The document discusses unexpected partnerships and innovation through collaboration. It provides examples of partnerships between non-competing organizations that created new opportunities through sharing resources, knowledge, and distribution channels. These include partnerships between Formula 1 and hospitals, bread makers and food companies, and soft drink companies and oral rehydration manufacturers. The document advocates exploring lateral connections between organizations by considering what they can learn from each other, spare resources they share, and new areas of white space for cooperation without competition.

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Unexpected Partnerships
Roland Harwood, 100%Open

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Unexpected Partnerships
Innovation is a
social process

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Conversation, Relationship, Transactions
“Ideas don’t exist in an
individuals head. They
exist between people,
in conversations.”
Jules Evans

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The Net Works
“Networking is only one
letter away from
not working.”
Chris Powell

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Constellations – Cognitive Distance

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Lateral Leaps
Q1. What can we learn or
borrow from each other that
we can both benefit from?

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F1 Intensive Care Unit
Doctors learned from the Forumla 1 pit stop as analogous to transferring patients
from operating room to intensive care, reducing errors made and saving lives.

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Reebok Pumps
Reebok Pumps innovation came from standard blood pressure monitors. Their first
year’s sales we over $1bn and propelled Reebok ahead of Nike for the first time.

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Bi-Products
Q2. What spare material or
resources do we have that
can be used productively
by each other?

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Hovis & Courtaulds = Quorn
Courtaulds (now Akzo) taught Hovis how to weave strands of mushroom fungus, a
byproduct of bread making, into Quorn; now one of the UK’s biggest food brands.

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Co-Creative - Interface
Interface are a $1bn carpet company who have a promise – called Mission Zero - to
eliminate any negative impact the company may have on the environment by 2020.

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White Space
Q3. How can we create
something new by
collaborating with non-
competing partners?

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Cola-Life
ColaLife works in developing countries to bring Coca-Cola and its bottlers together to
open up distribution channels to carry ‘social products’ such as oral rehydration salts.

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Swatch & Mercedes = Smart
Swatch worked closely with Mercedes to develop the hugely popular Smart car using
the same type of manufacturing strategies and personalization.

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Unexpected Partnerships
1. Lateral Leaps – What can we learn or
borrow from each other that we can both
benefit from? e.g. Great Ormond Street
2. Bi-Products – What spare material or
resources do we have that can be used
productively by each other? e.g. Quorn
3. White Space – How can we create something
new by collaborating with non-competing
partners? e.g. Smart

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Cultivate the Edge
“The future reveals itself
through the peripheral.”
J.G. Ballard

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Give | Get
Generosity is like compound
interest. The sooner you
bank it the greater
the dividends.

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Connect the Dots
“Connect on your
similarities, and benefit
from your differences.”
Valdis Krebs

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3 minute JV
1. Compare cognitive distances
2. Explain what you do.
3. Find out what your partner does.
4. Agree what you could do together.
5. Give you collaborative project a name.

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3 minute JV
“A new idea is nothing more
or less than the combination
of old elements.”
James Webb Young

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Co-Creation Drawing
Rule 1: Draw only one line at a time
Rule 2: No talking while drawing
1. Cooperation - One of you to take the
lead
2. Cooperation – Repeat but reverse roles
3. Collaboration – Both decide together
4. Co-Creation – Neither decides, just
draw

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Thank You
Roland Harwood
Co-Founder & Partner
100%Open | Somerset House | South Building | London | WC2R 1LA
Phone: +44 (0)20 78133 1006 | +44 (0)7811 761 435
Email: roland@100Open.com
Web: www.100Open.com
Twitter: @100Open