From the year 2000, a massive shift occurred quietly to most, but daringly to a few. A few large organizations saw the change that was occurring. In 2007, when I was consulting with a large $Bn technology bellwether from my alma mater, I remember how this disruption, so new and so unique, was being viewed as the single largest transformation in the industry way before most of the world heard of this disruption. This arrived with the perfect storm co-created by cloud system deployment capabilities and the penetration of high speed internet. With these forces aligned, it created the SaaS disruption. It took 10 years though for its proliferation to be the product of choice for all industries. It uniquely positioned itself to productise systems and frameworks and create workflow environments which were hitherto accessible only toby the big companies at a fraction of the expense. It did something else which was more succinct though. Now companies were suddenly getting familiar with having open systems and integrations and allowing outsiders in – a fundamental shift in thinking which has changed everything.

2. From the year 2000, a massive shift occurred
quietly to most, but daringly to a few. A few
large organizations saw the change that was
occurring. In 2007, when I was consulting with a
large $Bn technology bellwether from my alma
mater, I remember how this disruption, so new
and so unique, was being viewed as the single
largest transformation in the industry way before
most of the world heard of this disruption. This
arrived with the perfect storm co-created by
cloud system deployment capabilities and the
penetration of high speed internet.
With these forces aligned, it created the SaaS
disruption. It took 10 years though for its
proliferation to be the product of choice for all
industries. It uniquely positioned itself to
productise systems and frameworks and create
workflow environments which were hitherto
accessible only to the big companies at a
fraction of the expense.
It did something else which was more succinct
though. Now companies were suddenly getting
familiar with having open systems and
integrations and allowing outsiders in –
a fundamental shift in thinking that changed
everything.

3. A precondition to any collaboration
is an open mind. Where one can
freely discuss synergies than be
worried about theft of intellectual
property by sheer discussion itself.
With an open system environment,
companies began to see how great
technology could be accessed by
everyone for a fraction of the cost,
establishing that letting someone
in can save money. Now
organizations needed a nudge to
say that collaborations can add
business value.
In 2009, I remember how an
acquisition by another big
bellwether of a small technology
outfit in Europe was of strategic
importance to them. Making less
than 1% of their own top-line, this
large technology company was
ready to take the plunge of letting
in a small team of engineers join
them rather than do what might
come to them easier – build their
own team. A surprising move, but it
gave them access to a downward
integration possibility which could
get them into market 3 years
sooner and maybe worth billions in
years to come.

4. To understand
how this
conversation
has moved, we
need to
understand the
3 phases of
growing
maturity:

8. It is evident. Maturity of a tech
collaboration has significantly
risen. Now, organizations look
beyond just current year cash
flows. They are looking 3-5 years
from now. And the belief in a
union of equals has emerged.
Earlier, ‘big fish eat small fish’
was the thinking making
organizations work as silos of
expertise. In my personal
opinion, there is a massive
consolidation of strengths
underway. More and more
organizations are becoming
cognizant of their strengths and
accepting of their weaknesses.
‘Collaboration’ (which is being
used as a buzzword for
achieving impact internally) will
be the buzz word of the next 7
years as organizations become
more open, learn to work better
and grow together faster than
they individually could have.

9. Disclaimer: The views expressed in this document are
solely that of the author based on his/ her
experiences. It is imperative that you and your
organization seek relevant professional expertise
before implementing the strategies to your business.