An ROI For Supply Chain Education

Please enjoy the thoughts and musings of our friend, supporter, and long-time contributor Art van Bodegraven Jr., who passed away on June 18, 2017. Art was a prolific writer and had amassed a collection of unpublished blog posts he had planned to run well into the future. To honor his memory, we will continue to post these remaining blogs as he had intended. If you’ve been a fan of The Art of Art blog, check out our tribute.

 

So, what's the value of SCM education?  Can it be measured?  Is it a myth?  Let's dig a little deeper.

Much of the current attention is focused on Executive Education.  But, frankly, our greatest national need is for broad operational and planning at working associate levels.  Teaching high concepts to managers and wanna-be leaders seems to me to miss the mark, by several miles.

To be direct, the stalwarts of well-established educational programs remain in place: Penn State, Michigan State, Ohio State.  Following their  model(s), you can't stumble across a university, community college, or branch campus without tripping over the supply chain.

Additionally, for-profit institutions are ramping up the content of certifications, so APICS and ISM garner kudos for joining the 21st century.  Notably absent from such lists is the SCPro program from CSCMP, the industry's premier learning experience.

A recent article in Supply Chain Management Review cites a number of eductional leaders: Loyola' (Chicago)'s John Caltigirone; Michigan State's Nick Little; and Penn State's Steve Tracey.  John promotes possibilities for higher salaries and advancement opportunity.  He sees SCM education as important for people from other parts of the organization, and recognizes the bias for SCM education as easier to consider than a traditional MBA, especially when a series of certifications can be offered.

Tracey is clear-eyed.  If the SCM education is valued by an employer, then it has value to the individual.  Further, real education is a must when levels of responsibility are reached; there are times when certification just doesn't cut it.

Little sees the importance of SCM showing the bigger picture of enterprise performance, particularly when SCM learnings can be applied to functional management.  There is a wagon-load of capable SCM educators out there in the thick weeds.  Ken Ackerman comes to mind, as, self-servingly, do I.

As to value, it's hard to find clear and compelling evidence of a hard dollar return on the investment in time and effort involved.  The literature is full of platitudes about: hone skills; develop acumen; understand SCM; job prospects; advancement opportunities; increased status; and - yes - even make more money - maybe.  Pretty soft stuff, with a a bucket full of cotton candy.  

But, all education is a good thing, and SCM is the wave of the future, imho.  The payback is up to you.