Supply Chain Blog
Alan Watts once wrote that life is “all about balancing, not about being balanced.” For those of us who have spent years in the trenches of supply chain management, this insight resonates with particular force. We’ve been taught to pursue stability, to eliminate variability, to build fortresses of inventory and rigid contracts that promise predictability….
Just as Darius Foroux’s Six Spokes Theory emphasizes the importance of balancing body, mind, work, love, money, and play for an optimal life. I believe that the supply chain management requires a similar holistic approach. A truly resilient and efficient supply chain operates like a well-balanced wheel, with six critical spokes working in harmony to…
As supply chain professionals, we constantly seek proven frameworks that can elevate our operations from good to exceptional. Cem Kozlu’s insights in “Liderin Takım Çantası” (Toolbox of the Leader) offer a compelling perspective through Muhtar Kent’s leadership approach: the Leader-Strategy-People-Operations quartet. I find this framework particularly resonant for our field. Understanding the Quartet Muhtar Kent’s…
In the fast-paced, high-stakes world of supply chain management, we often focus on metrics, processes and technology while overlooking one of the most powerful forces shaping our teams’ performance: emotional contagion. Behavioral scientist Peter Totterdell‘s groundbreaking research reveals a fascinating truth about workplace dynamics; when people work together, they literally infect each other with emotions…
“A desk is a dangerous place from which to view the world,” wrote master storyteller John le Carré, and nowhere does this observation ring truer than in modern supply chain management. In an era where global supply networks span continents and encompass thousands of touchpoints, the supply chain executive who remains tethered to their office…
In the 1990s, British anthropologist Robin Dunbar proposed a fascinating idea: humans have a cognitive limit to the number of meaningful relationships they can maintain somewhere between 100 and 250, with 150 being the most commonly cited figure. This concept, known as the Dunbar number, suggests that beyond this threshold, our ability to manage stable social connections breaks down. But what…
Have you ever had one of those days where everything seems to go wrong in your supply chain? A shipment is delayed, a supplier misses a deadline, or a machine breaks down. It feels like the universe is conspiring against your operations. But what if these small setbacks were actually saving you from bigger, unseen…
Customer experience is a major factor in business success. A seamless and hassle-free experience keeps customers returning, while a frustrating one drives them away. This is where the Customer Effort Score (CES) comes into play. CES measures how easy it is for customers to interact with your business—whether they are making a purchase, resolving an issue, or…
In the fast-paced world of supply chain management, effective communication is the backbone of success. However, a common cognitive bias known as the curse of knowledge often hinders this process. The curse of knowledge refers to the difficulty experts face in imagining what it’s like to lack their expertise, leading to miscommunication and inefficiencies. This blog post…