This article provides a detailed response to: What are the best practices for integrating external partnerships and collaborations across the Three Horizons? For a comprehensive understanding of McKinsey Three Horizons of Growth, we also include relevant case studies for further reading and links to McKinsey Three Horizons of Growth best practice resources.
TLDR Integrating external partnerships across the Three Horizons requires a strategic approach tailored to Operational Excellence, Innovation, and disruptive potential for sustained growth and success.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Overview Horizon 1: Optimizing Core Business Through Strategic Partnerships Horizon 2: Nurturing Emerging Opportunities Through Collaborative Innovation Horizon 3: Creating Future Growth Engines Through Disruptive Collaborations Best Practices in McKinsey Three Horizons of Growth McKinsey Three Horizons of Growth Case Studies Related Questions
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Before we begin, let's review some important management concepts, as they relate to this question.
Integrating external partnerships and collaborations effectively across the Three Horizons framework is critical for sustaining growth, innovation, and competitive advantage in today's fast-paced business environment. This framework, which segments initiatives into maintaining and defending core business (Horizon 1), developing emerging opportunities (Horizon 2), and creating genuinely new business models or revenue streams (Horizon 3), requires a strategic approach to partnership and collaboration integration.
Horizon 1: Optimizing Core Business Through Strategic Partnerships
In Horizon 1, the focus is on enhancing and protecting the core business operations. Strategic partnerships in this horizon are primarily aimed at Operational Excellence and Risk Management. Organizations should seek partnerships that offer complementary strengths, enabling them to solidify their market position and streamline operations. A practical approach involves conducting a thorough market analysis to identify potential partners who possess the technology, market access, or product offerings that can enhance the organization's value proposition.
For instance, a McKinsey report on the power of partnerships in banking and finance highlights how banks have leveraged fintech collaborations to improve their mobile banking services, thereby enhancing customer experience and operational efficiency. These partnerships allow banks to integrate innovative payment solutions and advanced security features, which are critical for maintaining competitiveness in Horizon 1.
Key actions include formalizing partnership objectives, establishing clear governance structures, and setting up joint teams to ensure alignment and execution. Organizations should prioritize partnerships that offer scalability, allowing them to adjust rapidly to market demands without compromising on quality or performance.
Horizon 2: Nurturing Emerging Opportunities Through Collaborative Innovation
Horizon 2 focuses on scaling new opportunities that have passed the initial validation stage. Here, the emphasis shifts towards Innovation and Strategy Development, with partnerships often centered around shared innovation labs, joint ventures, or co-development agreements. These collaborations are designed to combine resources, knowledge, and market insights to accelerate the development of new products, services, or business models.
Accenture's research underscores the importance of ecosystem partnerships in Horizon 2, noting that companies which actively engage in ecosystem partnerships report significantly higher innovation rates and speed to market. For example, in the automotive industry, traditional manufacturers are increasingly partnering with tech companies to co-develop electric and autonomous vehicles, leveraging each other's strengths in manufacturing, software, and AI.
To maximize the value of these collaborations, organizations should establish clear innovation goals, align on intellectual property rights from the outset, and foster a culture of open communication and mutual respect. It's also crucial to maintain a flexible approach to collaboration, as the dynamic nature of Horizon 2 projects often requires adjustments to partnership scopes and objectives.
Horizon 3: Creating Future Growth Engines Through Disruptive Collaborations
Horizon 3 is where organizations aim to explore and develop disruptive innovations that have the potential to create entirely new markets or significantly alter existing ones. Partnerships in this horizon are typically with startups, research institutions, or other entities that bring fresh perspectives and cutting-edge technologies. The goal is to leverage these collaborations to explore radical innovations and business models without the constraints of current business operations.
A report by BCG emphasizes the strategic value of corporate venture capital (CVC) investments in Horizon 3, highlighting how these investments allow established organizations to tap into the agility and innovative potential of startups. Google's parent company, Alphabet, through its venture arm GV, exemplifies this approach by investing in a wide array of startups across sectors such as life sciences, artificial intelligence, and cybersecurity, thereby securing a foothold in future markets.
Successful integration of Horizon 3 collaborations requires organizations to adopt a venture mindset, being willing to accept higher levels of risk and uncertainty. It's essential to establish frameworks for rapid experimentation, agile development processes, and flexible investment models that can accommodate the unpredictable nature of disruptive innovation. Additionally, fostering a culture that values learning from failure can significantly enhance the outcomes of Horizon 3 collaborations.
In conclusion, integrating external partnerships and collaborations across the Three Horizons framework demands a strategic, structured approach tailored to the specific objectives and challenges of each horizon. By focusing on complementary strengths in Horizon 1, shared innovation in Horizon 2, and disruptive potential in Horizon 3, organizations can effectively leverage external partnerships to drive growth, innovation, and long-term success.
Best Practices in McKinsey Three Horizons of Growth
Here are best practices relevant to McKinsey Three Horizons of Growth from the Flevy Marketplace. View all our McKinsey Three Horizons of Growth materials here.
Explore all of our best practices in: McKinsey Three Horizons of Growth
McKinsey Three Horizons of Growth Case Studies
For a practical understanding of McKinsey Three Horizons of Growth, take a look at these case studies.
Growth Strategy Redesign for Professional Services in Competitive Market
Scenario: The organization in question operates within the professional services industry, facing stagnation in its core offerings while grappling with the challenge of allocating resources effectively across the McKinsey Three Horizons of Growth framework.
Luxury Brand Diversification Strategy Development
Scenario: The organization is a well-established luxury fashion house looking to innovate and expand its portfolio.
Strategic Growth Framework for Space Technology Firm in Competitive Market
Scenario: A firm specializing in space technology is struggling to balance its current operations with innovation and new market expansion, in line with the McKinsey 3 Horizons Model.
E-Commerce Growth Strategy for D2C Luxury Apparel Brand
Scenario: A firm in the direct-to-consumer luxury apparel space is grappling with the challenge of balancing short-term profitability with long-term growth and innovation.
Luxury Brand Growth Strategy for High-End Fashion in Asian Market
Scenario: The organization is a high-end fashion brand that has captured a niche market in Asia.
Industrial Chemicals Growth Strategy for Specialty Materials Firm
Scenario: The organization is a specialty chemicals producer in the industrial sector, grappling with the challenge of sustaining growth while maintaining profitability.
Explore all Flevy Management Case Studies
Download our free compilation of 50+ Strategy & Transformation slides and templates. Frameworks include McKinsey 7-S Strategy Model, Balanced Scorecard, Disruptive Innovation, BCG Experience Curve, and many more.
Related Questions
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This Q&A article was reviewed by David Tang. David is the CEO and Founder of Flevy. Prior to Flevy, David worked as a management consultant for 8 years, where he served clients in North America, EMEA, and APAC. He graduated from Cornell with a BS in Electrical Engineering and MEng in Management.
To cite this article, please use:
Source: "What are the best practices for integrating external partnerships and collaborations across the Three Horizons?," Flevy Management Insights, David Tang, 2025
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