Supply chain management (SCM) teams always need training. Which means, we must to take the time to build up the skills in your supply chain team.
Supply Chain Management Training Misconceptions
One of the myths surrounding SCM is that “all the training is the same.”
Some leadership training focuses on examples that are completely unrelated to supply chain operations and manufacturing. It does not take long for those supervisors to know this is not a good fit for you. Moreover, people with these experiences end up not wanting to “waste” money on training.
Rest assured! There is better training out there! Today we are going to share some alternatives.
How Flexibility Optimizes Supply Chain Management
In a study by Deloitte, they found that 75% of industrial organizations identified that “re-skilling” their workforce is important to the success of their operations. Only 10% said they had an effective plan for future success.
In the past, we worked with a management team that faced this same issue. Specifically, they encountered resistance when it came to implementing a change that would improve the overall performance and efficiency of the workgroup.
They were not hitting their numbers consistently.
To make matters worse, management became increasingly frustrated and returned to old-fashioned authoritarianism, top-down, and pressing people to execute.
Of course, that did not work in the long run.
The supply chain executive realized that his people were running version 1.0 of supply chain operations. They were using fundamentals that had to be updated, which then led to an elevated 3.0 leadership management system. What we did was help them craft their training.
Training To Improve for Supply Chain Management
We have gone over an example of SCM training improvement. Now, it is time to look at 3 key areas where this training and those results need to be improved.
Area One: A Technical Skills Upgrade
When you have transitioned to a complex resource to improve performance, you need to be mindful that this will cause some of your people to fall behind.
Remember that they need those technical skills to get the most out of that investment. You can invest a lot in systems, but you may find out later that your team does not know how to use it effectively yet.
Why not invest in their technical skills?
When you have transitioned to a complex resource to improve performance, you need to be mindful that this will cause some of your people to fall behind. Share on X
Area Two: A Soft Skills Upgrade
People in the supply chain need to address this to understand the power of collaboration and communication. If you are not getting information to one another quickly enough, you will end up with gaps in your system.
That can cause delays for the people who need the supply chain — both on the supplier and the customer side.
If you get better collaboration and soft skills in your supply chain management, you will see inevitable improvements.
Area Three: Change Agility
Changing agility means recognizing that change is not going to be slowing down anytime soon.
The best agility is when you can respond quickly to these changes, rather than move like a slow-turning ship in a harbor. Instead, use a speedboat kind of agility to adapt to what is going on in the environment.
You will also want your team to understand that change does not have to be big and scary. You also need to overcome this resistance reliably and consistently.
By doing this, you can bring your supply chain to its highest level.
The best agility is when you can respond quickly to these changes, rather than move like a slow-turning ship in a harbor. Share on X
Improving Overall Leadership and Management
Once you have worked on upgrading your technical skills, soft skills, and the change agility skills of your team, you are going to want to work on some of the other leadership skills that drive excellence and performance.
Not to worry! That is where our Front Line Leadership training comes in, now available in English, Spanish, and French. Moreover, you can get in-person or through our state-of-the art virtual training studio. No matter which format would work best for your team, it all starts with a conversation.
That means visiting our website at uniquedevelopment.com.
You can also connect with us on LinkedIn or Facebook.
With your help, we can build a community of excellence that drives your leadership performance to the top.
