Negotiation and Partner
|•||Exploring and developing details of the alliance at both the strategic and operating levels|
|•||Identifying and selecting compatible partners|
|•||Determining alliance type and structure|
|•||Managing and leading alliances|
|•||Revising alliance strategies|
This chapter examines a variety of alliance situations and describes negotiation and partner selection activities involved in them.
While it is important to focus on the strategic and organizational fit of strategic alliances, it is equally important to consider the human aspects (Slowinski, 1992). People and personal chemistry are what ultimately make alliances work. A1 Zeien, CEO at Gillette, refers to people as the grease and glue that make alliances work.
Human factors are important early in the alliance negotiation process. In the first three company experiences discussed in this chapter—General Motors (USA) in China, Studds-Nolan (an Italian/Indian joint venture), and Tambrands (USA) in Russia— human factors, though not the only controlling factor, were critical