Using Dynamic Leadership to Prepare for the Future

This is an excerpt of the original article. It was written for the July/August 2015 edition of Supply Chain Management Review. The full article is available to current subscribers.

July/August 2015

When it comes to career development, supply chain managers have to execute a bit of jiu jitsu. They’re charged with nding and developing the next generation of talent while simultaneously advancing their own careers in a eld that is often overlooked by senior management. The biggest challenge of all is getting their agenda in front of the Board at a time when supply chain operations are more critical than ever to an organization’s success, but still largely invisible compared to sales, marketing, and product development. Remember: It’s your career—and your supply chain. We hope this month’s issue will help you make the most of both.

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As supply chain management becomes a more strategic function and senior supply chain professionals prepare to retire, there is an increasing need to develop strong leadership capabilities. In fact, past research conducted by APQC indicates that leadership is one of the top skills needed for a career in supply chain management. Recent human capital management research from APQC sheds light on which leadership skills are most important to develop and the development techniques used by organizations.

For its Leadership Deficit study, APQC surveyed 547 business professionals representing a variety of industries. Analysis of the survey responses shows that organizational leadership is evolving. Current business trends, including the rise of knowledge work, globalization, and the increase in Millennial workers, are leading organizations to take a more dynamic approach to leadership.

Organizations using a dynamic leadership style are non-hierarchical, meaning they have few layers of managers between the CEO and front-line employees. Employees have the authority to make decisions without having to secure approval from many levels of management. They are also rewarded for collaborating and sharing information and resources. These rewards can include positive feedback, public recognition, challenging work assignments, or compensation. Employees are not rewarded for competing individually against each other.

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