The Right Kind of Conflict Leads to Better Products

by David S. Thompson, Gary Butkus, Alan Colquitt and John Boudreau

December 23, 2016

Oysters and alliances have something in common: a little irritation can produce a thing of beauty. When partners in an alliance come into conflict, it can be just what is needed to produce a technically and commercially successful product.

David S. Thompson David Thompson, CA-AM, is the Chief Alliance Officer at Eli Lilly and Company in Indianapolis, IN. David is an internationally recognized alliance architect and alliance builder, specializing in making alliances productive and profitable with a track record of: designing and operating effective and efficient alliances; successfully managing and negotiating alliance conflict; and developing high performing alliance management teams. David has published over 20 articles on the topic of alliance management and has been sought out by fortune 100 companies outside of the pharma industry to consult on their alliance management programs.

Gary Butkus , RPh, CA-AM, is Director of Alliance Management at Eli Lilly and Company. He spearheaded the recent review of Lilly’s Voice of the Alliance survey data. Gary has leveraged his more than 20 years of pharmaceutical experience, his certifications in Six Sigma, Healthcare Compliance, and Corporate Citizenship, and his role on the Butler University Board of Trustees into being a recognized leader in the value of professional development and corporate diversity.

Alan Colquitt , PhD, is the Director of Global Assessment, Organization Effectiveness and Workforce Research at Eli Lilly and Company. Alan is the architect of Lilly’s employee survey strategy including Lilly’s employment lifecycle surveys (recruiting, onboarding, exit), customer satisfaction surveys, 360 feedback surveys, team surveys and alliance/collaboration surveys. His group also conducts workforce research projects in the areas of attraction, hiring, on-boarding/socialization, engagement, performance, retention, innovation and customer satisfaction.

John Boudreau is Professor of Management Organization at the University of Southern California’s Marshall School of Business and Research Director at the university’s Center for Effective Organizations. He is an expert on the bridge between superior human capital, talent, and sustainable success and the author of many books and articles, including his latest book with Ravin Jesuthasan, Reinventing Jobs: A 4 Step Approach for Applying Automation to Work. Follow him on Twitter at: @JohnWBoudreau.

Read more on Managing conflicts or related topics Product development and Joint ventures

The Right Kind of Conflict Leads to Better Products

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