Maven's in Supply Chain

It’s now almost a cliché that the supply chains are growing longer and more complex. The increased activity and the resulting complexity in supply chains is attempted to be optimized using contemporary processes and / or technology solutions. Supply Chain Processes have also evolved into leaner practices leading to make organizations more responsive and flexible. Advanced Planning and Optimization techniques have digitized most of planning processes using business rules and business intelligence solution which can simulate multiple scenarios.

The central nervous system of Supply Chain across the industries and geographies still seem to be individuals who posses knowledge. It’s not too difficult to find a typical scenario on the shop floor where some machine has just gone down. All digital solutions have run their simulations to find the solution to the problem. But its intelligence still falls short of finding the solution. Then one person who knows the machine and the functioning of it knows where the root cause of the problem is and offers the solution. (S)He possesses knowledge which is shared voluntarily. Or an assembly on the floor is halted due to non arrival of the material from the vendor. The Procurement folks are running all over the place to identify an alternate source either through their identified (approved) vendors list maintained in a sophisticated information technology system or their own network. While all this is happening a person from the shop floor holds the knowledge of a source that can get the material of the specified quality within the specified time. This person has nothing to do with sourcing but still possesses the knowledge of where the solution can come from. And is solving his/her problem by solving others problem.

Maven’s are what these folks in the organizations are. Maven is a Yiddish word. It means one who accumulates knowledge and in case of an epidemic act as a data bank. And more importantly Maven’s don’t collect information passively. Once they know there is a good deal available, they will be more than willing to share the information that they have collected. They turn out to be critical in cases of disruption as they know what other’s don’t. In Supply Chains we talk about “disruptions”, “risk” and “collaboration”. It needs an intent from the organizational constituents (read: People) to lay down the culture of collaboration. Supply chains need folks who not only posses’ knowledge but know how to pass it along. Supply chain need Maven’s who are kind of people who want to help for no other reason than they like to help! It would transform a supply chain from being one with barriers to a supply chain which is nimble as Maven’s would spread the virus (in it’s positive sense!) of collecting knowledge, looking for new ideas, and more importantly share those unselfishly. In the process Maven’s gain attention of the organizational leaders. This means more attention to themselves. No amount of process improvements or digitization can ever replace the importance of Maven’s from organizations, and particularly Supply Chain Organizations’. Core of supply chain is “relationships”. Means People. People who are excellent accumulators of knowledge and will volunteer to share it to help overcome a difficult situation. And Maven’s are more than experts and socially motivated to make it happen than anyone else.

We need more Maven’s to make Supply Chain responsive and agile. Talk Talent Management in Supply Chain!!