In the world we live in, creative industries and the world of technological innovation tend to go hand-in-hand. Some of the world's most characterizing partnership departments can emerge from the combination of actions from these two different industries. Multiple examples from these types of collaborations can give us an idea of exactly how important the concept of dual networking is.
Try to imagine a colossus like Apple. Nothing would have happened if Steve Jobs did not have the amazing money of Steve Wozniak as a technological genius that will be able to support the idea that the first one had. Even in the film industry, no amazing movie worthy of an Oscar would have been completed if the talented director did not have an innovative and technologically advanced team to support the idea.
Opening up your network
In the world of networking, what you provide, you need to take back. Collaboration is based on networking. The fruitful blending of partners that will be able to take a small idea and nurture it, turning it into a colossal endeavor that could provide the partnership with the results they are aiming for.
Unfortunately, it is quite a common phenomenon for a lot of business owners out there to feel quite reluctant when it comes to sharing their network with their potential partners. Yes, there are many success stories regarding these types of partnerships but at the same time, there are many stories that could be considered not so motivating. To put it as simple as possible a lot of business owners are afraid that if they share their network and their idea they might be thrown out of the project at some point.
Sharing collaborations can be difficult
Before we start talking about the importance of dual networking and how shared collaborations and networks can help an idea evolved we are going to analyze the problem mentioned above and tried to give a certain solution to it. Unfortunately, yes there is always the possibility that someone might try to steal your network and your idea and instead of working with you try to do it all by themselves aiming to get all of the profit.
Unfortunately, in the real world of business, this is going to be a situation you might not be able to avoid. That is of course unless you can read your partnerships. No successful partnership was ever made between partners that were not able to read each other and understand each other. If you are not the kind of person who can understand the intentions of your potential partners, then you might want to consider hiring someone to do the job for you.
Partnerships are based on trust
Partnerships always need to be based on trust and if you are not certain you can trust your partners then, sharing your network, your ideas or pretty much anything else you might have will not be as successful as you might want. However, by hiring a professional to do this for you, you will be able to eliminate the need for better yet the anxiety of choosing the right partners and trusting them to work with you. It is important to have such a person as a part of your human resources. That person could help of partnerships move forward and help you establish new ones as well.
This could be the easiest solution you could give to this particular problem and most likely the solution with the most potential. Now that we have solved that part of the equation let's move onto the next one. Explaining how dual networking is going to be able to benefit your partnership with someone.
Discussions and arguments
Imagine for example that you want to become a part of the technological innovation. Perhaps, your role in the partnership has nothing to do with the technology itself, it has to do with the entrepreneurial part of the technology. You are the seller. However, the collaborative partnership is going to involve sharing insights and challenging your partners. You might not be the person who will create the new technology but you might as well be considered the consumer.
A collaborative partnership will allow you to test the technology over and over again and give your insight and your feedback to your collaborators thus helping them increase their productivity and make the product even better. At the same time, when you as the partner will start working on your part which will be selling the product, you will be able to receive the criticism, preferably positive criticism, from your collaborators based on the methods you are using to sell the product.
It has been proven that a combination of technical experts, as well as a team of managers with a much broader perspective, can create truly innovative ideas that not only will be implemented but will also hold a very strong position in the world labor market. After all, an innovative product is a combination of what a person needs and what is possible to be created.
Fruitful collaborations through dual networking
You will notice that in these types of collaborations, sometimes opinions might be a bit different. In most cases, the expert on the technology might not have the same commercial insights as to the managers of the project. There is always going to be a difference of opinion is mostly because technology experts will value their work in a completely different way. However, the labor market is what it is and the commercial insights usually derived from the market itself and not from the needs and want of the developers.
If you take some time to think about this concept you are going to realize that apart from businesses, the same ideas can apply to the implementation of an EU project that involves technology. In most cases, EU projects do not have an actual commercial role. The outcomes of the projects belong to the European Commission and are to be distributed freely amongst the people. However, even in these cases where there is no actual financial profit there will be a difference of opinions.
During the implementation of such an EU project, there will be partners who will have a much more managerial role and will focus on the way the project is going to be presented and there will be partners that will hold a much more technical role and will have a completely different insight on the way things should be done.
Drawing from experience
Try to dive back into your own experiences in the implementation of EU projects. How many times have you found yourselves arguing about timelines and deadlines regarding specific outputs and deliverables of the project? The person responsible to create the output like for example, a platform for e-learning needed a lot more time to create the final result. They focused more on the highest possible quality of the outcome whereas you as the manager focused more on meeting the deadline right on time.
Yes, even in the best possible collaborations, there will always be differences and they will always be arguing. However, when you realize that sharing networks could eventually provide you with the best possible result, you will see the project skyrocket and be completed a lot easier and a lot better.
Innovation is the key to reach the next level. A lot of EU projects are nowadays focusing on the most innovative concepts under pretty much any sector. Especially in technology. Nowadays, companies are allowing people to focus on the business and technological aspects of innovation. In other words, they are allowing them to create effective collaborations between the managers and the technology experts.
A wide network is the best network
When you are looking for the next best partner that will help you increase your network and implement much more effective and innovative projects, the very first thing you will want to think about will be your approach to the project itself. Are you looking to implement an advanced innovative project with the technological achievements that will take the entire concept to the next level? If yes then you will need to focus on finding partners with appropriate expertise.
Combining different types of networks and potential partners to have the best possible result is always the key. It's a good idea to create different sectors within your network, to be able to find the right partners faster and easier. Be ready to provide your network to your partners and make sure that you will ask for them to do the same for you. Exchanging networks, ideas, perspectives and thoughts will bring your EU projects to the next level.
