Guillaume Bardin is a member of the senior executive committee of BP and manages the relationships with BP's largest global business partners and customers. In this book, he provides advice on the development of a successful strategic partnering based not only on his own direct experience but also on in-depth interviews with 30 senior executives from leading companies including Toyota, GE, FedEx and BMW.

The book includes advice on how to design a “100 per cent success” partnership development model, how to select the best strategic partner and how to boost performance with strategic partnerships.

Strategic partnerships are no longer a “nice to have” and entire industries now depend on them to operate, improve performance and accelerate innovation, the author notes. The complexities of the global economy now call for the sharing of competencies and capabilities between an ever growing number of parties.

Bardin looks at the critical impediments to success with strategic partnering. These include: not transcending individuals and letting the partnership depend on a CEO; and making decisions for short-term rather than long-term gain.