Digital transformation, increasingly on the critical path for organisations. Companies such as:

 

⏩ those operating non-stop global supply chain ecosystems.

⏩ those navigating today’s turbulent landscape in a state of permacrisis.

⏩ those rigorously assessing their long term survivability and planning for the next 3 – 5 years of trading.

⏩ Companies like yours.

 

Invariably, whilst navigating a sobering data backdrop depicting stories of transformational failure. Suffice to say here:

 

⚠️ 70% of organisations do fail in their digital transformation strategies.

 

⚠️ Over 90% of organisations do fail to execute on their strategic objectives generally. Source, Intellibridge, The Balanced Scorecard.

 

Want to know why? Well first let’s say what it’s not!

 

It’s not down to the herculean challenge of integrating an ever-increasing source of systemic data. Complex yes. Insurmountable no.

 

Or the albeit mammoth task faced by co-operating logistical functions. Supply chain is anything but linear.

 

But no, moreover, the root of these failures to execute strategy sits higher, in the non systemic holy grail of the unstructured data layer – in the relationship space. The area where the people are. We at Suppeco call this the digital relationship layer. Read more about the Suppeco Relationship layer

 

A reasonable position when you think about it, seeing as we don’t live and operate inside the pages of a legally drafted contract; no, instead we operate in the real world where things rarely work to clause, schedule or page.

 

Whilst in the melee of today’s supply chain it’s neither practical or scalable to manage all the permutations of a multi-faceted relationship layer without having technology intervene. In fact let’s be candid, it’s impossible.

 

If you aren’t already capturing (and structuring) this information layer as the unstructured data layer that it technically is, then you are likely one of the 90% This is where Suppeco steps in and differentiates. We can quickly demonstrate the most crucial component of effective execution, the digital relationship layer, in action.

 

Digitising the relationship layer. 

 

Have a quick look back at that statistic. Here it is: over 90% of organisations fail to execute on their strategic objectives. Think you’re good at relationships? You wouldn’t be alone in making that assertion. But being good at relationships in todays turbulent and complex world requires a discerning approach to managing relationship data.

 

It’s no secret that the most challenging issues in digital transformation are rooted in reaching alignment, agreeing roles and responsibilities, agreeing which battles, culture, mapping priorities and drivers, unifying autonomy, timing, deadlines, budget, agreeing what to measure, translation, ability to course-correct, siloed thinking, change aversion…

 

There’s no shortage of great material out there either on process and process improvement. But yet there it still is, a consistently high failure rate.

 

The non-stop ecosystem.

 

Think digital transformation includes SRM? You’d be right! It absolutely does. With upward of 80% of a company’s revenue generated outside its immediate borders – by its suppliers, how could it not!

 

It’s worth taking a glance at today’s non-stop global customer-supplier ecosystem. It’s a dazzlingly complex place:

 

✅ One territory wakes up

✅ One territory goes to sleep

✅ Distributed teams

✅ Remote functions

✅ Multiple languages

✅ Multiple service lines

✅ Multiple operations

✅ Multiple timelines

 

And that’s just you, the customer. Now overlay every one of the above, with a corresponding ecosystem of suppliers and all their interactions.

 

Meeting the demands of modern supplier relationship management requires a digital omni channel network platform that helps your team and your entire supply network act as a single, cohesive unit—one that reduces or eliminates the need for disjointed manual supplier management processes and provides a clear picture of services, projects, compliances, accountabilities, and deadlines across all partner companies, people, and processes.

 

Supplier relationship management and the power of digitalization.

 

Modern SRM isn’t just about managing supplier performance. Including suppliers centrally in the relationship layer of digital transformation is essential to unlocking the full potential of any transformation. This includes working programmatically with initiatives, exploring and creating value across the entire value chain on an ongoing basis.

 

In order to realise these benefits, customers and suppliers must share strong relationships. This requires open and transparent communication, mutual trust and respect, and a willingness to collaborate and to share information. This goes to the heart of the matter – better known as the area where the people are, the digital relationship layer.