I was recently involved in a very interesting situation where one group (“Group 1”) within a large global company pursued an opportunity that it felt it was equipped to support. Problem was, it wasn’t. Another group (“Group 2”) that competes with the first for “mind-share” and” budget” and “credit” within the company was certainly better suited to deliver – but, we’ll never know how for sure. I assume that Group 1 did not share the opportunity with its rival, Group 2, but instead, chose to pursue the opportunity unilaterally. Had they conferred with the other group, things may have turned out better for the company and possibly each Group.

How often does something like that happen within your enterprise? within your team? When two groups are working on projects that are diametrically opposite in what they are trying to achieve or in their approach? When redundant resources are deployed to solve the same problem in parallel? It’s not always an internal rivalry that creates the communication gaps and the disconnect. The reasons are many why it is that sometimes the left hand does not know what the right hand is doing.

How cohesive is your procurement department? How well does information flow across it? How embedded is it with the business (or budget-holders)? How aligned is it with functional partners (HR, IT, Finance, Manufacturing, etc.)?

Piano lessons for beginners start with some theory and then the basics (keys, fingers, beats, reading music) but it is not until the intermediate phase when left and right start playing together – that is when students begin to make music.

Many procurement organizations have been successful understanding “the basics” [Sidebar: The basics in this function can be quite complex, so, mastering them is an achievement]. It’s when Chief Procurement Officers and their teams begin playing in coordination with the other hands in the enterprise (and in the supply base) and in the context of an orchestra that they really begin to make music and distinguish themselves by their performance… like Vince Guaraldi did here (“Skating” from “A Charlie Brown Christmas” – it’s only 2:34 so go ahead and click).

Tagged in: Collaboration, People