Supplier Classification – How to show suppliers where they stand

Recently I commented on a LinkedIn discussion,  “Presently I am looking to devise a simple classification structure for my supply base – something that will allow my suppliers/providers to know where they presently stand from an engagement/expectation perspective and that shows them what they can work towards…. Does anyone have examples of such structures that they can share?”

My reply (edited): Continue reading

Can leaders dispense with collaboration?

Today, on seeing @HarvardBiz’s tweet, “We respect leaders more when they don’t need co-pilots,” I was compelled to read the corresponding article in Harvard Business Review, “Why Command-and-Control Leadership Is Here to Stay.” The article comments on the Vroom-Yetton model of leadership, which identifies five different decision-making styles, ranging from autocratic to consultative to group-based decisions. I found the tweet and headline provocative (although the article rather less so). Continue reading

Change Management: How to overcome stakeholders’ resistance to change

Following up on some recent tweets on employee motivation and engagement, I was reacquainted with Gleicher’s Formula for Change, published by Beckhard and Harris (also known as Beckhard and Harris’s Change Equation). Although I agreed with the formula when I first saw it several years ago, I rather dismissed it as a statement of the obvious. On reflection, it is a more powerful tool in change management than I first gave it credit. Continue reading

Procurement and cost reduction in UK central government

PAC report has relevance to public and private sector procurement.

The Public Accounts Committee (“PAC”) published its report last week, ” Cost reduction in central government: summary of progress“. The report may be of interest to procurement stakeholders in both public and private sectors :

  • Procurement is critical to achievement of deficit reduction and provision of (maintained) frontline services.
  • The report contains messages that apply to any organisation seeking to make savings through procurement initiatives.
  • The PAC  makes observations and recommendations regarding the approach to achievement and measurement of savings. Continue reading

Change Management: 7 Essential Elements of Stakeholder Engagement

Stakeholder engagement is a critical factor in the success of business change, especially business transformations, which may require significant cultural change. Business transformation typically involves people, process and systems changes which need to be delivered in order to produce a step change within the business. The design of effective processes and application of appropriate technology is not enough to ensure success. Insufficient acceptance and adoption of the new processes, arising from inadequate engagement of stakeholders, is a common cause of transformation failures. Continue reading