Is collaboration out of date?

In 2017 PayPal Canada developed a strategic collaboration with Canada Post. Their goal was to help small businesses grow their operations and harness e-commerce as part of their business strategy.

Throughout the centuries many companies have seen the benefits of competitive collaboration. General Motors and Toyota assemble automobiles, Canon supplies photocopiers to Kodak, Siemens and Philips develop semiconductors. They know that being a master of one or jack of all trades does not bring about success in today’s fast-pace and highly competitive world. But, is collaboration out of date? Why are small town managers running away from collaboration? They are struggling financially yet obsess with the ownership structure of an alliance.

There is an African proverb that says “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” In today’s article we table the question ‘Competition or collaboration, which will help your company to produce the best results and go the furthest?’ Paul Parisi in an article “The power of partnerships: Why businesses are better together”, said “Strategic partnership benefit everyone: businesses, employees and customers. Businesses can broaden their relevance and increase their addressable market; customers benefit from the strengths and offerings each organization brings to the table; and employees can expand their development opportunities by being exposed to new perspectives and expertise. Plus, deepening ties between complementary businesses fosters collaboration and longevity, and allows companies to offer services and solutions that help their customers and other businesses become more successful.”

We need to move away from ‘every man for himself’ mentally. Separation – that’s what Willie Lynch told slave holders will control their slaves. Lynch said “separate them, create self-hate with them, give some a little more good treatment than others and you’ll never have to worry about the general mass.” But Mark Shields in a quote said “There is always strength in numbers. The more individuals or organizations that you can rally to your cause, the better.

Our advice is – proceed with care – but proceed. ‘Collaboration of people is a powerful and strong instrument. Working alone may help your ego sometimes, however, will not necessarily make you a regular winner.’

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