The Stakes and Challenges
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The 2020 Enterprises will be organisations completely interlocked into
an ecosystem in which new strategic partnerships and alliances will
form, with clients as well as suppliers and competitors. In the age of
“
co-something”, a company cannot succeed alone in a market, notably
due to the rapid development of new business models, of competitors
“
appearing out of nowhere” and due to the accelerated renewal of
technologies.
The stakes: anticipation and alliances
Mastering the ecosystem involves anticipating the
evolution of the different players who belong to it: the
players fromtraditional informationtechnologybusinesses
are not necessarily those in the current ecosystem, nor, in
fact, those of tomorrow’s. Some will disappear or merge,
others will emerge, and many will form alliances…
Whatever the reason (innovation, value chain optimisation, capturing
new markets…), it is important to form alliances with the right
partner(s), with whom opportunities, values and risks will be shared
and common objectives clearly defined.
As such, establishing the right connection with the right partner, who
can be a supplier, requires collectively sharing opportunities and
risks, committing to common objectives, and sharing value. This value
sharing aims to bring something new and positive to the partners,
and ultimately should help them to grow. It is possible to put in
place strategic partnerships as long as the companies have common
objectives concerning the creation of value. In this way, the partnership
is strategic and indeed different from the traditional client-supplier
relationship (whatever its strength), in which the parties are linked by
a contract that guarantees delivery of service. Each party’s objectives
differ and the balance of the relationship stems precisely from the fact
that the objectives of the parties are opposing.
Anticipate the
evolution of the
different actors
