Viewpoints on the Air Podcast #2: Social Media and “The Plugged In [Supply Chain] Manager”

Summary: Last month, I gave you a sneak preview of a “mega session” I will be moderating at this year’s CSCMP Annual Global Conference in Philadelphia titled “At the Social Media Inflection Point: Texting, Tweeting, and Friending the Next Wave of Supply Chain Innovation.” In today’s Viewpoints on the Air podcast, I interview two of the great panelists we have assembled for the session: Terri Griffith, Professor of Management at Santa Clara University and author of the forthcoming book “The Plugged-In Manager,” and Tom Nightingale, VP Communications and Chief Marketing Officer at Con-way (a Logistics Viewpoints sponsor). Terri wrote a very informative article published in the Wall Street Journal in April titled “Tapping Into Social Media Smarts” that focused on how companies can use social media to improve workplace collaboration. She addressed this topic in our conversation, along with some recommendations for how supply chain managers can overcome the “change management” issues associated with social media. She mentioned how supply chain managers need to “stop, look, and listen” for opportunities where social media can help them identify and respond to trends or problems faster by gaining access to tacit knowledge that historically has been difficult or impossible to get. In other words, think of social media as another type of business intelligence and supply chain visibility tool. But as Terri also stressed, you can’t “go off half-cocked” and implement social media in the workplace without taking into consideration your current organizational practices and potential risks. My conversation with Tom focused on the challenges and benefits, both expected and unexpected, that Con-way has experienced in the year since it introduced TweetLoad, which provides carriers with visibility to available loads via Twitter (@ConwayTweetLoad). If a driver sees a load he wants to bid on, he simply clicks on the link to access the portal and complete the transaction. Or if he has an iPhone, he can click on the phone number, which automatically initiates a call to an agent (for related commentary, see “Mobile + Social Media = Supply Chain Innovation”). According to Tom, one of the challenges Con-way faced was determining the right time to enter each tool (not too early, not too late), while dealing with limited resources, vocal skeptics, and other business requirements. A pleasant surprise, however, was the willingness of the organization to work through all of the necessary evils that come with social media, such as setting up policies, processes, and protocols, and getting everyone aligned and protected from a legal standpoint. For more great insights, listen to my conversation with Tom and Terri below. And of course, plan to attend the mega session at the CSCMP Annual Global Conference, where you can participate in the conversation too with Terri, Tom, and the other great panelists we’ve assembled from Home Depot, Volkswagen, and Trendset Information Systems. So, mark your calendars: The mega session on social media and supply chain innovation will be on Wednesday, October 5th from 8:00 to 9:30 AM, so make your travel arrangements accordingly. I look forward to seeing you in Philly in October. In the meantime, post a comment and share your viewpoint on this topic!