Transformation Leadership
Procurement best practices, supply management strategies, and overall leadership techniques for transforming a company and keeping it vibrant and resilient.
The Inventory Bullwhip is Here
Regular readers of this blog will recall the reminders posted about the inventory bullwhip phenomenon. See in particular the blogs of March 30, 2009 and April 14, 2009. As many of you know, “the bullwhip effect” is caused by small changes in demand (up or down) at one end of the supply chain, resulting in large variations (whip effect) in the other end of the supply chain. These osci ...... Read More
Comments (0)Managing Global Supply and Risk - book review
I admit it—I am a fan of Professor Robert Trent. Not just because Bob is a professor at one of my alma mater schools (Lehigh University). And, not just because Bob and I have successfully collaborated on a few topics, including a day-long seminar sponsored by The Iacocca Institute. One of the main reasons I respect Bob Trent is that he is an accomplished professor (and author) who worked in ...... Read More
Comments (0)The Future of Procurement - Part III (Supplier Innovation and Revenue Enhancement)
This series will periodically cover new and leading-edge practices that should become mainstream in the procurement profession in the next 5 to 10 years. Today’s topic is supplier innovation and revenue enhancement.It is becoming a common view that purchasing departments should look at all areas of value creation, not just price, when engaging suppliers. To say it another way, are you explo ...... Read More
Comments (2)The Other Plot to Wreck America
In the politically-charged, partisan environment in Washington, you might wonder whether there is any issue which can generate widespread support for change. I have a candidate to suggest: dealing with what Warren Buffett calls the financial weapons of mass destruction. In short, the behaviors, the techniques, and the risk-taking that triggered the almost-calamitous economic drop-off a year ago ar ...... Read More
Comments (0)Strategic Sourcing of Favored Future Energy Sources
Today’s guest blogger is Ted Eichenlaub, a senior advisor in the Energy practice at Greybeard Advisors LLC. Ted brings a wealth of energy experience, from both a corporate and a plant site perspective. He can be reached at Eichenlaub@GreybeardAdvisors.com. Today’s world of variable energy supply statistics, uncontrollable weather extremes, and uncertain geopolitical events frustrates ...... Read More
Comments (0)Sustainability and the Next Generation
Today’s guest blogger is James Baehr, who in addition to his broad experience with Strategic Sourcing, heads up the IT Strategic Sourcing practice at Greybeard Advisors LLC. Jim has had management roles in IT sales, IT operations, and IT procurement at major firms, before joining Greybeard. Jim can be reached at: Baehr@GreybeardAdvisors.com The presence of an intern at the 2nd Annual ISM Su ...... Read More
Comments (2)The Future of Procurement (part II)
One of the most gratifying and positive side-effects of procurement transformation is witnessing the breakdown of corporate silos, particularly regarding information protectionism between departments or among business units. This posting continues the discussion started in the last posting, titled “Migrating From a Need to Know Culture to a Shared Knowledge Culture.” The very nature ...... Read More
Comments (0)Migrating From a Need to Know Culture to a Shared Knowledge Culture
I listened to an interesting interview with former homeland security adviser Tom Ridge recently. He was commenting on the recent terrorist attempt to down a plane flying from Amsterdam to Detroit. Ridge indicated that one of the prevailing and major challenges of dealing with this threat in the future is to have all elements of the government replace their historic “need to know” cul ...... Read More
Comments (0)The Future of Procurement (part I) - Idealized Design
I’ve been talking with some of my peers in the procurement profession about what procurement functions should be doing over the next 5-10 years in order to contribute more to the success of their companies. In other words, what should they do in order to lead and thrive, not just survive? This is the first part of a series on the Future of Procurement. I spoke with some of the people in my ...... Read More
Comments (2)The Year in Review: Blog Index of Topics
As a convenience to readers, here is an Index of topics covered in this column since its inception. You can access any of these by using the Web site’s search function to look up the title. September, 2007: The Challenge (in Supply Management) Welcome to Transformation Leadership - I (creating awareness and a roadmap) October, 2008: Welcome to Transformation Leadership - II (creating awaren ...... Read More
Comments (0)Headlines for the New Year
Headlines we would like to see happen in 2010 include the following:”Fed-up with Partisan Politics, Voters Send Many Politicians Packing” “Civility and Polite Debate Make a Comeback in the U.S. Senate and Congress” “U.S. Congress Passes Comprehensive Health Care Reform, signed by the President” “Survey of CEOs Highlights Growing Importance of Supply ...... Read More
Comments (1)How to Damage Your Corporate Reputation
There is a lot to like, and to dislike, about how government entities and businesses performed during the financial crisis of the last 24 months. I won’t start a list here. However, one of the “players”—Goldman Sachs—appears to have done something so outrageous it deserves special mention. I vividly recall Goldman Sachs as a trusted financial advisor to one of th ...... Read More
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