42 DC VELOCITY SEPTEMBER 2014 www.dcvelocity.com
s
p
ec
i
a
lr
e
po
rt
HUM
AN
R
E
SOU
R
C
E
IS
SU
E
S
IN
LOG
I
S
TI
C
S
Additionally, some supply chain executives report that
many of the recent graduates they have hired expect flexible
work schedules, quick career advancement, and the ability
to work on projects that interest them. But the reality is
that a successful supply chain career path often requires
long hours, functional experience gained over many years,
and working at manufacturing plants and distribution
centers (which may seem unglamorous but are critically
important).
This misalignment between expectations and reality has
contributed to many young employees feeling dissatisfied
with their jobs and careers, and many employers being
unable to attract and keep top supply chain talent. The first
step toward bridging the supply chain talent gap should
be to understand these misalignments, followed by finding ways to realign the interests of all parties involved—
employees, employers, and educational institutions.
This article will look at some of the misconceptions that
are prevalent today, and what employers
and educators can do to provide students and new hires with more realistic
expectations about their career paths as
well as a better understanding of what
the job of a supply chain professional
involves.
TECHNICAL VERSUS SOFT SKILLS
Many recent graduates of supply chain
programs enter the work force believing
that technical skills and knowledge are
the most important attributes for professional success. And, in fact, at conference sessions and professional-group
discussions I’ve attended, employers
often are very positive about the technical skills that new employees bring to
their roles. They report that new hires
typically latch on to data-driven projects and help companies pull, analyze, and report supply chain metrics.
Where employers say young staffers fall short is in soft
skills like communication, teamwork, and managing relationships. While being able to handle technical tasks is
indeed important in supply chain management, a primary
focus of many positions is the ability to make a case for
change in the workplace. This requires skills in analyzing
and synthesizing data, communicating technical ideas to
nontechnical leaders, and building a team to execute a
project plan. As a result, employers are looking for people
with the ability to work on and manage diverse teams,
effectively communicate verbally and in writing with people at different levels, and receive and make constructive
use of feedback.
Our education system does a good job of providing
students in supply chain degree programs with knowledge
about inventory, transportation, and logistics processes and
analysis, but it has failed to create a body of students who
have the soft skills employers are seeking. Some programs
may touch on the development of those skills, but few
provide in-depth training. For example, students are given
many opportunities to present their projects to their peers,
but little time is spent formally teaching students how
to present ideas and arguments in a work environment.
In my undergraduate engineering and graduate logistics
programs, for instance, we gave presentations and wrote
reports on technical findings. When I tried to give similar
presentations as an entry-level analyst, however, I was told
that I needed to simplify my presentation, develop solu-
tions to the problems found, show how the results related
to savings, and not be as “professorial” in my delivery. To
be better prepared for the workplace, then, students should
be taught not only how to give an academic presentation
but also to simplify how they present their technical analy-
sis, present not just the results of research but also the next
steps, and explain to management the
effect on the company’s bottom line.
Additionally, many university courses
say they emphasize team-based learning, but students do not learn what it
means to function as part of a team in
real life. For example, students are often
told to self-create their teams and determine a team leader. But teams are rarely
formed this way in the working world.
A more realistic approach would be for
the professor to create the teams, select
the team leaders, and tell students what
the requirements are for each position
on the team. That way, students will
be responsible for specific parts of the
project and will have to complete tasks
they might not enjoy but are essential
for the success of the team. This will
approximate the situations they are likely to encounter in
their future jobs.
Similarly, our current education system rewards students
based on individual performance. If students are able to
answer enough questions correctly on an exam or write
a strong paper, they are rewarded with high grades. They
are then told that if they keep their grades high enough,
they will get a good job with a respectable company when
they graduate. But managing a complex supply chain
requires people to be able to do more than correctly answer
questions on an exam or analyze a case study. This means
employers and educators will have to move away from rating individual performance and instead rate performance
based on how well a team or even an entire class does.
If students are assigned to teams and are assigned a team
leader, as is typically the case in businesses, how well the
team performs as a whole will be as important as how well
each individual performs. Within each team, there will be
To help bridge the
supply chain talent
gap, employers and
educators need to
provide students with
a realistic view of the
work environment
before they enter the
work force.
