Better Collaboration – takeaways from Norwegian Defence Materiel Agency’s strategic partnership with Teleplan Globe

Collaboration with the Norwegian defence industry aims to strengthen the defence sector’s access to critical equipment, services, and expertise.

This report aims to support the Norwegian Defence Materiel Agency (NDMA) in collaborative efforts with the defence industry. We identify key takeaways and experiences from NDMA’s strategic partnership with Teleplan Globe, a supplier of tactical battle management solutions. In order to identify key takeaways, we use an analytical framework developed at the Norwegian Defence Research Establishment.

In the report, we have identified five key takeaways that the NDMA can implement to improve future collaborations.

1. The NDMA should work to ensure continuity in relations with external strategic partners and develop processes that reduce the consequences of personnel turnover on the relationship.
2. The NDMA should ensure long-term predictability by linking collaborative efforts to strategic priorities in the defence sector. Should this prove unfeasible, the NDMA should consider whether collaboration is the correct approach or ensure direct involvement from executives.
3. The NDMA should facilitate coordination by establishing arenas for close coordination, planning, information sharing, and discussion with partners. Early supplier involvement should be considered to improve resource planning and use of partner capabilities.
4. The NDMA should aim to delegate decision-making powers to the personnel with the best situational awareness related to the collaborative activities and objectives. These will often be situated on a lower organisational level. This requires clear communication between delegated personnel and NDMA executives to ensure the pursuit of strategic objectives at all levels.
5. The NDMA should aim to clarify expectations related to intellectual property rights (IPR) tied to the collaborative efforts before agreements are made. They should also assess how the distribution of IPR can affect the incentives of the collaborative partners.