Managing Supply Chain Complexity: Identifying the Requisite Skills

Eminent throught leader Martin Christopher provides a historical analysis of the evolution of the field of supply chain management, identifying three key elements that have changed this landscape, viz., globalization of supply chains, continued outsourcing, and widespread adoption of ‘lean’ practices. He then analyzes the impact of these three key elements on the need to manage across boundaries, the need for both left-brained and right-brained skills, and most importantly the understanding and creation of a broad skills-profile for successfully managing the complexity in the supply chain.