Building High-Performance Business Relationships
Achieving sustainable performance on large-scale programs and projects requires that both existing and potential partners establish proactive, flexible, and collaborative relationships. The KPMG-SRS Centre for Strategic Relationships and Contract Management is pleased to offer: An Executive seminar on Relationship Management, Relational Contracting, and Collaborative Working in Ottawa on October...
Read MoreThe Defense spending problem and the need for finding the balance between contractual imperatives and relational execution
Whether in recent headlines or within the confines of inner circle discussions talking about Defense procurement and the challenges the Canadian government has been facing in getting it right is a hot topic. A series of recent articles including one by the CBC titled “After years of missteps, Canadian Military officials hope procurement now on track” provides just one of many examples...
Read MoreISO 44001: Creating The “New” Standard For Business Relationships
Over the past few months there has been, with increasing frequency, the publication of many articles written on the emergence or re-emergence of the relational approach to complex business relationships. Whether it is a true renaissance or not, remains to be seen. After all, the importance of relationships in business, and for that matter, in everyday life is not a “new”...
Read MoreGetting Beyond Crisis Triggers As the Foundation For Successful Relationships
Do not get me wrong, there are of course steps that can and must be taken to evolve the relationship between stakeholders, from the concept stage through to the execution and outcome stage. One example is the Staircase of Relationships presented by Malcolm Morley in his June 9th, 2016 blog post of the same name. But here is the thing . . . building successful relationships is not simply a matter...
Read MoreWhy scrap shipbuilding strategy? Improved outcomes starts with open communications and transparency
“That project was awarded to the Seaspan’s Vancouver Shipyard. The briefing assigned no blame but suggested there were improvements the B.C.-based shipbuilder could make . . . “Vancouver Shipyards needed to find skilled staff, establish capability to increase design work and learn how to use new facilities,” the briefing material said.” – CBC News, November...
Read MoreUnderstanding The (New) Role of Relationships In Achieving Business Success
A recent international conference brought together senior buying executives, vendors and lawyers from around the world, to discuss solutions to the high rate of initiative failures. According to one study, more than 70% of all business arrangements fail to deliver the expected results. What were the two key conclusions that came out of the conference in terms of reversing this trend? Building and...
Read MoreHow To Avoid The Tombstone Effect In Business Relationships by Andy Akrouche
Welcome To Tombstone Whenever there is instability and divisiveness in the buyer-side internal relationship framework, this dysfunction is ultimately extended to include external stakeholders such as vendors. Think of it as the wild west town of Tombstone and the famous battle at the OK Corral. What would it have felt like for an outsider to ride into Tombstone during the OK Corral gunfight?...
Read MoreCan you commission success? by Andy Akrouche
“The act of granting certain powers or the authority to carry out a particular task or duty.” – definition of commissioning There is – at least in the world of complex project contracting and management, a fine line between the delegation of a project’s lead to a more experienced third-party, and the abdication of responsibility for its success. With...
Read MoreThe Truth About Public-Private Partnerships
“The fact is that the majority of all long-term complex business arrangements underperform or fail because they are structured as a deal or a transaction as opposed to a strategic relationship between key stakeholders. Whatever name you give it, a transaction or a deal is still a deal.” – The (Real) Art of the Deal by Andy Akrouche, Relational Contracting Intelligence Blog,...
Read MoreTurning Good Relationships Into Great Relationships by Andy Akrouche
“Good is the enemy of great. And that is one of the key reasons why we have so little that becomes great. We don’t have great schools, principally because we have good schools. We don’t have great government, principally because we have good government. Few people attain great lives, in large part because it is just so easy to settle for a good life.” ― James C. Collins, Good...
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Relationships
First
Relationships First