On’t Tweak Your Supply Chain – Rethink It End to End’ Harvard Business Review
Harvard Business Review Reflection
Lee, H. 2010. ‘Don’t Tweak Your Supply Chain – Rethink It End to End’ Harvard Business Review. Vol. 88, Issue 10, 63-69.
Introduction
The article: ‘Don’t Tweak Your Supply Chain – Rethink It End to End’ by Lee, H. in the Harvard Business Review of Oct. 10 (Vol. 88, Issue 10, page 63-69) is mainly about the improvement of the supply chain by pursuing structural change earlier. We would state the main aim of the article as follows: To improve sustainability & social responsibility, while maintaining the profit margins, companies must not just improve their current supply chain, but they should pursue broader structural change, from one end of the supply chain, to the other.
According to the article, managers should consider sustainability as a Core Operational Issue, alongside issues such as inventory, quality and costs of material etc. Lee also says that it is important to map internal supply chain operations. The environmental and social-responsibility problems and opportunities should be identified. Evaluating alternative ways to make improvements is the next thing. As the options are weighed, it must not be forgotten to consider the potential social impact. When the internal operations are done, the article says that coordination with the suppliers and customers (the adjacent operations) is the next important thing. Identify the overlapping activities, then, working with the other parties, explore improvements. Lee states that after seeking opportunities with adjacent internal operations and direct customers and suppliers, the attention should be turned to the suppliers’ suppliers and the customers’ customers. Map out the members of the broader supply network and zero in on sustainability related risks and opportunities. Then start collaborating with the members of the supply chain to make improvements. To really make structural changes, parties must align their incentives so that all partners believe they will
Lee, H. 2010. ‘Don’t Tweak Your Supply Chain – Rethink It End to End’ Harvard Business Review. Vol. 88, Issue 10, 63-69.
Introduction
The article: ‘Don’t Tweak Your Supply Chain – Rethink It End to End’ by Lee, H. in the Harvard Business Review of Oct. 10 (Vol. 88, Issue 10, page 63-69) is mainly about the improvement of the supply chain by pursuing structural change earlier. We would state the main aim of the article as follows: To improve sustainability & social responsibility, while maintaining the profit margins, companies must not just improve their current supply chain, but they should pursue broader structural change, from one end of the supply chain, to the other.
According to the article, managers should consider sustainability as a Core Operational Issue, alongside issues such as inventory, quality and costs of material etc. Lee also says that it is important to map internal supply chain operations. The environmental and social-responsibility problems and opportunities should be identified. Evaluating alternative ways to make improvements is the next thing. As the options are weighed, it must not be forgotten to consider the potential social impact. When the internal operations are done, the article says that coordination with the suppliers and customers (the adjacent operations) is the next important thing. Identify the overlapping activities, then, working with the other parties, explore improvements. Lee states that after seeking opportunities with adjacent internal operations and direct customers and suppliers, the attention should be turned to the suppliers’ suppliers and the customers’ customers. Map out the members of the broader supply network and zero in on sustainability related risks and opportunities. Then start collaborating with the members of the supply chain to make improvements. To really make structural changes, parties must align their incentives so that all partners believe they will