Strategic Alliance Magazine Q2 2016 - 29

C RO S S - C U LT U R A L PA RT N E R I N G Relationship Building Is Key to Success One of the top five success factors in alliance management has to do with understanding cultural differences, according to research conducted by ASAP over the years. Watenpaugh attributes this to the fact that "so many of our alliances are global. Where I work, global means relationships in six countries." "India has a lot of different subcultures ... and it's imperative to have an Indian partner to help bridge the Both India and Latin America place a strong emphasis on building relationships before talking business. "While Americans just want to go in and do the deal, the people in these countries don't want to until they trust you on a personal level, which can take time," she pointed out. differences, because they are more aware than an outsider of the nuances that bridge Indians are warm and inclusive, concurred Roye, who peppered his presentation with lots of relationship advice, examples, and information for forging beneficial alliances in social settings as well as in general areas of business. "Alliances are about relationships between people and teams within companies," he said. In Indian business arrangements, prepare for deep, personal, and long-term relationships. In some cases, prepare to become part of the family, he advised. In terms of commitment, it's critical to understand that, in general, Indians are very soft-spoken. If you don't understand the messages being sent from an Indian partner, you risk missing a crucial deadline or target. An outsider "can damage the entire business relationship just because of a nicety or sensitivity that he could have been cautioned to keep in mind," he said. Roye's presentation was particularly relevant for Koen Burgers, program manager excellerate for Damen Shipyards Group, The Netherlands. "Subhojit talked from subculture to subculture." Norma Watenpaugh about transforming supplier-buyer relationships into partnerships that go beyond transactions," he recalled enthusiastically. "I enjoyed the cultural aspect. It was very relevant for everyone working across the globe," he added, noting that Damen is particularly globally oriented with 32 facilities and a number of partner yards around the world of which many are joint ventures or contractual collaborations. Damen is also a significant employer in Vietnam, where the company works closely together with several local shipyards and is building the soon-tobe largest yard in the Group. n When in Latin America ... By Cynthia B. Hanson One of Norma Watenpaugh's more recent undertakings as a collaborative business consultant was to educate a large group of about 30 entrepreneurs from Bogotá on how to build partnerships. The group was sponsored to come to Silicon Valley for a week to see what entrepreneurship is like in the United States and explore the possibility of partnering with US technology companies. "They were very relationship oriented," observed Watenpaugh. "My role was to come in and talk about how to build partnerships. When we sat down to talk, we didn't jump right into the business information. It was more an attempt to get to know each other first ... a personal discussion for the first few minutes before they got down to specific concerns and what they wanted to learn." (continued on next page) 29 SUMMER * 2016 | STRATEGIC ALLIANCE MAGAZINE

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Strategic Alliance Magazine Q2 2016