Companies expect to grow through collaboration with external partners, according to Economist Intelligence Unit study sponsored by Cisco
Respondents to a worldwide survey of 394 senior executives, conducted by the EIU, say that collaborative relationships are growing increasingly important to business success. Two out of three said that competition has prompted them to collaborate more than they would otherwise, and half said that they would spend more time during the next three years working with other organisations. Among the more than 35 companies interviewed for the study, most reported increases in the number and size of collaborations with outside organisations geared towards realising their business objectives. Over two-thirds of survey respondents said that partnerships could help their company reach goals that it could not achieve on its own.
Executives also expected increases in internal collaboration. Respondents said that over the next three years they would spend more time working with different functions (55%) and with people at different locations (62%) within their own organisations. As organisations become flatter, the ability to coordinate across silos becomes increasingly important. Respondents said that senior management - the executives responsible for knitting together disparate parts of the organisation in order to execute strategy - was most collaborative. (Knowledge workers came in second, followed by project managers and process owners, while human resources was judged least collaborative.)
“By turning to other organisations with different capabilities, companies can execute faster and more efficiently,” said Dan Armstrong of the Economist Intelligence Unit, the editor of the report. “Globalisation, which allows companies both to source and sell throughout the world, favours companies that can work with outsiders to develop, manufacture and distribute products.”
Other key findings of the report include the following:
· Collaboration can increase operational efficiency and productivity. The key benefit of collaboration, according to respondents, was enhancing operational efficiency and productivity (42% of survey takers). Respondents said that their collaborative efforts had resulted in “reduction of duplication of efforts by different teams in different locations” and “being able to do more, more successfully and quickly at less cost.” One company interviewed, GlaxoSmithKline, developed an extensive system of time-based metrics that documented how collaborating researchers were able to use time more effectively.
· Many companies lack leadership and processes that encourage collaboration. A culture of collaboration already exists at most companies. By large margins, survey respondents said that they trust co-workers and management; that their corporate cultures encourage sharing over secrecy; and that they are interested in partnering with other organisations. But respondents were split on whether their positive attitudes towards collaboration were reinforced by management. In many cases, senior management fails to explain the benefits of collaboration, publicise successful collaborations or reward successful collaborators.
· Only a minority of companies attempt to measure the results of collaboration. Four out of five survey takers said their companies had not attempted to measure the results of collaboration. Among those who did, a large majority reported positive results, though some reported difficulties in developing appropriate metrics.
· There is dissatisfaction with online collaboration tools. Despite their fluency in existing collaboration software, respondents did not feel that current tools added much to the collaborative process.
The report is one of three studies conducted by the EIU for Cisco that describe the development of the interactions economy, in which customers, suppliers, owners, workers and others go beyond mere transactions to exchange information for mutual benefit. The other two research projects investigate the role of personalisation and innovation in the interactions economy.
The global economy is evolving rapidly as globalization and technology change our industries, our companies and our workforce in ways that we never imagined a decade ago,” said Rob Lloyd, senior vice president of U.S. and Canada Operations. Companies that can collaborate globally to create the customer experience will win the competitive battleground.”
Collaboration: Transforming the way business works is available free of charge at www.eiu.com/Collaboration
Notes for editors:
Collaboration: Transforming the way business works is an Economist Intelligence Unit white paper, sponsored by Cisco Systems. The research is based on an online survey of 394 executives, conducted by the Economist Intelligence Unit in November and December 2006, as well as in-depth interviews with senior executives at over 35 companies from a wide range of industries worldwide. Just over half had annual revenue of over than US$500m and 40% had revenue of over US$1bn. About 25% were CEOs, and exactly one-half came from the C-suite.
About the Economist Intelligence Unit
The Economist Intelligence Unit is the business information arm of The Economist Group, publisher of The Economist. Through our global network of more than 700 analysts and contributors, we continuously assess and forecast political, economic and business conditions in 200 countries. As the world's leading provider of country intelligence, we help executives make better business decisions by providing timely, reliable and impartial analysis on worldwide market trends and business strategies.
About Cisco Systems
Cisco, (NASDAQ: CSCO), is the worldwide leader in networking that transforms how people connect, communicate and collaborate. Information about Cisco can be found at http://www.cisco.com. For ongoing news, please go to http://newsroom.cisco.com.
# # #
Cisco, Cisco Systems, and the Cisco Systems logo are registered trademarks or trademarks of Cisco Systems, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the United States and certain other countries. All other trademarks mentioned in this document are the property of their respective owners. The use of the word partner does not imply a partnership relationship between Cisco and any other company. This document is Cisco Public Information.
웹사이트: http://www.eiu.com
연락처
Economist Intelligence Unit:
Joanne McKenna: +44 (0)20 7576 8188 or 이메일 보내기
올인원 PR 플랫폼
기자 발굴부터 성과 측정까지 PR 업무 시간을 절반으로
-
2021년 1월 7일 16:29
관련 분야
