Supply Management Talent Crunch
14 March 2008This story is not new but like all truths, it bears repetition - again and again and again…
I came across this story via Supply Excellence, which tagged a story in WSJ (registration required) and Aberdeen (free report available until April 28, 2008 with registration),
The professors from the business and management schools of Florida State and North Carolina State University note that managing the supply chain in the face of globalization, offshoring, and an ailing economy “requires a broad skill set that many managers simply don’t have right now.”
It’s something that I have touched upon in this post - Three issues in Supply Chain Management 2.0 - Part 2, as well. But there is a crucial divergence. The report from WSJ highlights the following gaps in the current crop of supply chain managerial talent:
Specifically, the scholars’ joint study of supply chain managers found that the following skills or approaches are required to effectively manage supply in today’s global economy:
I don’t know if these suggestions are a little dated because as the economies of the developed world contract (slightly/more than slightly/moderately/severely), some of the above points will be precisely the inverse. For example, as the US dollar finds new lows and continues to dig deeper, the notion of finding appropriately situated suppliers will begin to become competitive between global and local. That "Big Picture View" above is about to find more than a few competitive solutions back home rather than abroad. If there is a real contraction in the US economy, one can be sure that supply chains with customer end-points will find themselves operating in an environment of slumping demand while simultaneously experiencing lower purchasing power with dollars. Moreover, if the dollar continues to plummet, what supply sources unique to the US will the rest of the world have a demand for? While in the past (recent past), supply chains (and talent therein) had the relatively easier notion of deciding and developing sound global sourcing strategies, the new challenge for us might very well be the development of goods that the rest of the world that is awash in US dollars will want to buy. The notion of Supply has just taken on a new meaning.
Tags: SCM, Supply Chain talent, Supply - then and now
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