SCORE! A Better Way to Do Busine$$: Moving from Conflict to Collaboration

Chapter 11. Breaking the Mold: Moving to Collaboration

We have seen how companies can become mired under the harsh ways of adversarial commerce. Whether it is intentional or just the result of cultural conditions, its practice can increase costs, reduce access to new ideas, and generally place all parties in an atmosphere of protective tension. The alternative is to use collaborative management tools to increase cooperation between firms. Although this approach is more difficult to implement, it can provide a new path for managers to revitalize their companies. But why take the risk and embark on such a new tactic? The answer is that the built-in tendency of companies to revert to the old command and control style of management is directly impacting ...