The Achilles heel (or biggest disadvantage/danger/pitfall) of relying heavily on strategic alliances and partnerships is the added time and extra expenses associated with engaging in collaborative efforts. having to compromise the company's own priorities and strategies in reaching agreements with partners. that partners will not fully cooperate or share all they know, preferring instead to guard their most valuable information and protect their more valuable know-how. that the collaborative arrangements seldom live up to expectations and, therefore, turn out to be a waste of time and money. becoming dependent on other companies for essential expertise and capabilities..