. up those skills. So that the next time they meet with a key colleague, client or supplier, they can build a better relationship. SH_ The really common ground is Awareness and Conversation Skills. Every business is slightly different and so after that we look at the particular opportunities and issues they have and how they can create innovations by working collaboratively. AA_ And as part of that we also explore the myths of innovation and we look at how genuine innovation is built from networks, sharing information, tapping into new markets, suppliers and ways of doing things. It’s important people realise it’s not all up to them to have that one blinding moment of genius. As the science author Steven Johnson says; ‘chance favours the connected mind’ DT_ So, I can see idea generation being a really valuable output of that. But once you have that idea how do you turn that into a successful innovation? AA_ Well, that’s a pretty big question… QUESTIONS IN MODERN MARKETING 9
- 10. Contributors CHALLENGE series Duncan Thomas Pomegranate Group Duncan Thomas is the founder and M.D. of Pomegranate Group, a leading agency that start every engagement project with the people, the audience the community and the culture. The objective is always to build experiences that attract, inspire and evoke meaningful interactions. Today Pomegranate sees Gamification as a methodology with powerful benefits to enhancing the practice of engagement and motivational design, focusing on three key areas: innovation in marketing engagement, motivation through business applications and evolution in the socially impactful applications. For more on how the latest digital technologies can be used in your next campaign get in touch via email: Duncan@pomegranate.co.uk or call 0207 336 7322 Andrew Armour Benchstone Andrew Armour is the Founder of Benchstone Limited, a marketing consultant and a specialist advisor and trainer in the areas of collaboration, partnerships and innovation. He has held senior marketing and innovation roles with Yell.com, Walt Disney and Television New Zealand. He writes about modern issues of marketing in his blog www.andrewarmour.com. If you would like to discuss how collaboration can give your marketing efforts an edge, email Andrew: Andrew@benchstone.co.uk or call 07971 231 025 Steve Hemmings Realpoint Consulting Steve Hemmings, the founder of Realpoint Consulting, is a business consultant, coach and trainer specialising in the areas of strategic sales, relationship building, and collaborative leadership. He is also the co-producer of the CollaborativeEdge and CollaborationCafe training programme. Prior to launching Realpoint, Steve had a thirty year career in technology, telecoms and media, with senior UK and international sales & marketing positions at Cisco, Lucent Technology and VeriSign. Contact Steve by email: Shemmings@realpoint.co.uk or call 07979 788 859 QUESTIONS IN MODERN MARKETING 10
- 11. Resources CHALLENGE series ADDITIONAL READING http://www.games4rehab.org/BDBlueMarble/blog/258/ Berkun, Scott. ‘The Myths of Innovation’ – By Scott Berkun. O’Reilly Media – 2010 Bernstein, William. ‘A Splendid Exchange – How Trade Shaped The World’ – By William Bernstein Atlantic Books, 2008 Covey, Steven. ‘The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People’ – By Steven Covey Simon & Schuster Ltd; Reprinted Edition, 2004 Gratton, Lynda. ‘Hot Spots – Why Some Companies Buzz With Innovation’ – By Lynda Gratton Prentice Hall / Financial Times - 2007 Hansen, Morten T: ‘Collaboration. How Leaders Avoid The Traps’ - By Morten T Hansen. Harvard Business Press – 2009 Johnson, Steven. ‘Where Good Ideas Come From. A Natural History of Innovation’ – By Steven Johnson. Penguin Books – 2010 Kelley, Tom. ‘The Art of Innovation – Lessons From IDEO’. By Kelley & Littman. Profile Books – 2001 Kelley, Tom. ‘The Ten Faces of Innovation’ By Kelley & Littman Profile Books - 2008 Moss-Kanter, Rosabeth: ‘Collaborative Alliances: The Art of Alliances’ – Harvard Business Review On Strategic Alliances – HBR Publishing – 2002 Prahlahad, CK et al. ‘Inspiring And Executing Innovation’ Harvard Business Review – HBR Publishing - 2011 Zeldin, Theodore: ‘Conversation – How Talk Can Change Our Lives’ – By Theodore Zeldin Hidden Spring Press - 2000 QUESTIONS IN MODERN MARKETING 11
- 12. Resources CHALLENGE series DIGITAL & WEB General Electric Global Innovation Monitor http://www.ge.com/innovationbarometer/ Relationship Failure & Behaviour - Bulletin of Psychology Type. www.myersbriggs.com Forrester Research. Jeff Ernst et al - ‘Marketing Metrics That Matter’ – Forrester Research.com QUESTIONS IN MODERN MARKETING 12
- 13. CHALLENGE series Thanks for reading QUESTIONS IN MODERN MARKETING benchstone R ealpoint Consulting www.benchstone.co.uk www.pomegranate.co.uk www.real-point.co.uk