1.8 Conclusion

Take a minute and think about today's competitive environment. What are the irrefutable facts? You might convincingly argue the following:

1. Competition is increasing—and will continue to increase.

2. Markets—both resource and consumer—are increasingly global.

3. Change happens faster as new technologies emerge and new rivals enter markets.

4. Customers are more empowered by readily available information—they want it all.

5. Risks have increased, causing greater disruption, and threatening supply lines.

When you put it all together, what does it mean for you? Your firm has to be better at what it does best and it must rely on supply partners to do the rest. In other words, you need to remember consultant Harold Sirkin's advice, "As the economy changes, as competition becomes more global, it's no longer company vs. company but supply chain vs. supply chain."

Sirkin's warning is reminiscent of one of Sean Connery's lines from the movie The Untouchables, "Never bring a knife to a gun fight." Let's tweak this just a little to fit the business world: "Never come alone to a gang fight." As a purchasing professional, you build the team that your company will take into tomorrow's competitive fights.