We’ve made big leaps forward this year in our understanding of what it takes to innovate in supply chain. Surprisingly, it doesn’t involve recruiting more millennials. Twenty years ago, Harvard…
Meeting cost and inventory goals creates both operating ambiguity and management dysfunction within many organizations. This results from attempts to manage individual cost centers and functions in ways that overlook…
Last summer my son and I were driving to our hotel in Galway, Ireland, amid the traffic and fervor of a professional football (soccer) game that had just let out….
As the saying goes, “You can choose your friends, but you can’t choose your family.” Many organizations recognize the long-term value that providing great customer experience (CX) can bring, but…
“As supply chain practitioners, we hate waste.” This comment from John Lund, head of Gartner’s Global Chief Supply Chain Officers program and a former CSCO at The Walt Disney Company,…
“How do you innovate? First, try to get in trouble. I mean serious, but not terminal trouble.” — Nassim Nicholas Taleb, “Antifragile: Things That Gain From Disorder” This week in…
For four decades, inventory has been enemy No. 1 for supply chain organizations. While inventory will always be important, a growing threat to supply chain organizations is the dwindling pool…
In 2018, British retailers started to acknowledge the link between soy production and deforestation, with large supermarket chains enacting policies to ensure responsible sourcing. Soy’s main use is for livestock…
“History is one long processional of crazy ideas.” ― Phil Knight, “Shoe Dog,” a memoir by Nike’s founder My esteemed predecessor Kevin O’Marah implored us to rise up and save the…
Recently, I was in Silicon Valley meeting with supply chain leaders in the technology sector. Many were still catching their breath after a turbulent 2018. In classic high-tech style, they…