2010-10-21-奥纬咨询-Why_Senior_Executives_Should_Care_About_Sourcing_11页_151kb

Oliver Wyman is a global management consulting firm offering expertise in strategy, operations, risk management and organizational transformation to help clients improve performance and deliver sustained shareholder value.

"The Tyranny of Small Gains" argues that most companies fail to realize the full potential of their sourcing potential due to siloed operations and lack of executive leadership. Only senior management can drive sourcing programs that deliver 10-20% savings by championing cross-functional collaboration.

Key pillars for effective value sourcing include:

• Ambitious Targets: Setting high savings goals requires executive sponsorship.
• Cross-functional Involvement: Engaging stakeholders from R&D, Operations, Marketing, etc., is essential.
• Sufficient Resources: Requires dedicated personnel, skills development, technology tools, and financial backing.
• Meaningful Measurement: Tracking both savings and underlying activities is critical for ongoing improvement.

Useful tactics include:

• Crash Programs: Intensive, short-term cross-functional teams for quick, significant savings, supported by senior management commitment.
• Total Cost of Ownership (TCO): Considering all acquisition, usage, and disposal costs, not just initial price.
• Supplier/Customer Collaboration: Joint development for mutual advantage, particularly in innovation and market positioning.
• Outsourcing ("Make or Buy"): Strategic decisions balancing cost, control, capabilities, and risks, especially labor and intellectual property concerns.
• Low-Cost Countries: Leveraging geographic arbitrage in manufacturing and services.
• Savings Tracking: Monitoring actual savings and roadblocks using simple tools.

The article concludes by emphasizing that sourcing, when properly managed with strategic leadership and cross-functional commitment, can be a powerful driver of financial performance, customer satisfaction, corporate culture, and overall capabilities.