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Case Study

Negotiating cross-sector alliances

By Michael D. Watkins

11 pages

January 2025

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Reference: IMD-7-2606

The note aims to equip leaders with the knowledge and tools necessary to negotiate alliances across and among organizations and institutions from differing sectors: business, government, non-profit, international and academic. It emphasizes the importance of understanding each sector’s unique characteristics, agendas and mindsets to forge effective partnerships. The note presents strategies for building successful cross-sector collaborations, such as developing cross-sector intelligence, creating a common language, aligning through shared vision and designing agreements that generate joint value. It emphasizes the importance of building trust through transparency, navigating cultural differences and planning for long-term sustainability. The note highlights the critical importance of cross-sector collaboration skills in modern leadership, stressing the need for leaders to balance diverse interests, create shared value and foster mutual understanding across sector boundaries.

Learning Objective

Understand the seven key elements of successful organizational culture transformation
Learn to develop strategies for aligning leadership, teams and HR systems with desired cultural changes
Explore how to build and leverage a culture coalition to drive transformation
Investigate methods for fostering employee engagement and addressing resistance to change
Master techniques for measuring cultural transformation progress and making data-driven adjustments

Keywords

Stakeholder Management, Global Business, Negotiation, Cross-sector Collaboration, Alliance, Negotiation Process, Public-Private Partnership

Type

Generalized Experience

Available Languages

English

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