When it comes to consortia or association management, outsourcing administration and operations can offer several advantages. In our experience, here are the top five reasons why consortia thrive when they partner with organizations like IEEE-ISTO:

  1. Focus on Core Competencies: Outsourcing alliance management allows organizations to concentrate on their core competencies. Managing alliances involves intricate coordination, relationship-building, and strategic planning. By outsourcing this function, companies can allocate their internal resources to areas where they excel, such as standards development, market awareness programs, or certification testing. Outsourcing frees up valuable time and energy, enabling organizations to stay competitive in their primary business domains.
  2. Access to Expertise: Alliance management requires specialized skills and knowledge. Outsourcing to professionals who specialize in managing alliances ensures that your partnerships receive expert attention. These experts understand the nuances of collaboration, negotiation, non-profit financial management, member management, strategic advising and conflict resolution. They can navigate complex ecosystems, ensuring that alliances thrive and deliver value. Leveraging external expertise enhances the chances of successful partnerships.
  3. Cost Efficiency: Outsourcing alliance management can be cost-effective. Hiring and training in-house alliance management staff can be expensive, especially for small and medium-sized enterprises. Outsourcing eliminates recruitment costs, training expenses, and overheads associated with maintaining an internal team. Additionally, external alliance management firms often work on a project basis or retainer, allowing organizations to control costs more effectively.
  4. Objective Perspective: An external alliance manager brings an objective viewpoint, based on experience helping other industry alliances. An expert, external alliance Program Manager is  anot entrenched in internal politics or biases. This impartiality helps in decision-making, conflict resolution, and strategic planning. A knowledgeable and experienced  outsider can identify opportunities and risks that internal teams might overlook. Their fresh perspective contributes to better alignment with alliance goals and objectives.
  5. Scalability and Flexibility: Outsourcing alliance management provides scalability and flexibility. As alliances grow or change, external providers can adapt quickly. Whether you need to expand your alliance portfolio or streamline existing partnerships, outsourcing allows you to scale up or down as needed. It also provides flexibility in terms of contract duration and services, ensuring agility in alliance management.

In conclusion, outsourcing alliance management offers strategic advantages, including focus, expertise, cost savings, objectivity, and adaptability. By partnering with IEEE-ISTO, organizations can build stronger alliances and achieve their collaborative goals.

ISTO was established (by the IEEE) in January 1999 to meet the needs of global emerging technology alliances, industry consortia, trade associations, and other technology collectives. ISTO provides the infrastructure, support, and expertise to support standards development efforts and market adoption of emerging technologies. ISTO offers legal not-for-profit formation, technology association management, executive leadership, financial management, membership administration, web and digital marketing, and more to help propel the adoption of your technology through consortia. ISTO is a neutral, safe harbor for industry and government to build relationships, successfully collaborate, and fulfill their missions.  

Contact us today for more information on how we can help your organization achieve its goals.