Success factors for collaboration management in manufacturing companies

Despite the potential benefits of collaboration in a dynamic business environment, many manufacturing organisations find it extremely difficult to build alliances successfully. There is a lack of methods and frameworks for establishing and managing collaboration in traditional manufacturing environments. This often leads to failures, decreasing motivation and can ultimately weaken competitive position in the market. A benchmarking project was undertaken with a variety of firms to explore and gain a better understanding of factors that would improve the likelihood of collaborative success. This paper provides an understanding of the necessary changes required in a firm's activities, its organisational structure and culture. It demonstrates the impact of these changes on successful collaborations. Through an analysis of the required changes, it is shown how companies can adopt six empirically tested factors to bring about a successful collaboration management. These success factors identified in the benchmarking project offer guidance for managers seeking to successfully collaborate in today's business landscape.