During a recent visit to Boston, Sabrina Leung and Bernard Colas had the privilege of meeting Professor Oliver Hart—Nobel laureate in Economics and Harvard professor—renowned for his pioneering research on collaborative contracts. Their discussion sparked deep reflection on how business partnerships can be strengthened amid the uncertainty and fast transformation that define today’s world.

As economic, technological, and geopolitical shifts accelerate, the quality of relationships between partners is increasingly the key to success. When unpredictability renders traditional contractual clauses insufficient, the strength of the connection between parties comes to the forefront. Collaborative contracts address this new reality by moving beyond formal obligations, providing a framework grounded in trust, transparency, and shared responsibility—values that empower partners to adapt together when faced with the unexpected.

At Affilia, these principles form the cornerstone of our approach to building resilient, well-balanced partnerships. Embedding trust, reciprocity, and shared purpose at the heart of contractual relationships helps organizations develop governance structures that are both agile and aligned with their core values. In times of uncertainty, such contracts function not only as legal instruments, but also as relational safety nets and drivers of collective innovation.