Supply Chain Professionals Need to Be Transformational Change Agents

“We are encouraged by the commitment of our supply partners to find new ways of collaborating to identify win-win solutions that have sustainable benefits.”

The industry has typically taken a more draconian approach to efficiency, demanding deep across the board cost cuts.

“There’s really no telling what kind of impact that will have when things recover,” said MacLean-Quick.

Over the past several months, Hess has worked on its 2016 plans with the assumption that low oil prices will continues.

“As supply chain professionals, we shouldn’t be afraid to test long-held practices and ask ourselves difficult questions – ‘How aligned is our contract language with our strategies, and the strategies we need tomorrow? Do global agreements work? How effective are we at brokering new relations? Which KPIs [key performance indicators] matter? What type of talent should we be investing in?’”

MacLean-Quick believes passionately that the most successful supply chain organizations employ strong business minded leaders with the ability to influence without authority – leaders who are can remain open to ideas while remaining outcome focused – and broker creativity, trust, accountability and transparency.

In today’s digital age of Big Data and Internet of Things technology, oil and gas supply chain professionals need to “create space for the art of the possible”, a move that will require professionals to become more visionary and look for ways to drive efficiency and performance without compromising safety.

“Without the soft skills, the trust won’t come, and without the trust, collaboration will remain a distant dream,” said MacLean-Quick.

MacLean-Quick also outlined questions that supply chain professionals should ask themselves to gain the trust of leadership, such as how vision, plans and priorities are conceived; whether you’re a good leader; whether enough time is allotted for relationship building; whether a company is a learning organization; whether the right talent is available; what dividend your investment is paying, and is anyone thinking about the recovery of the oil and gas industry, and the risks and opportunities this presents.

She concluded that oil and gas supply chain professionals can be more visionary as they drive efficiency and performance in the current low oil price environment.

“We have a unique opportunity to lead industry from the front. Let’s seize it and shine.”

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