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Introduction to SME Collaborate methodology
If you are thinking about collaboration for the first time, you may want to try out the Self-Assessment in order to understand whether it is something you should take further.
If you want to facilitate a collaborative network, the tools you require are described in the workbook 'Collaborating in Business - delivering results for small organisations'.
Look at the introduction chapter of the workbook to see how to carry out successful collaboration.
Collaboration pitfalls and benefits
Did you know that over 70% of collaboration projects fail?
So why bother? Collaboration is not easy but it is worth pursuing because the potential rewards are so great.
By following the process and using the tools and techniques on this site, you will significantly enhance your potential for success.
Avoid the pitfalls! Use the SMEcollaborate methodology
The Approach
Three critical elements interact in a collaborative venture. Each company must look within itself, identify its own goals and understand what it is good at and what it can contribute to a collaborative venture. The Network of companies must learn how to collaborate, must understand the overall capability of the group, must develop agreed processes and systems to undertake collaborative projects and must put in place sustaining mechanisms to ensure that the partnership delivers success to all network members. Finally, there must be a process for identifying and exploiting opportunities in the marketplace.
SME methodology
The SMEcollaborate methodology has been developed to increase the success rate of companies collaborating together for the first time. The methodology consists of 5 phases. Each phase is interlinked and designed to build support and trust as the collaboration develops.
Attraction – Is the organisation suited to collaboration? What is iorganisation’s attitude to collaboration? Are there opportunities to collaborate from a risk/cost perspective? Should it continue to pursue these opportunities without collaborating? See “Self Assessment” for more details on Attraction.
Identification – The Identification phase is comprised of two elements, individual company analysis and group analysis.
An individual company analysis is carried out for each potential collaborating company. This involves looking at the strategic goals of the organisation, identifying the potential areas of opportunity, matching those opportunities against its own competencies and identifying the skills or competencies, which it needs to develop internally or find elsewhere.
Group analysis is carried out jointly across the potential group of collaborating companies. The companies work through a process to identify common opportunities and to prioritise these opportunities in terms of joint exploitation.
Formation – This activity seeks to agree and formulate the working arrangements for the collaboration project so that everyone is in agreement about what is to be done. The roles, responsibilities and accountabilities of each partner are agreed and resources to allow the project to be undertaken are committed.
Implementation – The Implementation phase involves carrying out the agreed tasks and activities to deliver the goals of the project. This is the hub of the collaboration, however, it will only be successful if due consideration is given to the activities that have taken place in both the identification and formation phases.
Evaluation – As a collaboration project progresses, an evaluation of its performance should be undertaken periodically to determine its overall effectiveness in delivering projected benefits to each partner.