Part of a Series
This Reflection is a part of the
2017 Next Generation Operations Summit Report.
To see the complete report, click here.
Dear Colleagues,
Creating a customer-centric supply chain – one that is agile, adaptable, and sustainable – is key to value creation in a digital world. This is particularly true as supply chain leaders grapple with the relentless pace of change around the globe. In fact, at this year’s Summit, 75% of attendees said they have faced “significant or extreme change” in their operating environment over the past five years, and 88% anticipate even more change over the next five years. In this environment, how can leaders not only build reliable operations today, but also transform for the future?
For operations and supply chain leaders, success will depend on how they navigate three overarching strategies:
- First, it goes without saying that the day-to-day focus of the operations and supply chain function is on Optimizing Current Business Value – executing strategy that preserves core and organic business value while managing for risk.
- Second, while maintaining supply chain efficiency is a must, supply chain officers have to take a central role in Generating New Business Value – developing innovations that lead to inorganic and new business value.
- Third, supply chain officers must work across the C-suite and be a pivotal figure in Creating Dynamic Capacity – aligning the firm and its people with an evolving business model and embedding dynamic capabilities in structures, systems, processes, and people.
Putting all the pieces together requires a deft hand. Often the capabilities to optimize a current business model, generate new forms of value, and become more dynamic and agile can be found within an organization as it reorganizes or recombines best practices and innovations internally. But increasingly – particularly in a hyper-digital world – an organization has to reach outside its own boundaries to bring in new capabilities – whether that be ideas, technologies, collaborations, or people. These new capabilities – whether they are “home grown” or brought in from the outside – then have to be integrated into the current organization, which means chief operating and supply chain officers of the future will have to grapple with an array of governance, structural, procedural, and cultural barriers.
Thus, for the chief operating and supply chain officers of the future there is a valuable journey to embark upon. As you will see from the cases and insights in this report, progress is being made already, and the future is unfolding rapidly before us.
Before you dig into this report, I would like to thank Accenture Strategy– as without their generous thought leadership, resources, and support – this important program would not have been possible. I would also like
to extend our gratitude to the Executive Leadership Group – their subject matter knowledge and insights on operations and supply chain innovation provided a solid foundation for this Summit and for the advancement of leadership as a whole. And last but not least, thank you for investing your time and energy into learning from this Summit and report. I’m certain you will find it actionable and valuable. Adidas
