60http://blog.sourcinginnovation.comSat, 20 Mar 2010 03:46:34 GMTSat, 20 Mar 2010 03:46:34 GMTen thedoctor@sourcinginnovation.comnohttp://blog.sourcinginnovation.com/2010/03/19/are-you-relevant.aspx?ref=rssthe doctorBefore you answer, think about it. Carefully. Because you're probably not. That's right, there's a good chance that you're not relevant. And the worst part? Most likely, it's not your fault. The business landscape is changing, the old normal is coming back, and it's no longer about better, faster, cheaper (or lean and six sigma) or closed systems. As noted in this HBR post about The New Paradigm of Advantage, we're ...rantsMiscellaneousTalenthttp://blog.sourcinginnovation.com/2010/03/19/are-you-relevant.aspx#Comments7c0bc583-11ca-423e-be35-720d8d8f831fFri, 19 Mar 2010 17:01:00 GMThttp://blog.sourcinginnovation.com/2010/03/19/whats-your-procurement-value-level---or-transformational-iii.aspx?ref=rssthe doctorIn Parts I and II I reminded you that Pierre Mitchell of The Hackett Group invited you to participate in a study designed to help you identify where you were on your procurement journey by way of 18 value streams that range from "naive apprentice", where you're measuring performance at an elementary (tactical) level, to "expert sourcerer", where you're extracting procurement value at a very advanced (transformational) level. Then I covered some of the seven tactical value streams and some of the six strategic value streams. In today's post I will cover the final five transformational value streams, which range ...Procurement InnovationStrategyhttp://blog.sourcinginnovation.com/2010/03/19/whats-your-procurement-value-level---or-transformational-iii.aspx#Commentscbfeb59f-eb48-4fb9-a158-a7c9393511dfFri, 19 Mar 2010 11:00:00 GMThttp://blog.sourcinginnovation.com/2010/03/18/does-innovation-begin-and-end-with-leadership.aspx?ref=rssthe doctorAfter reading a recent article on Boeing's Innovative Approach to Leadership, I have to ask. Boeing found that engaging the workforce in innovation requires positional leaders and managers to abandon the command-and-control style of management that is so prevalent in business today. Instead, leaders must employ a more participative approach and solicit collective ideas from the workforce rather than imposing initiatives on them.Senior managers in Boeing's C-17 program took a bold first step toward establishing this new leadership paradigm by gathering all 10,000 C-17 employees in a hangar and communicating their philosophy directly to the front-line employees and the ...Sourcing InnovationTalenthttp://blog.sourcinginnovation.com/2010/03/18/does-innovation-begin-and-end-with-leadership.aspx#Commentsc35705d1-2931-4bb4-8b80-c504c77fd201Thu, 18 Mar 2010 17:01:00 GMThttp://blog.sourcinginnovation.com/2010/03/18/managing-alliances-with-the-balanced-scorecard.aspx?ref=rssthe doctorIn the first Harvard Business Review of 2010, Robert S. Kaplan and David P. Norton, the original developers of the balanced scorecard, are back with an article (co-authored with Bjarne Rugelsjoen) on Managing Alliances with the Balanced Scorecard. Quoting a recent study by McKinsey & Company that fond that half of all joint ventures fail to yield returns to each partner above the cost of capital, they argue that a methodology is needed that will dramatically improve the odds of success. Not surprisingly, the authors are recommending the adoption of the balanced scorecard management system (BSC), a technique that ...MiscellaneousManufacturing. Metricshttp://blog.sourcinginnovation.com/2010/03/18/managing-alliances-with-the-balanced-scorecard.aspx#Commentsbee8fcae-564b-4309-b0a5-cec27e053ff8Thu, 18 Mar 2010 11:00:00 GMThttp://blog.sourcinginnovation.com/2010/03/17/supply-chain-excellence-pays-off-in-spades.aspx?ref=rssthe doctorDoes Supply Chain Excellence Really Pay Off?You don't even have to go beyond the first page of this recent article in the Supply Chain Management Review (subscription required) to find the answer. According to a recent study by Morgan L. Swink, Rajdeep Golecha and Tim Richardson at Michigan State University, which analyzed the financials of top supply chain management companies and their nearest competitors from 2004 to 2007, supply chain leaders clearly outperformed their closest competitors across the following 10 metrics:50% higher net margins20% lower operating and SG&A expenses12% lower average inventories30% less working capital expenses2X the ROA2X the ...Best PracticesSupply Chainhttp://blog.sourcinginnovation.com/2010/03/17/supply-chain-excellence-pays-off-in-spades.aspx#Comments3ff06d55-4709-4816-bfb3-7e24ce8dc5b2Wed, 17 Mar 2010 17:01:00 GMThttp://blog.sourcinginnovation.com/2010/03/17/whats-your-procurement-value-level---strategic-ii.aspx?ref=rssthe doctorIn Part I, I reminded you that Pierre Mitchell of The Hackett Group invited you to participate in a study that would help you identify where you were on your procurement journey by way of 18 value streams that range from "naive apprentice", where you're measuring performance at an elementary (tactical) level, to "expert sourcerer", where you're extracting procurement value at a very advanced (transformational) level. Considering that this survey will not only help you identify a path to increased value but that Pierre has promised to share some of the results with all survey participants for free, ...Procurement InnovationCost Reductionhttp://blog.sourcinginnovation.com/2010/03/17/whats-your-procurement-value-level---strategic-ii.aspx#Commentsbbe84f97-024f-44ab-9cc9-9066d27cfea7Wed, 17 Mar 2010 11:00:00 GMThttp://blog.sourcinginnovation.com/2010/03/16/a-quick-reference-to-perfect-order-fulfillment-in-your-warehouse.aspx?ref=rssthe doctorI enjoyed the recent white paper from Motorola on Warehouse Management: A Quick Reference Guide To Improving Inventory Accuracy For Perfect Orders because it was short and got straight to the point. Defining the perfect order as an order that is delivered on time and in full, in compliance with a customer's three-way match (invoice, PO, and receipt), and free of quality issues,it goes on to say that multiple factors contribute to imperfect orders and that the most important starting point is a value stream map that identifies where the most errors are occurring in your current operations.It ...Technologyinventoryhttp://blog.sourcinginnovation.com/2010/03/16/a-quick-reference-to-perfect-order-fulfillment-in-your-warehouse.aspx#Commentsff20b314-195f-42f1-ac91-b2654a9cc3fbTue, 16 Mar 2010 17:01:00 GMThttp://blog.sourcinginnovation.com/2010/03/16/decideware-agency-performance-management-experts.aspx?ref=rssthe doctorDecideWare, an Australian Company (with offices in the US and the UK) that dubs itself as a Supplier Performance Expert with a Scorecard Deployment Service, offers a niche Vendor Management Solution that excels in managing certain types of vendors. Specifically, their niche solution, which started out as a niche play in HR Management, is used globally by a number of Fortune 500 Multi-Nationals -- which include P&G, Dell, Pfizer, Target, and Wal-Mart -- to manage their vendor relationships, and their Agency relationships in particular.Their uniquely designed solution -- which allows for simultaneous 360° degree assessments and self-assessments between buyers, ...SaaSSupplier ManagementTechnologyhttp://blog.sourcinginnovation.com/2010/03/16/decideware-agency-performance-management-experts.aspx#Comments476f1625-2f62-49ae-9855-f75456b56470Tue, 16 Mar 2010 11:00:00 GMThttp://blog.sourcinginnovation.com/2010/03/15/new-and-upcoming-events-from-the-1-supply-chain-resource-site.aspx?ref=rssthe doctorThe Sourcing Innovation Resource Site, always immediately accessible from the link under the "Free Resources" section of the sidebar, continues to add new content on a weekly, and often daily, basis -- and it will continue to do so. The following is a short selection of upcoming webinars and events that you might want to check out in the coming weeks: Date & Time Webcast 2010-Mar-16 ...EventRecent Additionshttp://blog.sourcinginnovation.com/2010/03/15/new-and-upcoming-events-from-the-1-supply-chain-resource-site.aspx#Comments1cba29eb-4842-4335-9680-863e823f0416Mon, 15 Mar 2010 17:01:00 GMThttp://blog.sourcinginnovation.com/2010/03/15/whats-your-procurement-value-level-tactical-i.aspx?ref=rssthe doctorRecently, Pierre Mitchell of The Hackett Group asked you if you knew the difference between procurement value and procurement performance (part I and part II) and invited you to participate in a study that would help you identify where you were on your procurement journey by way of 18 value streams that range from "naive apprentice", where you're measuring performance at an elementary (tactical) level, to "expert sourcerer", where you're extracting procurement value at a very advanced (transformational) level. (Pierre also posted a link to a corresponding finance study that you can share with your finance associates, which will ...Procurement InnovationNegotiationshttp://blog.sourcinginnovation.com/2010/03/15/whats-your-procurement-value-level-tactical-i.aspx#Comments3ad04eb3-4534-439f-a89a-557f8e339399Mon, 15 Mar 2010 11:00:00 GMT