Having just got back from Las Vegas and the 2007 conference my head is spinning. Overwhelming – there is simply no other word for it. 2100 of some of the world’s best supply chain management practitioners in one place – whew! And without doubt the best subject experts in the world as workshop presenters. Talk about a testosterone overload. And no, I’m not referring to a primitive male bonding experience, particularly since at least half, if not more, of the participants were female. Anyone who understands the assertive nature of supply chain folks (described by the less informed as aggressive) knows what I mean. One of the more “fun” workshops was a presentation on Mars vs. Venus negotiation styles and techniques. The next time I have to negotiate with a group of nurses I’m ready. No more pounding my fist on the table and screaming “If it’s good enough for the Navy, it’s good enough for you!” Nope – I’m now in touch with my Venus side.
When viewing our large numbers I’m humbled in the realization that this was only 5% of our membership. What would happen if we all showed up? Could Las Vegas accommodate us?
Coming from the healthcare side I find it so refreshing to hear my peers in myriad other industries voicing the same problems, concerns and frustrations that I so often hear in healthcare. Even more refreshing is hearing the many innovative ways industry has responded to these matters. I learn something new every time I attend one of these conferences. If fact I learn too much for one brain to remember more than 50% of it all. Candidly, if someone only attended to study a single track such as contracting or negotiations the entire trip was worth it. The educational offerings were so numerous that attendees were forced to pick a relative few and regrettably miss many others with equally attractive descriptions. I actually found myself flipping a coin at one point. In an ideal world an organization would send at least 5-6 participants, who all attend different sessions and then share the information among themselves upon their return home. I suspect some more enlightened (aka successful) firms did just that.
As usual, this year’s attendees included supply chain professionals from most of healthcare’s key suppliers: Zimmer, W. L. Gore, and Pfizer, just to name a few. But these were the few I personally met. More interesting was noticing how they were concerned with meeting supply chain professionals from their suppliers, and so on up the chain. The reality is you can learn so much more about an industry with this network than you can by only speaking with marketing professionals where a controlled message and image are conveyed. (The workshop dealing with this was entitled “Buying Under the Influence”). Knowing the upstream concerns of my suppliers is powerful information in managing my part of the chain. Market intelligence: yes, but so much more than that. Knowing the key supplier issues they face and which products are critical to them and what they are doing to mitigate risk gives me a much better handle on managing my supplier risk while predicting fair prices and availability. This is why we call it a supply “chain”. It is only at ISM that I can actually see the upstream links in the chain. I only wish more frontline healthcare practitioners were there. While some of the larger, more progressive, health systems and teaching medical centers had representation few, if any, small hospitals had anyone present. For the most part our industry continues to gravitate towards a myopic and parochial view – seeing no further than the sales rep in the lobby. Not on the part of the supply chain management personnel, but their superiors who don't see the ROI on sending staff to high level conferences. That’s a pity and it is one of the key reasons sellers tend to hold more influence over healthcare supply chains than the buyers.
When viewing our large numbers I’m humbled in the realization that this was only 5% of our membership. What would happen if we all showed up? Could Las Vegas accommodate us?
Coming from the healthcare side I find it so refreshing to hear my peers in myriad other industries voicing the same problems, concerns and frustrations that I so often hear in healthcare. Even more refreshing is hearing the many innovative ways industry has responded to these matters. I learn something new every time I attend one of these conferences. If fact I learn too much for one brain to remember more than 50% of it all. Candidly, if someone only attended to study a single track such as contracting or negotiations the entire trip was worth it. The educational offerings were so numerous that attendees were forced to pick a relative few and regrettably miss many others with equally attractive descriptions. I actually found myself flipping a coin at one point. In an ideal world an organization would send at least 5-6 participants, who all attend different sessions and then share the information among themselves upon their return home. I suspect some more enlightened (aka successful) firms did just that.
As usual, this year’s attendees included supply chain professionals from most of healthcare’s key suppliers: Zimmer, W. L. Gore, and Pfizer, just to name a few. But these were the few I personally met. More interesting was noticing how they were concerned with meeting supply chain professionals from their suppliers, and so on up the chain. The reality is you can learn so much more about an industry with this network than you can by only speaking with marketing professionals where a controlled message and image are conveyed. (The workshop dealing with this was entitled “Buying Under the Influence”). Knowing the upstream concerns of my suppliers is powerful information in managing my part of the chain. Market intelligence: yes, but so much more than that. Knowing the key supplier issues they face and which products are critical to them and what they are doing to mitigate risk gives me a much better handle on managing my supplier risk while predicting fair prices and availability. This is why we call it a supply “chain”. It is only at ISM that I can actually see the upstream links in the chain. I only wish more frontline healthcare practitioners were there. While some of the larger, more progressive, health systems and teaching medical centers had representation few, if any, small hospitals had anyone present. For the most part our industry continues to gravitate towards a myopic and parochial view – seeing no further than the sales rep in the lobby. Not on the part of the supply chain management personnel, but their superiors who don't see the ROI on sending staff to high level conferences. That’s a pity and it is one of the key reasons sellers tend to hold more influence over healthcare supply chains than the buyers.
For one of the speaker luncheons I have the good fortune to sit next to and make the acquaintance of James Schulze, the Director of Operations for the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP), another of supply chain’s professional organizations. They will be holding their annual conference in Philadelphia in October. I wasn’t originally planning to attend, but after meeting James and hearing his description I’m reconsidering and leaning towards attending.
Speaker Malcolm Gladwell, author of “The Tipping Point” and more recently “blink”, was top rate and one of the best I have ever heard. His extemporaneous speaking style while staying on point - with great substance - is worth his fee. So much so I have obtained a copy of “blink” and it is now 3rd on my to-read list. I’ll get this done by the end of summer. On the other hand, speaker Gil Schwartz, who is billed as a “business humorist” and appears under his nom-de-plume Stanley Bing, is without question one of the worst speakers I have ever heard at a conference. He may have been having a bad day, but he had a really bad day. If a nonstop series of sophomoric “jokes” concerning poor management, drunkenness and other debaucheries, and a series of cheap shots spoken in a monotone with his head down while reading from papers on the podium is your idea of humor then you’ll love Stanley Bing. On the other hand, if your choice of entertainment has matured beyond “Animal House” I don’t recommend him. And I am not inspired to obtain any of his writings.
2008 – St. Louis here we come! Be there.
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