Page 5 - Partnership

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Partnership | MONDAY, APRIL 24, 2017 | S5
behind them. Such understanding is greatly enhanced when teams are comprised of peo- ple from a range of disciplines, geographies, organization levels and backgrounds. As a direct consequence—and a powerful client bene t—such teams bring diverse perspec- tives and ideas to the table, tapping into dimensions of race, gender, culture and other aspects of people’s lives.
Collaboration is the key—the superpower, if you will—that transforms all of this knowl- edge, diverse insight and dedication into concrete, differentiating value to the cli- ent. The tactics for cultivating collaboration don’t have to be sophisticated, but rather sincere and methodical. For example, for every signi cant client we hold a regularly scheduled one-hour internal meeting so everyone on the team knows what everyone else is doing. It doesn’t add to the billings, but it ensures that everyone sees the larger picture and can be up to speed if he or she is suddenly called in to assist in a certain matter. If conducted in the right spirit it also draws the diverse group together on a personal level, with resulting enjoyment and pride.
It’s important to note that all attendees in these meetings must contribute something, whether it’s an update, a question or an obser- vation. An express rule is that everyone must speak. This helps to ensure that all voices are heard, and demonstrates that everyone is committed to listening, which is particu- larly important for early-career talent and those who might be reticent due to prevail- ing cultural norms. Imagine the dialogue, the vibrancy, of these conversations. It’s an apt demonstration of a collaborative culture of intermixed disciplines delivering real value to the client.
It is incumbent upon the rm’s leaders to break down any “walls” to discussion. We can speak from experience that breaking these discussions down from a top-down hierarchy to an open, horizontal dynamic is liberating, enjoyable and very valuable to giving the legal and business solution our clients expect in our complex, rapidly evolving world.
Collaboration also cannot be confined solely to engaging individuals who work close enough to commute to a rm’s of ce locations. We envision a rm that enables more workforce mobility, and which, not inci- dentally, can put us closer to clients wher- ever they are while bringing a wide range of perspectives to a question.
Technology will continue to be a funda- mental enabler of collaboration, ensuring that people can interact seamlessly, via video and phone, sharing documents and ideas, in real time. This is one reason why our rm has
increased its technology investment by 20 percent over the past three years. We view technology as critical to optimizing the effec- tiveness and ef ciency of the teams that col- laborate on client matters, particularly in their ability to manage projects with greater cost predictability.
Developing the superpower of collabo- ration demands a significant shift from a
traditional partner-dominated rm culture. So, perhaps it’s not surprising that partners themselves are often resistant to change. A 2016 Altman Weil survey found that 64 percent of law rm leaders view partner resistance as the biggest impediment to internal change. In fact, just 4 percent of law rm leaders rated their partners as being highly adaptable to change.
Findings like these reinforce the urgency of our challenge: to transform how we oper- ate so that we create perceived value that’s greater than the fees; to aggregate the best ideas and answers from the best minds in our rms; and to continually reshape our approaches and capabilities to help our cli- ents compete and win in an ever-changing marketplace.
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