Leadership & Management Development

Everything that is usually important and significant for Leadership and Management is just as relevant in Joint Ventures and Alliances. So, what else is important?  As outlined in the culture creation section, the leaders and managers need to very quickly become aligned in their thinking. If there is incongruence in approach, team members will quickly become aware of this and just adopt the bits of each that best suit their purpose. This tends to lead to the confused (and at times conflicted) situation previously described.

The managers are from different organisations, so they are likely to have their own views of how to do things.  As managers are, by definition (usually!), strong minded individuals this can lead to a level of conflict, both open and underlying. In our experience, this can lead to a level of distress for team members as they can become ‘stuck’ between conflicts.

What is required for success in Alliance & JV Leadership and Management is a greater level of maturity; the ability (or willingness) to reflect on behaviour (of self and others), understand the cause and impact combined with a willingness to make changes for the ‘greater good’ rather than drive their own agendas. Achieving this as a team requires advanced communication skills as well as an environment of trust and support.

At Unicorn, we work with you to create safe environments and facilitate open and honest discussion – nipping issues in the bud, and preventing them before they arise.

If they do get out of hand, we work with you to untangle presenting issues, identify the underlying issues and identify and commit to solutions.

It is important that the Leaders and Managers support each other and establish a trusting environment. This is important for the business, team members, and also for the individuals themselves as they can, at times, feel isolated from their parent organisation. At such times, coaching can also be of considerable benefit to these leaders and managers.