Recently I came across a quote attributed to Eleanor Roosevelt, “If you want a good spouse, then be one.” So true! And it is even more appropriate in our business relationships: If you want to have a good, strategic business partner then show the way by being one yourself. This is easy to say, especially when […]
Kate Vitasek
BPI Network — April 2015
5 BIG QUESTIONS ON INNOVATION Q&A with Kate Vitasek published by the Business Performance Innovation Network on 14 April 2015 Here’s the link: http://www.bpinetwork.org/game-changers/insights/25
Blamestorming for Positive Results
We’ve all done our fair share of brainstorming, but have you ever engaged in a robust round of “blamestorming”? Believe it or not there is an art to blamestorming and it’s not what you might think it is, and also not exactly how it’s defined in, for instance, the Urban Dictionary: “Sitting around in a […]
IACCM-Contracting Excellence — March 2015
Your sourcing model can make or break the deal This article by Kate Vitasek appeared in IACCM’s Contracting Excellence magazine on 31 Mar 2015 Whether a company is looking to outsource a non-core function across the street or across an ocean, choosing the right sourcing model is crucial: it will make or break the deal. […]
Don’t Buy It If It Doesn’t Fit
A recent blog from marketing guru Seth Godin talks about that beautiful pair of shoes—and on sale at a great price!—only there’s one catch: they are one size too small. There’s a decision to be made: should you opt for the good looking bargain and go with sore feet until maybe the shoes stretch out? […]
House of Lies: Is This Any Way to Run a Business?
Well no, but it does make for entertaining, and in a way, thought-provoking television. Showtime’s popular dark comedy, House of Lies, is described as a “subversive, scathing look at a self-loathing management consultant from a top-tier firm.” Marty Kaan (as portrayed by Don Cheadle) and his MBA colleagues at Kaan & Associates charm unsuspecting corporate […]
Forbes — March 2015
Procurement Departments Negotiating ‘Too Aggressively’ Article by Kate Vitasek published by Forbes on 3 March 2015. Link: http://www.forbes.com/sites/katevitasek/2015/03/03/procurement-departments-negotiating-too-aggressively/
Transform SRM into Strategic Relationship Management
In SupplyChainBrain’s 2015 Resource Guide, one of my articles notes that the movement to implement real and lasting collaboration is alive and well in supplier relationship management (SRM). The key point is, how can SRM be truly effective without collaboration that includes processes for transparency and continuous communication, and where suppliers are full partners in managing […]
Outsource Magazine — February 2015
John W. Henke Jr. and Chun Zhang: Increasing Supplier Trust and Innovation Column/blog by Kate Vitasek published on by Outsource Magazine on 24 Feb. 2015 The tricky question that most if not all companies face on a constant basis is how to get their suppliers fully engaged and committed to – and even be instrumental […]
SupplyChainBrain Resource Guide — Jan/Feb 2015
SupplyChainBrain 2015 Supply Chain Management Resource Guide Includes articles by Kate Vitasek and Karl B. Manrodt at pages 46, 74, 77, 86 and 92. Here’s the link to the entire 116-page issue: http://tinyurl.com/owavn3r
