Toy Story and the golden age of partnership in the technology sector

Advances in algorithms are becoming more and more evident, which makes me wonder whether I am constantly talking about partnerships and alliances between companies on LinkedIn or whether this social network has the ability to read my mind and provide me with relevant information on the subject.

Obviously not, but it is undeniable that LinkedIn associates my profile with my interests and keeps me up to date with the latest news about strategic alliances between companies and organisations.

I personally like to inform myself and learn about market trends, which is an integral part of my job. Anyway, according to market analysis firm IDC, companies and organisations that share data, applications and operations within their industry ecosystem earn 3% more revenue than those that don't participate.

It made perfect sense to me. It's not for nothing that analysts are talking about an imminent technology explosion when 5G connectivity is fully deployed, with the sheer number of connected devices and advances in Artificial Intelligence becoming more and more present in our lives.

Developing strategic alliances in the technological world is a key tool to grow capacities in different markets with the best allies.

Toy Story's success was born from a strategic Alliance

Over time, partnership has proven to be a valuable instrument or model for growing capabilities through partners. The strategy of having an alliance with another as strong as you is a lifelong one and applies to all sectors...

In fact, I'm thinking of the film Toy Story (1995), which is considered the first fully computer-animated feature film in the history of cinema. Did you know that Toy Story started with a partnership?

Disney and Pixar first partnered in 1991, in a three-film deal that allowed Disney to share production costs and profits, as well as distribute the films. Following the success of Toy Story in 1995, the companies signed a new deal for five computer-animated films. In 2006 Disney bought Pixar.

Keys to establishing a partnership strategy

It is important to define the objectives to be achieved when establishing a partnership strategy. An alliance is an agreement to do something together that benefits everyone involved, delivering results that could not be achieved by one partner operating alone, and reducing duplication of effort.

A partnership is an agreement to do something together that benefits all parties.

A successful partnership maximises the impact and effectiveness of actions through the combined and efficient use of available resources. It promotes innovation and is characterised by the strong commitment of each partner involved.

It is essential to establish and agree on basic parameters in order to achieve sustained success. In addition, it requires willingness, adequate allocation of resources and funds to support the collaboration.

In this sense, the partnership area in a technology company has a strategic and cross-cutting role, as it must take into account all parts of a company to be successful. I am referring to product, strategy, finance, compliance, legal, operations... and of course, communications.

10% of tech leader will prioritize investments un strategic partnerships and innovation practices at 3x the rate of competitors –Forrester's North America Predictions 2022.

Partnerships drive collaboration and innovation

The partnership landscape is undergoing significant changes. Co-innovation is gaining momentum and traditional boundaries between partner categories are blurring. In addition, new roles are being created, such as the Chief Ecosystem Officer, as well as indirect sales teams in the field to engage partners in more deals.

If you go on LinkedIn and search for major technology companies, the first thing you will find is news about partnerships between companies and organisations. Agreements between different parties to deliver the best value proposition to the customer, driven by innovation and collaboration.

We are living in the golden age of partnership, a business model that has a lot to contribute to this technological explosion we are experiencing.

Image by rawpixel.com at Freepik.