Supply Chain People

People make the difference in the ability of the supply chain to innovate and drive market change.  This can, and has been said about many organizations many times and this is also true, my focus though is on the supply chain and why people are so important.  The supply chain still depends heavily on people to execute and this interaction must be taken into account when planning for execution and also for strategic planning and market changes and disruption.  

The supply chain is still heavily dependent on people to not only get the day to day activities completed but also for customer interaction and change planning and implementation.   The supply chain is an extremely volitile market form both a day to day support perspective to a change management and implementation perspective. It is fortunate for the supply chain market that there is such a strong relationship between the operational execution and the change forecasting and planning, without this close relationship there would be no way for the operational execution to keep up with the market developments.  The supply chain people are critical to the full suport of the supply chain market demands, and especially the interactions between opertional execution, customer demands, changing market conditions and demands for new services. The high degree of interaction is a key factor to the ability of the supply chain partners to support the market demands. The supply chain interaction is truly a type of social network that connects people and activities and schedules in a way that can be quickly and efficiently adjusted to meet the demands at hand.

The supply chain market is a vast network of connections supporting interactions and execution and this network is a small world of people connected to each other in a robust ‘six degrees of separation’ network where everyone knows each other through a finite set of connections.  This social network or connectivity is based on respect and trust in the capabilities and execution of activities across the network. The supply chain network provides a current example of how the business marketplace is expanding though social interactions and networks to building a living organism of supply chain partners and the people in these organizations are a key driving force in creating these social network connections.

I have been in this business for almost 30 years and can honestly say that my supply chain social network has grown with additions and very few subtractions.  The suppy chain network is truly made up in a social networking loose connectivity relationship model where connections are willing and open to providing introductions and referrals across the many layers of network connections.  I have always been amazed at the different range and breadth of connections that are available for the making across the network to reputable people. The supply chain network, like any other social network lives and dies by reputation and it is important to maintain a reputation and relationship with your network.

In the supply chain market and network there is a strong personal bond across the network and the people have connected and developed a very strong social network of connections that are open and willing to support their connections in an unselfish manner because it is understood that the connections is a two way street where mutually beneficial developments push the market forward.  I am not sure that there are any other practices that depend on the network and the people as much as the supply chain.