This level of responsiveness and flexibility are important characteristics that will need to be sought out and cultivated in the supply chain work force. The ideal team member of this new nimble procurement team will have a wide array of talents, interests, and skills, along with flexibility and inquisitiveness, a desire for continuous learning, and a willingness to do things in new ways.
The three characteristics needed in supply chain professionals are:
1. Entrepreneurial thinking
2. Ability to manage relationships and work in teams
3. Ability to understand and do complex financial analyses
Also important is a broad base of business knowledge.
Employees who have long focused on the transactional side of purchasing may find this new normal to be a real challenge. Education and training that supports these individuals will be critical to ensure their continued effectiveness.
Fortunately, the younger generation now entering the workforce is accustomed to rapidly evolving technology, and they are very comfortable with dynamic change. For them, a new version is anticipated and welcomed. It will be important to give these employees opportunities to do many different things, and have them thinking creatively right from the start. Procurement leaders will need to focus on building collaborative, integrated and forward thinking teams, that make people enthusiastic to contribute, and this giving the company a competitive edge.
Adapted from “The Agile Individual”, Inside Supply Management, May 2011, http://bit.ly/k9C8, and “The Agile Supply Chain”, American Executive, 1 January 2006, http://bit.ly/kMY65x
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