We use cookies to provide you with a better experience. By continuing to browse the site you are agreeing to our use of cookies in accordance with our Cookie Policy.
  • INDUSTRY PRESS ROOM
  • ABOUT
  • CONTACT
  • MEDIA FILE
  • Create Account
  • Sign In
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
Free Newsletters
  • MAGAZINE
    • Current Issue
    • Archives
    • Digital Edition
    • Subscribe
    • Newsletters
    • Mobile Apps
  • TRANSPORTATION
  • MATERIAL HANDLING
  • TECHNOLOGY
  • LIFT TRUCKS
  • PODCAST ETC
    • Podcast
    • Webcasts
    • Blogs
      • One-Off Sound Off
      • Global Logistics and Risk
      • Empowering Your Performance Edge
      • Analytics & Big Data
      • Submit your blog post
    • Events
    • White Papers
    • Industry Press Room
      • Upload Your News
    • New Products
      • Upload Your Product News
    • Conference Guides
    • Conference Reports
    • Newsletters
    • Mobile Apps
  • DCV-TV
    • DCV-TV 1: News
    • DCV-TV 2: Case Studies
    • DCV-TV 3: Webcasts
    • DCV-TV 4: Viewer Contributed
    • DCV-TV 5: Solution Profiles
    • Parcel Forum 2022
    • MODEX 2022
    • Upload Your Video
  • MAGAZINE
    • Current Issue
    • Archives
    • Digital Edition
    • Subscribe
    • Newsletters
    • Mobile Apps
  • TRANSPORTATION
  • MATERIAL HANDLING
  • TECHNOLOGY
  • LIFT TRUCKS
  • PODCAST ETC
    • Podcast
    • Webcasts
    • Blogs
      • One-Off Sound Off
      • Global Logistics and Risk
      • Empowering Your Performance Edge
      • Analytics & Big Data
      • Submit your blog post
    • Events
    • White Papers
    • Industry Press Room
      • Upload Your News
    • New Products
      • Upload Your Product News
    • Conference Guides
    • Conference Reports
    • Newsletters
    • Mobile Apps
  • DCV-TV
    • DCV-TV 1: News
    • DCV-TV 2: Case Studies
    • DCV-TV 3: Webcasts
    • DCV-TV 4: Viewer Contributed
    • DCV-TV 5: Solution Profiles
    • Parcel Forum 2022
    • MODEX 2022
    • Upload Your Video
Home » the year of living cooperatively
fastlane

the year of living cooperatively

February 1, 2005
Clifford F. Lynch
No Comments

We're now a couple of months into what might be called the "Year of the Supply Chain." The Council of Logistics Management has become the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals. All around us, logistics managers are being promoted to supply chain managers.

But calling us so does not make us supply chain managers. And I worry that too few of us realize what it takes. Managing a supply chain calls for much more than technical skills. It also requires expertise in collaboration, cooperation and relationship building; mastery of the arts of negotiation and persuasion; and most important of all, sensitivity to others both within and outside the company. But from where I stand, it seems that we simply don't treat each other very well.

Take, as Exhibit A, the halting progress of CPFR. It's been a full 10 years since we first began hearing about the benefits of collaborating with supply chain partners and nearly seven years since the Voluntary Interindustry Commerce Standards group began serious promotion of Collaborative Planning, Forecasting and Replenishment. Though a few retailers—Wal-Mart and Ace Hardware come to mind—have established successful CPFR programs, the idea has failed to catch on in a big way. Though people often cite technology as the major obstacle, there's considerable evidence that points to a lack of cooperation among and even within companies. In the end, collaboration's success will hinge not on technology, but on the ability of leaders to build relationships, smooth the way and make things happen.

Exhibit B could be the industry-wide lack of interest in participating in research that could benefit the entire profession. If you read the fine print in the latest benchmarking studies, for example, you may be surprised to learn how few companies responded. Only 222 of the 2,384 people who received the 2004 outsourcing survey conducted by Capgemini, Georgia Tech/FedEx bothered to return their questionnaires. Less than 10 percent of the Fortune 500 took the time to respond to a similar survey sponsored by Northeastern University.

As Exhibit C, I would point to a decline in simple courtesy. As a service provider, I'm often frustrated by people's failure to answer letters and e-mails or return telephone calls. That frustration turns to bemusement, however, when the tables turn.

Recently, my phone rang. On the line was someone I'll call John, who greeted me with, "It's been a while and I just thought I'd check in. I'm networking." Now, I haven't talked to John since 1999, and he'd never thought to "check in" with me before. Obviously, he was out of work and had engaged in a crash program of networking.

He might as well forget it. It won't work. Building relationships is a long-term project; it can't be accomplished overnight. You have to nurture your relationships, making it a point to call people periodically just to make sure all is well. The same goes for networking, which is not something you do when you're in trouble or need a favor. If you wait for a crisis before you attempt to develop a network of people who care, it's already too late.

There's an old story about a group of boys who were trying to walk one rail of a railroad track but could only negotiate a few feet of track before losing their balance. Finally, two of the boys bet they could walk the rail without falling off. Challenged to make good on their boast, they each stepped up on a rail, extended a hand to each other and walked the entire length of the track without difficulty.

Over the long run, we will accomplish much more by helping each other. Wouldn't it be nice if we could make 2005 the "Year of True Collaboration and Cooperation?"

Supply Chain Services
  • Related Articles

    go global or get out of the way

    the seven deadly sins of supply chain crisis management

    The monkeys are back

Clifford F. Lynch is principal of C.F. Lynch & Associates, a provider of logistics management advisory services, and author of Logistics Outsourcing ? A Management Guide and co-author of The Role of Transportation in the Supply Chain. He can be reached at cliff@cflynch.com.

Recent Articles by Clifford Lynch

A New Solution for Some Old Problems

The time has come

The continuing saga of driver shortages

You must login or register in order to post a comment.

Report Abusive Comment

Most Popular Articles

  • Schneider welcomes first battery-electric truck

  • Fred Smith is not worried about Amazon

  • RJW LOGISTICS GROUP EXPANDS RETAIL LOGISTICS OPERATION TO DALLAS

  • Outlook 2023: What’s in store for logistics/supply chain?

  • Ports, maritime operators see tide turning as ocean freight tsunami subsides

Now Playing on DCV-TV

5afe63a5 7125 4318 b851 1e5738df1c91

Patterson Fan Co. | HVLS V-Series Ceiling Fan | Staging Area Air Movement

DCV-TV 4: Viewer Contributed
The Patterson V-Series is a high-volume, low-speed industrial ceiling fan that is designed to circulate a lot of air at a very low speed. These fans, ranging in diameters of 8’ all the way to 24’, are perfect for large, open spaces such as staging and shipping areas. One 24’ fan can generate a cooling effect of 6 –...

FEATURED WHITE PAPERS

  • The five best applications for robotic lift trucks in warehouse environments

  • Fulfillment Facility Improved Efficiencies by 4x

  • 3PLs: Complete Orders Faster with Flexible Automation

  • Reusable Packaging for the New Wave of Supply Chain Automation

View More

Subscribe to DC Velocity Magazine

GET YOUR FREE SUBSCRIPTION
  • SUBSCRIBE
  • NEWSLETTERS
  • ADVERTISING
  • CUSTOMER CARE
  • CONTACT
  • ABOUT
  • STAFF
  • PRIVACY POLICY

Copyright ©2023. All Rights ReservedDesign, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing