Visit CAPS Research on the web at:
www.capsresearch.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Achieving World-Class Supply Chain Collaboration: Managing the Transformation
Today's global supply chains are only one terrorist attack, bird flu pandemic or
not-yet-envisioned threat away from disruption and potential chaos.
Tempe, AZ, August 28, 2007 – Are companies turning the promise of supply chain management
into real competitive advantages? The findings of a new Focus Study authored by
Stanley Fawcett, Ph.D., Gregory Magnan, Ph.D., and Jeffrey Ogden, Ph.D., suggest
that managers are spending more time evaluating supply chain-enabled business models,
but most have not fully grasped the nature of collaboration or the concept of what
it takes to achieve a true collaborative capability. The authors state that supply
chain collaboration remains ad hoc and fragmented in all but the most mature supply
chain relationships, and companies are unsure how to piece them together into a
coherent strategic plan. While some companies have caught the vision and are making
great progress on their supply chain journey, others continue to be blinded by 'business
as usual' and are not prepared for the journey ahead. The authors note that these
companies must get their supply chain collaboration in shape quickly before the
competition leaves them too far behind to catch up.
To help companies better understand the forces that are driving changes in supply
chain collaboration, the authors provide a three-step process to identify and compare
the benefits, barriers, and bridges to assess and communicate the viability of pursuing
a path toward collaborative advantage. The three stages are:
- Introspection – the company's orientation and philosophy that consists of two building
blocks: customer orientation and systems thinking orientation.
- Supply chain design – consists of five steps: scanning, mapping, costing, competency/outsourcing
management and rationalization.
- Supply chain collaboration – practices employed to drive the transformation include
relationship alignment, information sharing, performance measurement, people empowerment
and collaborative learning.
This study's most successful supply chain companies took a balanced approach to
supply chain collaboration. They performed rigorous analysis, invested in relationships,
measured performance, documented successes and promoted constant improvement and
learning. The authors identified best practices and compiled them into a supply
chain collaboration benchmarking diagnostic to help managers succeed in their supply
chain journey. Even the successful supply chain leaders found opportunities for
victory by benchmarking their practices against the practices in this diagnostic.
To review the CAPS Research Focus Study, "Achieving World-Class Supply Chain Collaboration: Managing the Transformation", click on the following link:
http://www.capsresearch.org/publications/pdfs-protected/fawcett2007.pdf
If you're a first-time visitor to the CAPS Research website you will be prompted
to register when you access reports. Otherwise, just enter your previously established
login data.
CAPS Research is a nonprofit research organization founded in 1986 to provide leading
research to our strategic-minded corporate sponsors and to the public. Our mission
is to work in partnership with a global network of executives and academics for
the discovery and dissemination of strategic supply management knowledge and best
practices. CAPS Research is jointly sponsored by the W. P. Carey School of Business
at Arizona State University, and the Institute for Supply Management™.
- # # # -
Media Contact:
Clare Donnalley
CAPS Research Marketing Manager
Voice: 800/888-6276 extension 3007
Main: 480/752-2277
Email:
cdonnalley@capsresearch.org
For more information about CAPS Research programs and products please contact us
at:
Research@capsresearch.org
To unsubscribe to press releases from CAPS Research send an email with REMOVE in
the subject line to:
Research@capsresearch.org