Value and challenges from new British Standard
The arrival of the world’s first standard for collaborative business relationships offers organisations a chance to build value beyond their individual capabilities but also poses some potential challenges, claims PSL’s operations director, David Hawkins.
With the imminent publication of the world’s first collaborative relationship standard – BS 11000 – business collaboration specialist David Hawkins has commented: “Venturing into the world of collaboration can be one of the most exhilarating aspects of business. It offers opportunity and risk at the same time as opening up the flow of knowledge and experience between individuals and organisations.
“Yet, it is also an environment that can introduce uncertainty and fear of change for those involved,” he added.
The publication of BS 11000 – scheduled for October 2010 - is a landmark for the world of business. It does not represent a one-size solution but, rather, provides a consistent framework, which can be scaled and adapted to meet particular business needs.
The structure of the framework is drawn from methodologies supported by a wide range of tools and guides which have been established over some 20 years of involvement in relationship management.
“Collaborative working is not simply about cutting cost,” Hawkins pointed out. “It offers an alternative and enhanced capability to build new value propositions beyond the capabilities of an individual organisation.”
In Hawkins’ view – based on many years of drafting and implementing business partnering and collaborative initiatives - collaboration can significantly change the dynamics of organisations and, as such, introduces stress and anxiety at an individual level. Executives may be clear in their minds why they should embrace collaborative approaches but the strategy may not be apparent to those charged with its implementation or, worse, those who find their roles changing.
Organisations comprise people who can be categorised as:
• The ‘comfort zone’ type - where change of any kind disrupts their stability.
• The ‘passive type’ - who are willing to follow but look for clearly defined rules and boundaries.
• The ‘progressive type’ - who embrace change but recognise their need to understand how to move forward
• The ‘visionaries’ - who are frustrated by a lack of change.
“Each of these groups will look at the introduction of collaboration from completely different perspectives,” Hawkins pointed out. “The less confident will push to have all the answers laid out before them and this can create a significant tension.
“Collaborative working is a journey which introduces many twists and turns, highs and lows, as it matures.
“Like any journey, we start with a destination in mind and, if we’ve not been that route before, we’ll seek directions, maps and advice before starting out. The challenge is whether we have the skills to break out of our traditional thinking and, equally importantly, is there a route map to follow that will set us on the right road?”
BS 11000 provides a framework against which organisations and individuals can understand the issues that will influence the journey and allow lifecycle planning from concept to closure.
“Of course, it does not have all the answers and is not intended to force a single solution,” said Hawkins, who is chairman of the BS 11000 development committee. “What its adoption should do is create that common structure where the ‘why, who, where, how and when’ questions can be addressed, evaluated and answered.”
Earlier this year, five leading companies in the defence, aviation and support services sectors become the first in the UK to be awarded PAS 11000 certification – the precursor to BS 11000. EMCOR Group (UK), Lockheed Martin UK, NATS, Raytheon Systems Limited and VT Group worked closely with PSL to achieve PAS 11000 certification, awarded by BSI after they were audited in a pilot certification programme.
Ends