【正文】 5 The Hidden Story behind Dancing With Gorillas: Strategies for Partnering With a Multi National By Shameen Prashantham Abstract: A tiny startup looking to partner with a colossal multinational must develop some original ideas if it is to be successful. Asymmetry and other obstacles can be overe. This author advances several strategies that will enable a startup to enjoy a productive partnership with a multinational. Keywords: Multinationals, Partnering, Small firms, Startups, Strategy Announcing his pany?s strategic alliance with Microsoft in 2021, Nakia?s CEO Stephen Elop observed:” The battle of devices has now bee a war of ecosystem.” Indeed, large multinational corporations (MNCs) like Microsoft, Nokia and several others have e to build large ecosystems prising thousands of participants that engage in various activities and points on the value chain. But unlike the relationship between Microsoft and Nokia, which brings together two formidable, large MNCs, many of these ecosystem participants are small (and often young) firms that are drastically different from the large MNC at the center of ecosystem. For such participants, and MNC ecosystem provides a great opportunity, though it also presents great challenge. Leveraging the opportunity while overing the challenge calls for adeptness at what London Business School Professor Julian Brikinshaw and I have referred to as “Dancing with Gorillas”1. Given the sheer asymmetries between startups and MNCs, we have argued that business as usual is unlike to bear fruit. Instead, startups must form, consolidate and extend MNC relationships through less orthodox partnering strategies. This article describes those strategies and suggests how smaller firms can overe some of the obstacles inherent in partnering with multi nationals. There are 3 partnering strategies that startups can employ to work with large multi nationals. 1. Forming MNC relationships: Most MNCs wishing to engage with a partner of similar size will take a direct frontal approach to that relationship, perhaps through a dedicated alliance department or through key individuals who have direct counterparts in the prospective partner pany. For a smaller firm seeking to partner with an MNC, however, the lack of access and attention coupled with the asymmetry in resources means that a direct frontal approach is likely to fail. Instead, a startup would be better off using an indirect means of access. That is, it may be necessary to form a bridge between the two disparate anizations. Using local allies to fe MNC relationships can help gain mitment from the larger partner. So, for example, some public policy initiatives provide even greater ?handholding? for smaller firms. For example, a British startup, HMD Clinical, leveraged a regional initiative called Scottish Technology and Collaboration to build links with relevant decisionmakers at a locally based . multinational subsidiary. 2. Consolidating MNC relationships: Having formed a relationship with an MNC, a startup must establish its credentials by being 6 clear about, and focusing on, the greatest value that it can add to the relationship. It can then leverage the MNC?s plementary capacities. For instance, if the startup?s main contribution pertains to specialized technology, then it can draw upon the MNC?s marketing capabilities to achieve greater international visibility. However, given the inherent instability in such relationship, the startup should also consider tactics such as “modularizing” knowledge transfer from the MNC partner. With discrete knowledge transfers, it is possible to achieve at least partial success even if the project gets shelved or derailed at some point down the road. For example, in the case of the abovenamed HMD Clinical, a fruitful association with the . multinational developed but then ended earlier than planned owing to the latter?s changing priorities. Even so, valuable outes had already been achieved including the successful building of a product prototype which meant the startup?s efforts had not been wasted. 3. Extending MNC relationships: Given the asymmetry of resources and differences in long=tem objectives, a startup?s MNC relationships are bound to unfold in an unpredictable pattern. Startups most successful at collaborating effectively with MNCs over a long period of time are often those that build links with individuals who span anizational boundaries and who can, therefore, tap into resources and knowledge terms, startups should also seek to broaden the value chain activities they undertake jointly with MNCs to derive, where feasible, both upstream and downstream benefits, thus achieving economies of scope getting more bang for their buck from the relationship. To illustrate, HMD Clinical?s association with the . multi national became more effective when an individual with a global technology role got involved. He was able to draw on the technical expertise of his colleagues elsewhere in Europe and even North America when needed. In subsequent research on activities in India, Britain and the ., I have discovered that more often than not, there is something of a “hidden story” behind the successes of young firms that have been able to dance with gorillas. In particular, I observed three facets of the “hidden story” that are discussed below, and which can provide useful insight into the nature of the challenges associated with chancing with gorillas, and possible ways to overe them. Dancing with gorillas: The “Hidden Story” Forming (Initiating the relationship) Consolidating (Deepening the relationship) Extending (Multiplying the relationship) The “Hidden Story” The often is a “once upon a time” . prefounding experiences with MNCs can have profound effects on the connections fed. T