Have you ever heard the old saying, "when everything is said and done, there is more said than done?"

How about “everyone talks about the weather, but no one does anything about it?”

The common theme through the above examples of observational wisdom is the suggestion that talking about something is not the same as doing something about it.

Based on experience, I would not be off base in suggesting that this same theme applies to the subject of supply chain resiliency. In other words, in the world of procurement and strategic sourcing, the importance of resilient supply chains has been a point of discussion for some time.

However, what the COVID-19 pandemic and today’s increasing geopolitical instability have taught us is that our fruitful discussions in the past did not necessarily translate into meaningful actions and outcomes today.

Didn’t See It Coming?

When considering the significant disruptions in our global supply chains over the past two years – the most recent involving baby formula, we must ask ourselves how we got here. Didn’t we see it coming?

Let's face it, before COVID-19, how many of us would have predicted that our supply chains would, in some cases, snap like a rubber band stretched beyond its level of tolerance. Sure, we knew there were potential vulnerabilities in our supply and demand networks, but who expected such far-reaching, universal failures? By the state of things today, very few saw what was coming, and even fewer believed that we weren't ready for it.

Why were we so confident?

The problem wasn’t a lack of awareness regarding the importance of having resiliency and agility in our supply chains. We knew it was important. The issue was in our approach, or better yet, our interpretation.

Let's start with a bit of a history lesson. Have you heard of Robert Rudzki?

As the co-author of the 2005 book Straight to the Bottom Line®: An Executive's Roadmap to World Class Supply Management, Rudzki knows a thing or two about the subject matter about which he confidently writes. Between 1977 and 2005 – 28 years, he was SVP and CPO for notable brands Bayer Corp. and Bethlehem Steel Corp. Be sure to note his dual finance and procurement role.

Based on his expertise – which includes an MBA in Finance from the world’s oldest and most prestigious business school, Rudzki identified the five critical finance terms every purchaser should know. In short, his bridge between finance and procurement was to have the latter refocus on areas such as ROIC, Cost of Capital, and P/E Ratio.

His reasoning was supported by a 2006 article that asserted, “Too often, finance executives in Corporate America simply don’t believe that purchasing departments are really bringing in the savings they claim" because “financing and purchasing don’t speak the same language.”

This linguistic disconnect was further emphasized in a 2007 news report indicating the following:

• Less than 20% of CFOs consider the work of CPOs and their staffs as having a very positive impact on competitiveness.

Additional insights from an excerpt of the research paper referenced in the same news report also indicate that:

Procurement is entering a new era of increasing complexities in which traditional measures of success such as cost savings are no longer the sole focus.

Instead, and as reported in the Deloitte 2021 CPO Survey, "changing business dynamics and increasing layers of complexity" and corresponding "expectations" are transforming the way the industry thinks and acts.

For example, new and more challenging areas such as "climate change, geopolitical stability," and "increasing societal expectations" are now part of the new equation.

The introduction of these emerging variables is causing organizations to re-examine their digital transformation strategies, including how Artificial Intelligence (AI) can help them address the industry's challenges.

The SIG Survey

In 2021 SIG surveyed 100 procurement professionals from Fortune 500 and Global 1000 organizations on digital transformation and AI in procurement.

Based on the results, it is clear that those responding to the survey believe that "procurement's priorities lie with how AI technology can streamline the roles and processes to deliver meaningful and sustainable results."

Unfortunately, and despite the opportunity for more significant gains, the survey reports that "several obstacles" make it difficult for organizations to "bridge the divide" between the promise of digital AI and the realization of its optimal benefits.

Crossing the Divide

Understanding the importance of AI and identifying the challenges with realizing its potential to redefine and empower procurement to achieve critical objectives is the first step to crossing the aforementioned divide.

Every day, my inbox is bombarded with requests for feedback. Most requests I honor because I am a data nerd and I know there's some fellow data nerd behind the scenes who really needs the insight for their business case. Also because my husband is a PhD and we spent several years of our marriage dedicated to quantitative assessments - I have seen tears spilled over empty questionnaires.

Many survey requests I archive for later because I want to see how our partners and competitors collect data and use it to shape their programs. But mostly, I just think it is incredibly important to share your opinion when asked. (I could write a whole different blog on when NOT express your opinion, mostly from first-hand experience.)

This is a list of the top 7 reasons why I think people should respond to SIG surveys in particular and surveys in general.

SIG Member Input Drives Content Creation

As sourcing professionals, you are really good at understanding the value of your partnerships and ensuring you realize that value -- that is why we have strategic sourcing, negotiations, performance measurement and things like vested sourcing. Providing your input to SIG about what you need from our partnership is critical to us delivering the content, the speakers, the tools, the connections and the awareness you expect from us. You are paying for it, so let us know how we can serve you!

Expressing Your Opinion Is Good for Mental Health

Get it off your chest, share your concerns and join a community of people who are facing the same problems as you. We know your leadership, your customers and your team are all leaning on you to make 2021 successful. Telling someone about this can be extremely helpful, because it means someone is in your corner listening.

SIG is always asking our event attendees, current and future members, and readers about their current issues and concerns. I have been tracking and analyzing their responses for almost 10 years now. While cost savings and value-add remain consistent and strong priorities, there's no doubt many are very concerned about meeting pandemic-related needs.

We are blessed to have a community of thought leaders and generous, experienced professionals who are willing to share their experiences and describe their wins.

We offer the following resources in your quest for COVID-19 related items specific to sourcing, procurement, and workforce management. SIG members can continue to search for related articles here.

In the resources listed here, you can learn how to set up crow's nest and a war chest, hear how Sprint/T-Mobile are managing the crisis using AI for their spend analytics, specific procurement best practices for today's market, how technology enhances continuity in your workforce and what happens if and when this is "all over." Plus, so much more.

Checklist: 6 Steps for Navigating Through the COVID-19 Storm

Covid-19 has transformed from a short-term hiccup to a perfect storm at an unprecedented pace. It is normal to feel disoriented and to feel like you're running in eight directions at once.

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