Passionate Supply Chainers all around the world are wondering whether studying a Certification makes sense or not. Allow me to say this is quite normal taking into account the huge number of them. Check out the Top 8 according to CIO magazine.
You could have arrived to the Operations department a long time ago. Perhaps you’re a New joiner …
It really doesn’t matter. Because Supply Chain has evoluted so much in the last decades that nowadays it is extremely hard to recognise its boundaries in a hyperconnected world.
Modern Supply Chain
For most of the part, breakthrough Technologies plus a tremendous pressure for reducing Costs -or shall I say, increasing Profits– have radically transformed Logistics into the modern Supply Chain.
And everything is happening too fast. While global consumers demand companies to have a Customer obsession, corporations are desperately looking for talent oasis where to find T-shape professionals.
This means Generalist who knows about Finance, Computer Science, Production, Purchasing an so on.
Indeed, experts who understand different areas across the organization, but at the same time, able to get very deep in the Supply Chain concepts.
Corporate Culture
It is evident that Supply Chain Certifications are helping experts who come from a wide spectrum of different backgrounds.
Certificates do the job that many companies cannot afford, simply because they haven’t created a strong Supply Chain Culture yet.
Organizational culture is a key factor when implementing Supply Chain vision. For example, Unilever (Master SC according to Gartner) spent €34 bn in its SC and their Strategy is clearly defined on 6 steps. One of them is only dedicated to Talent & Capabilities (this is so cool!)
Corporations with a strong SC Culture are commonly the leaders of its industries
Pros & Cons
Sincerely, creating a list is quite personal. However, I think it could be useful if I enumarate those aspects that usually are less mentioned …
Pros:
- Networking. Meeting professionals with the same interest than you will boost your list of contacts. Your new teammates will give you access to fresh information and potentially open your mind to new ideas.
- Sources. Having new sources of information and access to exclusive contents will expand your alternatives to face Operational dilemmas. This will definitely increase your probabilities of success in the future.
- Trends. Certifications normally work with lot of industries and you will learn from them. Additionally, discovering the latest business trends will prevent you from potential disruptions in your specific area.
Cons:
- Specialization. Nothing bad. Lawyers are specialists and Doctors have specialities. But remember that the world is moving towards generalist.
My advice? Try to attend learning events outside your area of specialization as well. - Competition. Do not try to compare yourself with others just because you have learnt a new knowledge. Everyone lives different realities.
My advice? A certificate will not make you better than someone else without it, so please don’t publish it everywhere 😉
Thanks for reading and let me know your thoughts!
The Supply Chainer Report 