At Art of Procurement, we frequently have conversations about how procurement can better align themselves with corporate objectives. These clear, measurable goals may challenge procurement in the sense that they are hard to achieve, but a metrics-driven approach falls right into our wheelhouse. We KNOW what we have to do with process and strategy to move in the right direction.
Enter the experience economy, and many of us may hit a wall. For this, procurement has to align with corporate culture rather than objectives… more of a struggle for logical, analytical thinkers. And since each company has a distinct corporate culture, learnings aren’t as transferable as they are with traditional process work.
Harvard Business Review’s 2018 ‘Guide to Corporate Culture’ identifies eight styles of corporate culture:
- Caring, focused on relationships and mutual trust;
- Purpose, exemplified by idealism and altruism;
- Learning, characterized by exploration, expansiveness, and creativity;
- Enjoyment, expressed through fun and excitement;
- Results, characterized by achievement and winning;
- Authority, defined by strength, decisiveness, and boldness;
- Safety, defined by planning, caution, and preparedness; and
- Order, focused on respect, structure, and shared norms.
Don’t be stressed if you’ve never looked at your company inside that kind of a framework. But do give it some thought. Chances are there are elements of multiple cultures at play in your company, but if you recognize and rank them, creating a complimentary procurement experience will be much easier.
On February 10th, we are hosting an AOP Live session that will focus on culture and experience – and what procurement can achieve if they are purposeful about managing that intersection.
Colin Glazier, VP of Solutions Consulting at Zip, and Joe Frederick, Senior Director of Procurement & Sourcing at Snowflake, will share their unique perspectives on the important role procurement plays as a key enabler for innovation by working with culture and experience at the same time.
