How the Chief Supply Chain Officer is shaping tomorrow’s business

They say rough seas make for good sailors. Well, we’ve endured some stormy conditions in recent times. And what’s clear is that the strength of your supply chain team can either be the force that propels you forward, or the anchor that holds your entire company back.

Which one it is depends on who sits at the helm.How that team is managed, and who you put in charge, are the deciding factors.

If you have effective supply chain leadership in place, who can navigate volatility like an experienced sea captain, you’re in good stead.

This shouldn’t be someone you allow to run your supply chain team in isolation and report back once a quarter.

It will in fact need to be an important figure, someone who holds boardroom influence, that you and your C-Suite can trust to steer your business through whatever challenges lie ahead.

Enter, the Chief Supply Chain Officer (CSCO).

Amidst a sea of uncertainty, companies face inflation, recession, civil unrest, warzones and strike action in all corners of the globe. It’s a tough time to be in supply chain. This makes the importance of your Chief Supply Chain Officer all the weightier.

And yet, according to the latest figures, a staggering 79% of companies are yet to bring onboard a supply chain leader with this much internal clout. And even more worryingly, 41% of businesses have no supply chain representation in the boardroom at all.

What can you do to change this? And how can you unlock the full potential of the Chief Supply Chain Officer role in your own business?

How has the role of Chief Supply Chain Officer (CSCO) evolved?

Over the last 5 years, there’s been a shift in how supply chain leadership is perceived in the context of the wider business arena. Whereas the role of Chief Supply Chain Officer once revolved around operational and cost-focused functions, today the role is far more strategic.

Take a glance back at recent history, and it’s clear that Chief Supply Chain Officers have earned a seat at the table.

Navigating supply chain disruptions, such as natural disasters, political instability and global pandemics, is now a total necessity. Disruptions like these have massive implications for your business. The globalisation of markets, coupled with the spiralling complexity of supply chains, has only heightened the significance and importance of the role.

But we also shouldn’t ignore the potential for growth. The rapid development of digital technology has transformed supply chains by improving visibility and enabling data-driven decision making. Increasingly, it’s down to the Chief Supply Chain Officer to ensure the whole business reaps the rewards of such technologies.

Ultimately, your Chief Supply Chain Officer is accountable for aligning the supply chain strategy with broader business objectives. But more importantly, they are responsible for forging competitive advantages and delivering superior customer experience, thereby creating value throughout the entire organisation.

Your business operations, revenue and reputation depend on it.

Put simply, a great CSCO can optimise your supply chain. They can reduce costs, improve operational efficiency, enable faster time to market, enhance product quality, and support overall business growth. That’s a far cry from where the role was 10 years ago.

What challenges must supply chain leadership overcome?

As the scope of the role grows, so do the challenges that Supply Chain Officers must overcome. From tackling global supply chain constraints, to pursuing more sustainable business practices, CSCOs must adopt a more holistic approach to drive resilience and competitiveness in a constantly evolving business landscape.

Let’s explore some of the most pressing challenges:

1. Economic Pressure

Inflation and downturns aren’t sector specific. They can affect a multitude of businesses across entire continents. They can severely affect your company’s ability to deliver success.

Unfavourable economic conditions may force businesses to refocus how working capital is invested throughout the business. However, in the wake of uncertainty, CSCOs must mitigate the financial implications of supply chain decisions, while optimising performance throughout the entire network.

Ultimately, a great CSCO can do more with less. They can deliver better results with fewer resources, even if the odds are stacked against them.

2. People fatigue and staff retention

The stiff-upper-lip and never-say-die attitude that kept the world moving during COVID has paid a heavy toll on the reserves of your human workforce.

Research now shows that one in three supply chain professionals show symptoms of burnout. And the reality of burnout means that, even if you’re not showing any symptoms, you may still be feeling it.

Scarcity of talent, coupled with the fact that your existing staff may feel overwhelmed or underappreciated, means that people management is becoming a much more crucial part of the CSCO role.

Many employees have rethought their options recently. Whether that’s pursuing other areas of interest, finding new jobs entirely, or choosing employers who value and reward them more substantially.

Being able to rally and motivate the troops is essential. And if your Chief Supply Chain Officer can foster flexibility, deeper connections, shared purpose, positive wellbeing and personal growth, they’re onto a winning formula.

3. Global supply chain constraints

The ongoing disruption around the world, and especially Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, has shifted the focus of supply chain teams. Whether it’s warehouse space, money, energy or talent, the more you have, the better off you are. There was little room for waste before; now, there’s no excuse for allowing it to happen.

Addressing these supply chain constraints requires a proactive and integrated approach. CSCOs must leverage technology, data analytics, collaboration and strategic partnerships to enhance supply chain visibility, agility and resilience.

By staying adaptable, fostering innovation and embracing emerging trends, CSCOs can navigate supply chain constraints and drive efficient supply chain operations.

4. Sustainability

Sustainability is now a prerequisite for supply chain success. But addressing the challenges around sustainability requires a multi-faceted approach that encompasses both internal processes and the wider value chain. The challenge for CSCOs is in embedding sustainability principles throughout the supply chain that deliver positive environmental, social and commercial impacts.

Strategic priorities for the CSCO

Faced with these challenges, supply chain leadership must make transformational changes to increase their organisation’s resilience and agility.

As highlighted by the research company, Gartner, to make an impact and enable growth, a Chief Supply Chain Officer must focus on 3 key areas:

1. Navigate the new supply chain landscape
2. Respond to the next disruption
3. Innovate for the future through leading-edge supply chain management practices

To make a lasting impact, and to perpetuate value throughout the business, the CSCO should strive to both realign organisational structures to the demands of the market and re-energise the workforce in the face of ongoing disruption. Moreover, to underpin the people and processes that ultimately enable supply chain excellence, supply chain leadership must also invest in the correct technology.

How can your CSCO leverage technology to drive your business forward?

By leveraging advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, and data analytics, CSCOs can transform supply chain operations to:

• Improve alignment between your supply chain strategy and business strategy
• Improve your supply chain’s resilience in meeting customer needs
• Build more flexible and agile processes
• Improve customer experience (CX) by mitigating risk throughout the supply chain

While traditionally the implementation of such technology was seen as the IT team’s playground, supply chain leaders are increasingly involved in these digital initiatives. In the next section, we will explore the role technology is playing in helping CSCOs to overcome their key challenges and deliver on their main priorities.

Creating visibility and confidence throughout the organisation

With the development of AI-enabled forecasting and demand-planning tools, CSCOs are presented with an exciting opportunity to cultivate greater visibility and confidence throughout the supply chain.

the supply chain.
Through integrating data from various sources from both the internal supply chain and wider supply chain network, businesses can attain a more holistic view of the end-to-end operation.

For the CSCO, enhanced visibility better positions them to proactively identify bottlenecks, address issues before they arise (or quickly after) and make informed decisions.

Driving efficiency gains throughout your supply chain

If you can streamline your supply chain workflows, the CSCO can take the pressure off the human workforce to create advantages throughout your operation and wider business. Furthermore, by automating those tasks which are routine in nature and don’t need manual intervention, you can free up your team to focus their time and attention on actions that deliver real value.

Of course, human ownership is still key. Though utilising real-time alerts and notifications for supply chain disruptions, delays or quality issues, the supply chain team can stay ahead of the game and take fast and decisive action where required.

Building risk-resilience through better supply chain design

Uncertainty and risk often go hand in hand. But with better collaboration and communication, risks can be diminished or better managed. Implementing collaboration and communication tools, which facilitate real-time information sharing, should be seen by CSCOs as a top priority.

If you’re able to connect your people and processes, you are moving in the right direction, and if you can unify your data to create a single source of truth in your business, you are covering all the bases.