A case of ‘You scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours’
‘Only the collaborative will survive’.
There is a really good article on the FT website this week by Rod Newing about business relationships. It covers the research carried out by Bill Bronsky of the London Business School for the Office for Business Architecture.
The bit I agree with the most is that the old adage of; ‘it’s not what you know, it’s who you know’ is still in evidence. Relationships forged out of adversity will last when the upturn in the economy comes. Those organisations that have gone through ‘change’ with suppliers that have almost become partners as they have evolved will be best placed to retain those relationships as trusted partners.
Of course the front page of today’s (11th of June) Independent cries out that the recession has ended. Organisations that have used the recession as an opportunity to get the most out of other organisations will be remembered long in the memory