As health systems contend with tight margins, rapidly advancing technology and persistent supply disruptions, the expectations for supply chain leaders are shifting. Becker’s asked supply chain executives: What skill will matter most for the next generation of supply chain leaders, and how are you building it on your team today?
Their answers range from data fluency and strategic supplier partnerships to the ability to operate without the technology that increasingly powers the function.
Editor’s note: Responses have been lightly edited for length and clarity.
Tracy Cleveland. Vice President of Supply Chain at Traverse City, Mich.-based Munson Healthcare: Thoughtful agility. That’s the ability to take a measured assessment of the challenge and then develop the next steps. This avoids knee-jerk responses or overcorrection in problem-solving.
We use a lean practice called “kata” to document all of our activity. It identifies the issue, the desired outcome and the first next step to achieving that outcome. It also identifies barriers and how we plan to mitigate them. By developing the practice, we can apply it to any situation.
Juan Serrato. Assistant Vice President of Supply Chain Informatics at Coral Gables, Fla.-based Baptist Health South Florida: Analytical skills are extremely important for the next generation of supply chain leaders. Future supply chain leaders must be data-driven. With the increased use of technology, enormous amounts of data are being collected. The ability to use that data for the benefit of supply chain operations will be critical for timely, data-driven decisions.
Michael Alfaro. Director of Materials Management at Ventura, Calif.-based Community Memorial Healthcare: The defining skill for next-generation leaders is engineering true system resiliency by forging strategic supplier partnerships that go beyond transactional negotiations.
We are cultivating this capability today by shifting our focus from traditional line-item reductions to optimizing supply expenses directly against operational budgets. We are relentlessly tracking cost-per-case metrics and their impact on clinical outcomes.
Nalin Kulasekara. System Vice President of Ancillary Operations and Supply Chain Management at Springfield, Ill.-based Hospital Sisters Health System: Several skills will be needed. We need big, innovative thinkers who can solve organizational problems to improve margins, rather than focusing on the cost of a widget. That will require advanced skills in finance, patient quality outcomes, data analytics and business technologies.
To build that into our teams today, we are recruiting business analytics leaders from outside the healthcare industry, creating a separate data and value analysis team, building cross-functional teams to tackle margin improvement projects and recruiting and developing big system thinkers.
Luke Martin. Administrative Director of Supply Chain Management at San Angelo, Texas-based Shannon Health: The next generation of supply chain leaders is already in the workforce, and they are very knowledgeable and skilled when it comes to AI and automation. That’s great. However, I believe the next generation will also need to fully understand the knowledge and skill sets required to operate without this technology.
Robotic surgery is a good example. New surgeons use robotic platforms almost exclusively, but they are also trained to perform those same procedures as open procedures.
Cindy Gueltzow. Vice President of Supply Chain Services at Louisville, Ky.-based Baptist Health: We are looking for people with proven strategic planning and communication skills. We have a strong need for people with a project management background along with product knowledge. Supply chain in the future will need visionaries who can help reinvent how a hospital system can operate successfully in a financially strained environment while keeping pace with new technology.
