Everywhere you look today there seems to be a great deal of discussion regarding the importance of managing relationships. The focus on how key stakeholders interact with one another and its impact on achieving improved outcomes in areas such as complex contracting is nothing new. At least not from the standpoint of recognizing the need to collaborate, communicate and cooperatively work together towards achieving a mutual goal.
What is different, however, is how these important relationships are structured is no longer driven by circumstantial factors. The I-35 bridge project in Minnesota about which I have talked previously is just one example of the way that external forces such as an immediate need used to be the impetus for “one-off” relationship success. Unfortunately, after addressing the immediate need, the approach to stakeholder interaction would revert to the familiar and largely ineffective adversarial model in which the usual outcome did not replicate the former’s success.
With the new approach, in which standardization through the establishment of ISO 44001 has led to the transformation of complex business relationship scalability beyond having the right factors come together at the right time, we have laid the foundation for client success regardless of present circumstances or contractual arrangements. This scalability as I call it – which enables an established model or framework to be universally applied to realize consistent outcomes is the reason why my work on the ISO 44001 two years ago was so important. It is also why the recent ISO T286 meetings in Shenzhen, China were very successful.
Breaking Through The Relational Wall
Two very important things came out of the China meetings. First, we finalized 44002 – a guide to implementing 44001 requirements which will be going for a vote before the ISO community.
Second, the ISO committee reached an agreement regarding the development of a special guide (44003) to help Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) to collaborate more effectively. ISO 44003 will also provide larger firms with a roadmap to improve their engagement with MSMEs. The introduction of this guide is very exciting for me at the personal level as I believe this will be a game-changer in how MSMEs contribute to innovation and economic activity. It will also be a catalyst for fundamental change in public sector procurement.
Through the introduction of these guides, the ISO standard creates a solid foundation for building strong and productive business relationships that will consistently deliver desired outcomes regardless of the industry sector and organization structure or size. In other words, we are now in the position through the two ISO documents to break through the barrier or wall of relational scalability and in the process establish for the first time a truly universal standard for relationship management and success.
In early 2019 we will be presenting a series of webinars providing the framework for the two guides, and how organizations can utilize them to achieve success in all major projects or initiatives. We look forward to having you join us, and will provide you with the registration links for the first in the series in an upcoming post.
A Personal Invitation
For those who are new to my network, whether you are trying to unlock the power of collaboration in your existing relationships, or attempting to enable your digital strategy or collaborative project delivery, we can help you to establish the systematic model in your organization and relationships.
Become A Member of The ISO 44001 Mirror Committee
The Canadian ISO 44001 Mirror committee is looking to expand its current membership including a vice role. For those who are interested in participating, please send me your CV and indicate for which stakeholder group you either represent or advocate.
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Relationships First