Bridge The Gap

Add comment October 16th, 2006 David Bush - Iasta

SupplyManagement.com recently published an article entitled Mind The Gap that contains some good advice for managing multi-site procurement teams that can help your organization turn a dispersed group into an effective, high-performing unit.

The first thing the author notes is that communication is key to effective performance, otherwise you will not have a successful “virtual” team. Although logistical challenges may tempt managers to abandon regular meetings, with a distributed team, these are crucial for team cohesion. These meetings need to share overall progress and allow for team-wide discussion of concerns or issues. Holding these meetings on a regular basis will boost performance and improve morale.

The author also recommends a newsletter, but I would recommend a web-based portal with regularly updated content, RSS feeds, and collaborative wiki functionality. Newsletters are so web 1.0.

The second major point recommended by the author is to make time and budget available for occasional face-to-face meetings. Despite the up-front costs, the improvements in morale and communication will lead to increased efficiency and performance - and when you consider how much money a successful procurement team can save, the cost amounts to a drop in a really big bucket. Remember, high-performing multi-site sales teams thrive on face-to-face meetings.

The author also recommends that procurement leaders visit all locations regularly. I would recommend that leaders from each location regularly visit other locations to cross-pollinate and build team cohesion, not just the leaders in head office. In addition, whenever one location brings in an expert for training or development, make sure the session is available through videoconferencing or voice-conference and webinar to all locations simultaneously. It’s another great way to build a cohesive team.

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