DC Velocity - February 2017

It’s impressive how many of today’s students, when asked to brainstorm solutions to an SCM problem, divine very creative potential solutions. While they are perhaps a little naïve about how easy it is to get new IT systems to work in a diverse corporate environment, their innate comfort with technology shifts, social IT, mobile IT, and instant messaging sets them up well for flexibly adapting SCM systems to ongoing structural changes in world economies.

QDo you see 2017 as the year when “dis- ruptive technologies” move beyond the discussion board and into implementation? If so, what are one or two technologies that will change the game this year?

AI’m an IT curmudgeon. I’m old enough to have experienced many waves of claims about “disruptive technology.” Some of the IT has been “emerging” and “disruptive” since the 1990s. Many so-called disruptive technologies seem to be VC (venture capital)-funded nonsense, searching for a use case and hoping for an IPO. Academic researchers define “ disruptive” in a scientific manner and only truly know what was disruptive after the fact. So I’d be pandering if I made predictions.

QWhat technology is overhyped?

AAll technology is overhyped to some xtent. One principle I try to convey to students is to maintain a healthy skepticism about vendor and consultant promises. Many sell IT simply to book business. They focus on hype rather than on genuine process improvement.

As overhyped, I’d suggest “The Cloud” and “Big Data.” Salespeople seem to promote every online service as “The Cloud.” Universities promote “Big Data” analytics, when what sometimes is delivered is basic statistics. The principle of caveat emptor (let the buyer beware) applies here. I smirk when I hear consultants say, “We help our clients move their Big Data into The Cloud, and The Cloud then generates…” Few firms have such data. As a researcher, I know how challenging it is to create insights via data analysis. “The Cloud” does not magically do this stuff. Fundamentally, we are talking about human tasks, human research, and human process changes.

with larger talent pools. Students today spread word quickly via social media about what a company offers

(salary and training). If it is below par, they move on en masse to other opportunities.

To address the situation, firms might create long-term relationships with targeted university programs. Many SCM professors love to create such relationships because it means career opportunities for students. Yet hiring managers show up irregularly, or they terminate a relationship if they have an instance where a new hire leaves. Doing so impedes the conversations regarding students who are truly appropriate for a DC position.

Firms might also develop train-
ing programs specifically for ware-
house/DC system design and main-
tenance. Really, such positions are
exciting internal consulting roles.
Students recognize the value of
learning that takes place during
such a project. Hiring managers
could communicate that value to
students in an enticing way.

QThose entering the field today have grown up around all things digital, including commerce. Will that play a role in their ability to master the fulfillment work that relies so heavily on technology?

AToday’s generation has a very different IT experience due to its immersion in consumer technology. Students are more open to and familiar with emerging technologies and digital services. For the most part, they are technology optimists and pragmatic users. I expect these perspectives will lead to very different ways to buy, build, and adapt to workplace IT systems. It will also be a key factor in how they approach the management of fulfillment systems.