In an era when the semiconductor industry is forming more alliances than at any time in its history, many of which are international alliances, it is salutary to turn to one of Japan's great CEOs, Tsuyoshi Kwanishi, formerly CEO of Toshiba Semiconductor, who set out in his book, Chip Management, ten rules for forming alliances.
Kawanishi formed notable international alliances in his time at Toshiba - e.g. with Siemens Semiconductor, later extended to Siemens, IBM and Motorola. His ten rules are:
1. Alliances should be thought of as friendships, not marriages
2. Friendships are based on respect, trust, and patience
3. The secret of success in international co-operation is to give six and take four
4 Alliances should be thought of as multiplication, not addition
5 In order to co-operate, companies must first learn how to compete
6 Don't think in terms of how the world looks from the vantage point of your own country, think of how you country looks from the vantage point of the world
7. You can change civilisation but you cannot change culture
8. You must learn how to respect another country's culture
9 A technological edge can be more important than a political fence.
10 Japanese semiconductor manufacturers should not simply focus on their own selfish interests. They should develop state-of-the-art core skills, establish strategic alliances with world class companies and promote mutual prosperity for the industry.
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