• PLUS 

The emergence of the strategic leader

The strategic supply chain requires a new kind of leader; one with skills and orientations not currently found in many supply chain managers. Here's what we need to complete that change, and the steps to get there.

Subscriber: Log Out

Sorry, but your login has failed. Please recheck your login information and resubmit. If your subscription has expired, renew here.

This is an excerpt of the original article. It was written for the November 2016 edition of Supply Chain Management Review. The full article is available to current subscribers.

November 2016

Is supply chain management strategic or tactical? Are the best supply chains collaborative? Should the goal be an integrated supply chain or an integrative supply chain? The answers are a mixed bag, according to this month’s contributors.
Browse this issue archive.
Already a subscriber? Access full edition now.

Need Help?
Contact customer service
847-559-7581   More options
Not a subscriber? Start your magazine subscription.

Supply chain management is on the cusp of a metamorphosis. For as long as the term has been in use, supply chain practitioners have been tacticians. They focused on making sure that the production lines rolled and orders were filled in the most cost efficient and timely manner. Execution and firefighting were highly valued skills. The profession even had its own language and metrics, apart from those used at the C-level.

Whether those same skills will serve tomorrow’s supply chain manager is very much up in the air. That is especially true as supply chains are transforming from tactical to strategic. In this new model, the key challenge is to harness the supply chain to deliver on a business’ go-to-market strategy by focusing on a broader set of outcomes—outcomes such as responsiveness, innovation and sustainability. Indeed, many supply chain managers are questioning whether they or their organizations will have what it takes to make this change.

In a recent survey of supply chain issues published in CIO Journal, Deloitte noted that the major concern facing the executives it surveyed was the lack of adequate supply chain talent. Indeed, only 38% of the respondents were confident that their organizations had the required competencies today. They were even less optimistic about the future: Only 44% felt confident that they would have the skills required to meet their needs five years from now. On one hand, this finding emphasizes the fact that there is a supply chain talent crisis—a fact of which most supply chain managers are only too painfully aware. Yet, of more importance than the numbers is the nature of the skills respondents believe will be required of supply chain leaders in the future.

As can be expected, being technologically savvy is seen as important (including the ability to understand and integrate the technological capabilities offered by such developments as Big Data analytics, 3D printing, artificial intelligence and wearable technology); but the management skill that causes the greatest amount of concern is that of critical thinking and problem solving (Figure 1).

This complete article is available to subscribers only.
Click on Log In Now at the top of this article for full access.
Or, Start your PLUS+ subscription for instant access.

SC
MR

Sorry, but your login has failed. Please recheck your login information and resubmit. If your subscription has expired, renew here.

From the November 2016 edition of Supply Chain Management Review.

November 2016

Is supply chain management strategic or tactical? Are the best supply chains collaborative? Should the goal be an integrated supply chain or an integrative supply chain? The answers are a mixed bag, according to this…
Browse this issue archive.
Access your online digital edition.
Download a PDF file of the November 2016 issue.

Download Article PDF

Supply chain management is on the cusp of a metamorphosis. For as long as the term has been in use, supply chain practitioners have been tacticians. They focused on making sure that the production lines rolled and orders were filled in the most cost efficient and timely manner. Execution and firefighting were highly valued skills. The profession even had its own language and metrics, apart from those used at the C-level.

Whether those same skills will serve tomorrow's supply chain manager is very much up in the air. That is especially true as supply chains are transforming from tactical to strategic. In this new model, the key challenge is to harness the supply chain to deliver on a business' go-to-market strategy by focusing on a broader set of outcomes—outcomes such as responsiveness, innovation and sustainability. Indeed, many supply chain managers are questioning whether they or their organizations will have what it takes to make this change.

In a recent survey of supply chain issues published in CIO Journal, Deloitte noted that the major concern facing the executives it surveyed was the lack of adequate supply chain talent. Indeed, only 38% of the respondents were confident that their organizations had the required competencies today. They were even less optimistic about the future: Only 44% felt confident that they would have the skills required to meet their needs five years from now. On one hand, this finding emphasizes the fact that there is a supply chain talent crisis—a fact of which most supply chain managers are only too painfully aware. Yet, of more importance than the numbers is the nature of the skills respondents believe will be required of supply chain leaders in the future.

As can be expected, being technologically savvy is seen as important (including the ability to understand and integrate the technological capabilities offered by such developments as Big Data analytics, 3D printing, artificial intelligence and wearable technology); but the management skill that causes the greatest amount of concern is that of critical thinking and problem solving (Figure 1).

SUBSCRIBERS: Click here to download PDF of the full article.

SC
MR

Latest Resources
Skills Report 2025: Supply chain and procurement trends
What are the biggest challenges facing supply chain and procurement leaders right now? Get the details in this just-released research brief.
Download

Subscribe

Supply Chain Management Review delivers the best industry content.
Subscribe today and get full access to all of Supply Chain Management Review’s exclusive content, email newsletters, premium resources and in-depth, comprehensive feature articles written by the industry's top experts on the subjects that matter most to supply chain professionals.
×

Search

Search

Sourcing & Procurement

Inventory Management Risk Management Global Trade Ports & Shipping

Business Management

Supply Chain TMS WMS 3PL Government & Regulation Sustainability Finance

Software & Technology

Artificial Intelligence Automation Cloud IoT Robotics Software

The Academy

Executive Education Associations Institutions Universities & Colleges

Resources

Podcasts Webcasts Companies Visionaries White Papers Special Reports Premiums Magazine Archive

Subscribe

SCMR Magazine Newsletters Magazine Archives Customer Service

Press Releases

Press Releases Submit Press Release