#01 Partnering Corporation Think Tank Workshop
Partnering with other companies often sounds like a great idea—until it gets real. That’s why, understandably, many SMEs hesitate.
Yet research shows that SMEs perform significantly better when they partner—especially on innovation and growth.
Let’s bring our collective wisdom together to co-create a practical blueprint for how partnering can become a strategic strength—not a struggle—so more SMEs can unlock this hidden potential. Together, we’ll reflect on questions like:
What can we learn from real-world partnering experiences?
What does a strategic partnering approach look like?
What’s needed to help SMEs confidently pursue long-term collaborations?
🗓️ Date: 23 October 2025
🕔 Time: 5:00–7:30 PM CEST
📍 Location: Live on Zoom
This isn’t a webinar—it’s a thinking space. If this resonates and you believe your presence—whether through sharing insights or questions —could enrich the dialogue, we’d love you to register, chosing one of the two options.
To join the Think Tank workshop, please register chosing one of the following two options:
Participate in the full 2.5-hour online workshop and take part in the exchange—at no cost.
Join live plus receive the recording, presentation slides, and all outcomes of the session listed under "Full Outcome Package" below. (You'll be asked to create a quick account if you don’t have one yet.).
What is our goal?
To collect and synthesize practical and evidence-based wisdom that helps small and mid-sized enterprises (SMEs) gain clarity, confidence, and readiness to partner more strategically.
How do we get there?
This isn’t a webinar—it’s a Think Tank space for co-creating knowledge, and your contribution is what brings the dialogue to life.
By sharing real-world experiences, questions from practice, research-based observations, or even just your curiosity, we’ll reflect together on:
Fresh perspectives on how to categorize partnering strategies — especially in relation to trust
Real-world examples of what works (and what doesn’t) in SME collaborations
Evidence-based and practical stepping stones for setting up value sharing, governance structures, and varied levels of collaboration
Who is this for?
This session is for business leaders, entrepreneurs, SME advisors, network builders, researchers, lecturers, students and anybody who believes that partnering among SMEs can be more successful—if approached with greater knowledge and more strategically.
Wondering if this is for you?
Ask yourself:
Are you feeling increasing pressure to scale, innovate, or stabilize—but can’t do it alone?
Have you been part of a collaboration that struggled… or succeeded?
Are you working in an ecosystem or multi-actor environment where partnerships matter?
Do you believe partnering could be a strategic muscle—not just a lucky opportunity?
Would you like to co-think with other professionals in a field that matters to you—without fearing complexity or multiple perspectives?
If you said “yes” to at least one of these, you’re in the right place.
Why join this session?
Gain fresh perspectives as you explore real-world partnering cases and concepts with others eager to raise the collective know-how for making partnering a strategic practice. We hope you’ll leave with new insights and shared inspiration to approach partnering with greater confidence and creativity.
Want the Full Outcome Package?
By registering with a CHF 25 contribution, you’ll receive not only the session recording but also a carefully curated takeaway bundle:
Factsheet: Key success factors and pitfalls for SME partnering
Checklist: A step-by-step guide how to approach partnering strategically
Support Ideas List: Innovative ideas for what's needed to support SMEs, e.g. tools, templates, training suggestions, and more
Bonus: A short “Partnering Readiness” self-check to reflect on your strategic partnering maturity
You can choose this option now—or decide after the session, once you’ve experienced what it’s all about.
Your contribution helps keep the Think Tank independent, accessible, and community-driven. 🙏
Many SMEs hesitate to partner with other companies or competitors — and for good reasons.
Trust is fragile, value-sharing can be complex, and governance often remains unclear.
Yet research shows that SMEs perform significantly better when they partner — especially when it comes to innovation and growth:
SMEs that invest in strategic alliances and partnerships see, on average:
• +32% in exploratory innovation
• +28% in exploitative innovation
(Measured in standardized effect sizes)
These innovation gains translate into ~20% stronger international expansion outcomes.
In short: partnering strategies explain nearly half the success variance in SMEs—especially when the goal is to scale, innovate, or enter new markets.
Join our online Think Tank workshop session and let’s together help more SMEs to unlock this hidden, powerful opportunity for innovation and growth this world needs!
Meet
Dr. Eva Bilhuber Galli is an expert in partnering leadership, organizational transformation, and multi-stakeholder collaboration. As founder of the management consultancy Human Facts · The Value of We, she supports leaders in designing cultures and organizations grounded in care, connection, and co-creation. She holds a PhD in Strategic Management from the University of St. Gallen, Switzerland, and publishes regularly on the future of management.
Dr. Cynthia Kauami is a management science lecturer at the Namibia University of Science and Technology (NUST), where she teaches Innovation, Operations, and Business Finance. With a PhD in strategy and entrepreneurship, her research focuses on coopetition among SMEs—highlighting the benefits of collaboration between competitors. Before entering academia, Cynthia led executive training and SME mentoring programs across Namibia.
Yes! If you register with the CHF 25 contribution, you'll receive access to the session recording, presentation slides, and a summary of the key insights—perfect for reviewing or sharing later
This is not only a one-way presentation. It’s a live, interactive Think Tank session—we co-create knowledge through case sharing, collective reflection, and working groups. Your voice matters.
Absolutely. While we focus on SMEs for this session, the principles of partnering strategy are valuable for entrepreneurs, network builders, lecturers, ecosystem actors, and anyone working in collaboration-driven environments, with or without a leadership role.
Yes! Whether you're deeply experienced or just exploring this space, you’re welcome. The Think Tank is built around openness, mutual learning, and combining lived experience with research-based knowledge.
The session will be held in English.
Yes! During registration, you’ll be invited to select one of three small working groups—each offering a different lens on partnering strategy:
Group A - Evaluating Experiences:
What can we learn from business partnering experiences?
What worked, what didn’t, and why?
Group B - Generalizing Approach:
What does a good partnering strategy look like?
What are the key elements of a well-designed partnering approach for SMEs?
Group C - Thinking Forward:
What’s needed to support SMEs in successful partnering?
What tools, resources, or support structures could help more SMEs confidently embrace partnering strategies—and what already exists?
Choose the group that resonates most with your current focus, experience, or curiosity.
Whether or not you can join the session live, you’re warmly invited to become part of our free online Think Tank network online forum—a shared space for deeper dialogue, collective sense-making, and exploring how organizations can grow from a partnering core.
It’s where we continue to develop, evolve, and inspire the future of partnering corporations.
This workshop is part of the broader Partnering Corporation Think Tank Network —a growing community of professionals, entrepreneurs, researchers, and changemakers reimagining what it means to build organizations around a partnering core. Together we ask:
“What if partnering—not competition—became the core principle of corporations?”
Unthinkable? That’s exactly what we want to explore together.
Visit our Think Tank Site to discover our purpose, our guiding charter, guiding principles, the sponsorship of this network - if it resonates sign-up to our mailing list to stay informed about our activities.