Control less to achieve more  

Partnership working. It’s been around in other business disciplines for decades, but weirdly in IT, we seem very reluctant to fully embrace it. We seem to be stuck with the paradigm that, as programme owner or client, it’s our responsibility to be the only Superhero who can solve the problem. Once we’ve identified the Plan, we can then bring in and control suppliers to deliver it. Under strict instruction and close scrutiny, naturally.

I strongly disagree with this approach. The CIO or programme lead is never the World’s Expert In Everything. Other subject matter experts in our industry – true, talented specialists - will always know more than I do about their topic. So I’m entirely prepared to ask them for their advice, and then work with them as a partner, rather than as their master.

I have three key ideas for developing a productive partnership with true experts:

1.   Partner early

When Chief Marketing Officers brief an advertising agency for a TV commercial, they don’t tell the creative team which actors to use or what the background music should be. They simply state the required communication outcome for the brand. But when some CIOs have a required outcome, they feel they need to specify the exact solutions, products and suppliers required, before ever involving a provider. And many go straight to specifying solutions without ever fully developing a fully-laid-out strategy.

This really is a missed opportunity. It is highly likely that a talented partner with the appropriate skills will be much more adept at selecting the best solution than the CIO. So Tip 1 is: involve that partner early enough – when you’re still bringing together the problem statement. A high-quality partner will be really useful in getting to the specifics of the problem – and may well know more about the choice of solutions open to you. The partner will bring a wide knowledge of previous projects like yours and will know what works best in which circumstances.

Bear in mind that this partner is not necessarily a vendor. There are a growing number of IT strategy and solution advisers who have experience of the products in our marketplace, but no vested interest in any particular ERP, security or communication platform.

2.   Partner intellectually

Real partners are on the same page. Both parties want a successful outcome and want the solution to be the very best it can be. They have a shared vision of success.

It’s worth spending some time agreeing what success will look like. This includes timescales and content – just as you usually agree – but might also include ownership of intellectual property or any ambitions by both parties to break new ground.

Shake hands on it. Then take a deep breath, gather all your courage: and choose to TRUST these people to deliver. I have invariably found that when I offer trust, and listen open-mindedly to the partner’s ideas, they have delivered fairly – and usually more than generously – against their contracted obligations. Conflicts are rare when everyone feels they’re getting a fair deal and communication is between equals.

Once you are partnering with vendors, listen to their advice. If they are invested in your shared vision, they will only offer your routes and options that will achieve the vision. It’s not in their interests to sell you stuff you don’t need, because it IS in their interests for your trust and your partnership to continue. The bright ones understand that it’s wise not to irritate you by over-stuffing the package.

3.   Partner practically

Partnering is not just about the bosses slapping each other on the back and going out for a curry! The partnership must be reflected practically and at all levels in the programme team. One of my all-time favourite examples of this was when working with Future Processing on a highly sensitive and complex transformation.

We were very keen to avoid “us and them” or “master-slave” relationships. Future Processing had some great ideas for solutions, but the client also needed in-house expertise and ownership for the longer term. So we simply mixed it up. We used shared ownership of the programme workstreams, with some strands lead by the partner team, and others by a member of the client team. We then created hybrid teams for each workstream, combining representatives of both organisations. Any “two tribes” perceptions were immediately eliminated, with everyone concentrating solely on delivering an excellent outcome for their workstream. Colleagues worked together in person and online, at high speed.

I firmly believe that working in partnership creates better solutions than the command-and-control model. But partnership working demands that we trust good suppliers. That’s not a problem for me. I believe that really good people will not rip us off – because it’s not in their own best interests. They know that under-delivery or over-selling means they’ll never get a second contract; a reference; a referral; a boost to their brand; or another project when this CIO moves jobs. Good people are smart enough to have worked out the importance of delivering fair value to the continuation of their brand and their business.

So trust them! Because true partnership working gives us enhanced productivity; cleverer solutions; new skills and satisfying work for our teams; and some genuine friendships. And that, as I learned from Future Processing, is pronounced “przyjazn”!