I think you can boil down most of the issues we face in alliance management to "scarcity mentality". Folks with scarcity mentality view life (and alliances) as a zero sum game. If you win, I lose. If I win, you lose.
Those who view the world from this perspective, have a very hard time collaborating. Viewing partnerships from this prism causes their mindset to be very self focused and "shrinks" their universe. Their "pie" is small, and their life is a constant battle to win turf, presumably at the expense of someone else. It's hard to think creatively about options and fresh new approaches when crouched in the fighting stance ready for battle!
The best cultural mindset for positive partnering and collaboration is an "abundance" mindset. You can always tell when you are dealing with a partner with this mentality. The possibilities are limitless. Collaboration with them is about making the pie bigger, not fighting over pieces of a small pie.
Let's do all we can as alliance managers to promote this mindset in our organizations - and be sure that we walk in this mindset ourselves.
