Supply network collaboration: Emphasis on the “C” word

There’s a blog worth reading at Kinaxis.com regarding the importance of supply network collaboration. Kinaxis, a strategic partner of Technology Forecasters, knows what it is talking about on supply chain matters - so we pay attention.

The Kinaxis blog of July 18 points out that supply chain collaboration used to mean your systems talked to each other. As important as that still is, people need to talk, too. Real collaboration is among human beings, it argues.

An OEM or contract manufacturer can throw all the collaborative technology it wants at a supply chain, but if people aren’t willing to work together, then collaboration won’t happen.

We agree with Kinaxis, and we want to advance the discussion.

Supply network collaboration is important, but many are having trouble getting there. Not so much in adopting technologies, but in making effective use of them. That’s because for a variety of reasons, corporate culture in North America historically has been collaboration unfriendly, throwing up a number of roadblocks.

David Coleman, founder and managing director of Collaborative Strategies LLC, San Francisco, has studied and evangelized collaborative technologies and collaborative culture for 15 years. His Web site is a fountain of useful information.

Take a look at his report, “Critical Factors for Adoption of Collaborative Technologies.” Especially see Page 2, where he outlines critical success factors.

Among his points: Successful corporate collaboration requires a high level champion to drive it forward; it must be connected to an important business need; there need to be measurable outcomes; business processes need to be well defined, etc. These certainly apply to supply chain collaboration.

We’re interested in hearing from TFI members about what they find to be critical success factors - and obstacles - to supply network collaboration. Let us hear from you.

Posted by Bill Roberts, July 19th, 2007