First steps

Outside of knowing what business model you want in the future, it is important to establish where you are now. The first step to getting started in partnerships is knowing your business itself. If you have a good understanding of who you are, what you can do and who you know, you can also determine what competencies you are still lacking and what a collaboration should add. 

You establish a collaboration strategy in consultation with potential partners. Only then can you determine what a collaboration should add. For example, plan meetings to exchange insights about chain collaboration. What chain collaboration is and how it can be given shape is interpreted slightly differently by everyone. A lot of time needs to be invested in sensemaking and trust within the own company and between the potential partners. Only then can you formulate a collaboration strategy together.

If you know yourself and know what you want, you can also make a choice with which partners you really want to cooperate. Or if you have been working together for some time, you will know what both organizations need to work on to make the new form of cooperation a success.

Chain collaboration is learning by doing. Setting up a pilot makes it possible to gain knowledge without having to change your entire organization. No cooperation project is possible without a steering committee, but also not without an (independent) experienced chain director. Hire one if necessary. They have excellent sourcing, project management and review techniques to develop and manage collaborative innovation. Working together differently can thus be introduced gradually.