As the year winds down I want to pay tribute to someone, who whether you realize it or not probably had a major influence on your life at some point both in personal and professional terms. Stephen Covey—the educator, speaker and businessman, and the author in 1989 of the seminal The Seven Habits of Highly […]
Kate Vitasek
Leading with Vision Takes…Vision
A recent Fast Company article talks about leading with farsightedness and leaders who are able to articulate possible futures in ways that are compelling and inclusive. The article makes a distinction between leaders and truly visionary, game-changing leaders; we know however that those in the latter category – a Steven Jobs, for example – don’t […]
Innovation Should Include the Business Model
Sometimes even the finest, most modern technology won’t get off the ground—or irrigate it—if it’s not in sync with the business model. That’s the lesson presented in an HBR Blog network post this month by Karan Girotra and Serguei Netessine, “When Business Models Trump Technology.” It’s a story about a new spin on an old […]
Lawyers Suing Lawyers about Outsourced Legal Work
There are times when I read an article or news story and scratch my head and say, “Really?” That thought occurred to me in spades as I read about Unocal’s horrible experience from outsourcing litigation portfolio using a reverse auction process. The fiasco is described in an article by Ashley Post in InsideCounsel Magazine. Now […]
Outsource Magazine — November, 2012
Kenneth Arrow: trust’s central role This month’s column begins: We know that trust, ethical behavior and collaboration go hand-in-hand in our personal and social relationships. But how widespread are those things in our business and outsourcing relationships? Obviously they should be!… Here’s the link: http://www.outsourcemagazine.co.uk/articles/item/4845-kenneth-arrow-trusts-central-role
Put the Bias on Trust
Seth Godin, who as you know by now is one of my favorite “go-to” writers and bloggers, talks about having a “bias for trust” based on two truths. This first is that we shouldn’t “waste time” initiating relationships “that are not going to thrive and benefit both sides,” he says. Exactly! You don’t get to […]
SupplyChainBrain — October 2012
Latest Developments in Vested Outsourcing Kate Vitasek, Faculty, Center for Executive Education, University of Tennessee | October 23, 2012 In the fourth book to explore Vested, Kate Vitasek, of the Center for Executive Education at the University of Tennessee, talks about Vested: How P&G, McDonald’s and Microsoft are Redefining Winning in Business Relationships. [Run Time (Min.): […]
David vs Goliath: Play by the Rules to Change the Game
I’m a huge fan of Malcolm Gladwell. One of his 2009 New Yorker articles has been circulating around the internet of late and I paused to read it (again). The title is “How David Beats Goliath: When underdogs break the rules.” He uses the story of the Redwood, CA National Junior girls’ basketball team, which […]
APQC — October 2012
Vesting for Success in the Real World By Kate Vitasek October 23, 2012 In a Vested procurement approach, both customers and suppliers have an interest in each other’s success. The book Vested: How P&G, McDonald’s and Microsoft are Redefining Winning in Business Relationships presents examples of how organizations are creating win-win relationships using the Vested […]
The Competitive Advantage of Collaboration and Trust
You probably haven’t thought much about the philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau and his “Discourse on the Origin and Basis of Inequality Among Men,” lately, nor have I. It’s understandable. For one thing Rousseau wrote his essay in 1775; for another, he does not immediately spring to mind when considering Vested, collaboration and outsourcing. But thanks to […]
