Share
Facebook Facebook icon Twitter Twitter icon LinkedIn LinkedIn icon Email

Brain Circuits

Strategies for negotiating cross-sector alliances

Published 17 January 2025 in Brain Circuits • 3 min read

Given the world’s many challenges, the ability to forge effective alliances across business, government, the non-profit sector, and academia has become essential to building durable solutions. Here are eight steps to guide you through the process.

Develop cross-sector intelligence

Successful cross-sector leaders are continual learners, always seeking to deepen their understanding of other sectors. This involves staying informed about trends, challenges, and innovations across sectors through diverse reading, attending cross-sector conferences, and participating in executive education programs. You should also seek opportunities for cross-sector immersion, such as short-term assignments or project collaborations in other sectors.

Understand stakeholder perspectives

To work across sectors successfully, you must be able to see issues from multiple angles. Regular exercises to consciously approach challenges from the viewpoint of other sectors help develop this capacity. Creating diverse advisory boards with representatives from different sectors provides ongoing access to varied perspectives.

Develop a common language

One of the biggest challenges in cross-sector collaboration is the different languages and jargon used by each sector. Learn to translate sector-specific terminology into language that resonates across sectors, framing ideas and proposals in ways that speak to the values and priorities of each sector.

Create alignment through shared vision

Successful cross-sector alliances are built on a shared vision. Involving all potential partners early in collaborative visioning processes often increases buy-in and alignment. This process should articulate how the alliance’s goals connect to the mission and priorities of each partner organization.

Design agreements that create joint value

For cross-sector alliances to be sustainable, they must generate value for all parties. Mapping how each partner can benefit from and contribute to the alliance ensures a balanced approach to value creation and can reveal potential synergies.

Build trust through transparency and accountability

Trust is the foundation of successful cross-sector collaborations. Establishing regular, open communication channels between partners at multiple organizational levels helps build and maintain this trust. This might involve cross-sector team meetings, joint working groups, and shared digital platforms for ongoing dialogue.

Navigate cultural differences

Cross-sector alliances often bring together organizations with very different cultures. Cultural intelligence training for team members can help them navigate these differences effectively, covering not just national cultural differences but also distinct organizational cultures and leadership mindsets.

Plan for long-term sustainability

While some cross-sector alliances may address short-term needs, many impactful collaborations require a long-term outlook. Designing alliances with clear phases, including milestones for evaluation and adjustment, helps partners commit to long-term collaboration while maintaining flexibility.

 

Key learning

Building and sustaining effective cross-sector alliances is a critical leadership skill today. The key to success lies in balancing diverse interests, creating shared value, and fostering a culture of mutual understanding and respect across sector boundaries.

Authors

Michael Watkins - IMD Professor

Michael D. Watkins

Professor of Leadership and Organizational Change at IMD

Michael D Watkins is Professor of Leadership and Organizational Change at IMD, and author of The First 90 Days, Master Your Next Move, Predictable Surprises, and 12 other books on leadership and negotiation. His book, The Six Disciplines of Strategic Thinking, explores how executives can learn to think strategically and lead their organizations into the future. A Thinkers 50-ranked management influencer and recognized expert in his field, his work features in HBR Guides and HBR’s 10 Must Reads on leadership, teams, strategic initiatives, and new managers. Over the past 20 years, he has used his First 90 Days® methodology to help leaders make successful transitions, both in his teaching at IMD, INSEAD, and Harvard Business School, where he gained his PhD in decision sciences, as well as through his private consultancy practice Genesis Advisers. At IMD, he directs the First 90 Days open program for leaders taking on challenging new roles and co-directs the Transition to Business Leadership (TBL) executive program for future enterprise leaders, as well as the Program for Executive Development.

Related

Learn Brain Circuits

Join us for daily exercises focusing on issues from team building to developing an actionable sustainability plan to personal development. Go on - they only take five minutes.
 
Read more 

Explore Leadership

What makes a great leader? Do you need charisma? How do you inspire your team? Our experts offer actionable insights through first-person narratives, behind-the-scenes interviews and The Help Desk.
 
Read more

Join Membership

Log in here to join in the conversation with the I by IMD community. Your subscription grants you access to the quarterly magazine plus daily articles, videos, podcasts and learning exercises.
 
Sign up
X

Log in or register to enjoy the full experience

Explore first person business intelligence from top minds curated for a global executive audience