The Two-Minute Revolution by Sangeeta Talwar

Author:Sangeeta Talwar [Talwar, Sangeeta]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9789353051136
Publisher: Penguin Random House India Private Limited
Published: 2018-05-25T00:00:00+00:00

In my years in business, the belief was that abundant resources and relevant expertise would provide the ‘stairway to heaven’. However, today, in a world where business is increasingly being challenged by competition that can appear from anywhere, any time and in any form, it’s important to go beyond the resources you own as a company to leverage the network of technology, talent, customers, channels—almost anything you can access as a result of partnerships. Collaborate to compete is the new mantra!

When you see how fintech companies are redefining what traditional financial institutions have been doing for centuries, do you think they should collaborate or compete? Collaborate with like-minded products/services to build scale, with competing ones to offer choices to consumers, with niche offerings to target specific audiences, etc. As an article in Forbes rightly said,1 ‘The path to success no longer lies in clawing your way to the top of the heap, but in nudging your way to the centre of the network.’

In my own previous experience as the CEO of Mattel, the world’s largest toy company, culling out a niche in a trade-led market cluttered with low-priced, low-quality toys in India would not have been possible had it not been for the kind of partnerships and understanding we built with our trade partners, distributors and key retailers (read more in ‘Pivot to Profitability’). They were the key determinants of our differential margin strategy across the range, which made the pivot to profitability possible.

For the ‘One Billion Votes’ campaign, Tata Tea partnered with Janaagraha, a Bangalore-based not-for-profit organization that had done pioneering work in the areas of urban advocacy and governance. The idea of the partnership was to create a platform that would help young Indians to realize how important it was for them to exercise their right to vote as a way of bringing about change. Janaagraha used its comprehensive knowledge of the electoral process, its structured citizen participation and advocacy to improve management and use of electoral rolls. Tata Tea could not have done this alone as its efforts may have been viewed as being commercial. Tata Tea, of course, provided all the necessary support. It worked well and was a good example of corporate–public partnership aimed at bringing about a meaningful change in society.

Erstwhile competitors are working together to gain efficiencies of scale. Companies are finding ways to get around non-compete agreements to ensure that the best talent stays with them. At the same time, they are ensuring that these ‘intrapreneurs’ get to pursue their dream of building a new business. If someone is intelligent enough to do it for themselves, why not get them to use their mind to work for you as well, even if it is part-time? The ways of working have changed, but the lesson is still the same. You get nowhere if you walk alone. Sounds obvious, doesn’t it? I’ll take you through a few examples from my own experience where partnerships made for powerful results. Some of them may now feel

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