Five Long Years

Well I know you
Like your RSS feed
And you’re readin’ these posts each day
And they have grown on you

Well don’t worry
I don’t intend to make things strange
And there’s a reason that things change
There’s nothin’ you can do

And it’s been five long years
Since you’ve seen with weary eyes
Your mind has grown
And sees right through the market lies
the doctor still loves you
you know that’ll never change
Yes it’s been five long years
and now SI must feed the flame

When you read this
do you remember the days when
the wire was void of useful content;
the blog was new, time was on your side
you learned
from the knowledge
and you adhered to the lessons within
a light on the truth
when the space was dark, yeah

And it’s been five long years
Since you’ve seen with weary eyes
Your mind has grown
And sees right through the market lies
the doctor still loves you
you know that’ll never change
Yes it’s been five long years
and now SI must feed the flame

Oh, yeah
Five long years
Five long years

Five long years
Since you’ve seen with weary eyes
Your mind has grown
And sees right through the market lies

  and sees right through the market lies

the doctor still loves you
you know that’ll never change
Yes it’s been five long years
and now SI must feed the flame
Yes it’s been five long years
and now SI must feed the flame
Yes it’s been five long years
but now he must feed the flame

Oh yeah
Five long years
Five long years

The Impact of Culture on Transnational Interactions

The newly relaunched Negotiator Magazine has a great article by Charles Craver on “the impact of culture on transnational interactions” that is a great read for anyone looking to improve their CQ (Cultural Quotient). It’s a great companion article to SI’s 2009 series on Overcoming Cultural Differences in International Trade and SI’s 2010 series on Cultural Intelligence (which were both edited by SI’s resident expert on Global Trade, Dick Locke).

In SI’s classic series on overcoming cultural differences, we introduced you to Dick Locke’s eight key factors that govern the differences between your culture and that of your potential business partner (supplier, service provider, customer, etc.), which were:

    • power distance
    • uncertainty avoidance
    • individualism
    • polychronic vs monochronic time
    • personal/impersonal
    • buyer/seller rank
    • importance of harmony
    • importance of face

Charles reviews the common cultural differences of time (and punctuality), personal/impersonal (including the exchange of gifts), the importance of face and harmony, and individualism (and the difference between the approaches taken to negotiations by individualistic cultures and group cultures) as well as the importance of distance (as some cultures will need at least two feet, while others will want to be in your face), respect (including the exchange of business cards in some cultures), social events and cultural exchange (and the need for some cultures to build a rapport through bonding activitis before beginning negotiations), and wealth (and the need for the wealthier party to bring quick benefits to the poorer party) and provides some unique insights that not all Global Sourcing professionals are aware of.

In addition to explaining some key cultural differences that newly minted global supply management professionals may not be aware of, such as:

  • how it is unusual for people in Latin American or Middle Eastern countries to show up on time (as delays of thirty or forty minutes are acceptable)
  • how people from Middle Eastern countries want to be less than one foot away from you when they talk
  • how people from cultures that place great importance on saving face find displays of power to be crude and inappropriate and will hesitiate to initiate law suits or break off negotiations

the article makes a point of noting that a negotiator who speaks the language isn’t enough. The organization needs someone who also understands the culture and the nuances of the language. For example, when the Japanese say that “it would be difficult”, they are really saying they can’t do it. Since they can’t say no and save face, which is important in their culture, they have to convince you that what you are asking is difficult and hope that you will ask for something else instead.

The article also makes a great point of emphasizing the Preliminary Stage where the participants first work to establish a rapport with each other. In this stage, the participants should engage in non-controversial small talk to get to know each other and take advantage of any opportunities presented by the host to explore the city, history, and culture of the country they are visiting. This helps to dispel negative preconceptions and stereotypes on both sides of the table and increases the chances of a mutually beneficial relationship.

Don’t Overlook the Soft Cost Savings from SOW Management

A recent article in the SIG Newsletter on the “best practices for managing and analyzing statement of work spend” that described the rapidly maturing market for centralized SOW (Statement of Work) management programs and the usefulness of a modern VMS (Vendor Management System) also described the one-time and continous benefits of managed SOW programs (under the guidance of a PMO – Program Management Office) and the hard and soft cost savings that resulted. While many organizations move to managed SOW programs, often through a MSP (Managed Services Provider), in pursuit of the hard dollar cost savings, that are often in the 10% to 15% range when done properly, the long term soft cost savings will often be more valuable.

In particular, the following benefits are invaluable to an average organization:

  • single point of contact for contingent labor needs
    no need to contact, and manage, multiple providers to fill different labor needs
  • reduced cycle times
    one call and the PMO or MSP uses a process already in place to locate and onboard your contingent labor
  • standardized criteria
    every department uses the same definition, and the company pays one rate for one type of resource
  • increased visibility
    one report shows the total spend on contingent / managed labour by type, department, provider, etc.
  • compliance firewall for classification, tax, and labor law issues
    which significantly decreases the risk of a massive fine when the same contingent workers are repeatedly rehired (and the government decides they are now employees and you owe more taxes and benefits)
  • standardized performance metrics
    and managed suppliers who know what is expected of them
  • better labor needs forecasting
    from complete and accurate contingent workforce data
  • payment management
    no interest from late payments, no overpayments, and, most importantly, no double payments

All of these benefits reduce complexity, increase reliability, and reduce risk — which keeps costs down in the long run as complexity, risk, and uncertainty only serve to drive up cost.

Is Your CPO the Next CEO Candidate?

Supply and Demand Chain Executive recently ran an interesting article on “forging a dynamic, enduring and energetic supply chain: developing supply chain-rooted CEOs” that outlined 5 attributes of great CEOs, 10 questions to ask about the organization, 10 reasons to invest in internal leadership talent, and 10 areas to develop great leadership skills.

According to the authors, the following 10 areas are key developmental areas for leadership and, thus, critical for the CPO to master if she is to become the company’s next CEO.

  1. Business Acumen
    The CPO must understand the fundamentals of how money is made within the company and industry, the needs and wants of cusotmers and stakeholders, and the competitive and market dynamics that drive change and opportunity.
  2. Work Ethic
    The CPO must put the time in to prepare herself for the next step and stand out.
  3. Networking Skills
    The CPO must build a network of supporters and influencers, give more than she gets, stay connected, and build internal and external advocacy.
  4. Results Oriented
    The CPO must earn her stripes by consistently delivering results that drive the respect and recognition of others.
  5. Permeability
    The CPO must have the ability to collect and synthesize multi-directional data across critical domains and be willing to constantly share knowledge.
  6. People Skills
    The CPO must be able to get the most out of people.
  7. Decision Making
    The CPO must be cool under fire and be able to make critical and controversial decisions when required.
  8. Lateral Development
    The CPO must be open to lateral moves which are stepping stones on the path to the CEO spot, such as CFO or COO.
  9. Continuous Learning
    The CPO must be willing to learn continuously and demonstrate such willingness.
  10. Legacy Building
    The CPO must have built a Supply Management organization that is capable of standing on its own and shining if the CPO moves on.

SI has to agree. A CPO will need to have all of these skills and qualities to take on the CEO role. But is it enough to get her the job? As Bob continually points out, a CPO must speak the language of the CFO. It’s more than just business acumen, it’s talking like you belong in the role. And while work ethic is highly regarded, it’s results that count. If the CPO is constantly putting in 80 hour weeks but not meeting her goals, she will look ill-fit, or slow. And while Networking and People skills are well regarded, the decision ultimately comes down to a small board of directors — if they do not think she’s the right candidate, it doesn’t matter how much internal support she has. And while permeability is admired, it’s seen as tactical as the organization can always hire an analyst to synthesize the data. It’s the ability to make good decisions based on the data and information available that is admired most. And it’s not always the legacy the CPO has built, but the legacy the board thinks the CPO could build as a CEO that ultimately influences the final decisions.

It’s a tough call to say which skill set is the right skill set and what is required to get the CPO into the top spot. Are there any other viewpoints out there that could shed some more light on the subject?

The Best Way to Handle Decentralized / Local Supply Management Groups

While a well designed Sourcing / Procurement / Supply Management organization will have as many functions center-led, if not centralized, as possible, in a large multi-national, some groups will have to be regional to be effective and some purchases will have to be local. For example, fashion purchases will have to be driven regionally by someone with a pulse on the market and it does not make sense to ask the central asset management organization in (southern) India to manage snow removal operations in (northern) Canada (unless someone wants to see some really strange looks).

But how does your hybrid center-led Supply Management organization effectively manage these decentralized / local groups for best results? A great post on how when managing complexity, “less is more” over on the HBR blogs had a great suggestion — restrict activies at the group level to a core set of five that enable and enhance business performance. Specifically, focus on:

  1. Portfolio Management
    which activities fall under Supply Management purview
  2. Performance Management
    what are the cost / quality / value goals for each unit and how will the center-led Supply Management organization help the units achieve the goals
  3. Capital Allocation
    what investments can be made in each unit (in terms of technology, process, and people) to deliver the greatest returns
  4. Talent Management
    are the best people working the right jobs
  5. Synergy Capture
    to identify new or large opportunities that should be pulled up into the center-led Supply Management organization

It’s all about the selection of the handful of critical leverage points that will have the biggest impact on success and [a] relentless focus on doing them better. The purchase was pushed out to a local group because it wasn’t of a high enough value to manage centrally or because the central organization did not have the (local) knowledge required to make the best decision, so it needs to focus on the leverage points that will help the local organization, not on the task itself.