Buyers Meeting Point: Addressing the Talent Gap in the procurement Profession

One possible explanation for finding more manager positions is that firms do not perceive the buyer position as important enough to advertise in the WSJ. Jackson’s(17) findings of narrow buyer job scope support the observation that most firms perceive the buyer role as a low level position. Results in Table 3 suggest that perceptions of the importance of the buyer role, measured by the percentage of ads for these positions in the WSJ, have not changed during the last three decades. Leaving the potential debate surrounding the veracity of the methodology used to reach the conclusions for another day, the fact that the results indicated that a buyer in the traditional sense is perceived to have little if any organizational value, is not a view that is limited to this study. Back in August of 2007, I wrote an article titled “Procurement’s expanding role and the executive of the future,” in which I reported the findings from a CPO Agenda Roundtable discussion involving senior procurement personnel from multinational organizations. Overall it was an incredibly pertinent exchange of ideas and experiences, making the article a worthwhile read even 4 years later. However, and in relation to today’s show, one statement that seemed to sum up the general sentiments was the recognition that while there is going to be a continuing need for what was referred to as “low-level” buyers, “one strategic business thinker with the right skills and capabilities is worth 10 or 12 of your normal, run-of-the-mill purchasing people.” Think about that for just moment as you reflect on your career in purchasing. Then ask yourself if you have been equipped with the necessary skill sets to be a strategic contributor or just a run-of-the-mill disposable resource for your present organization. Today's guests from Buyers Meeting Point, Cindy Allen-Murphy and Kelly Barner join me to talk about what their organization is doing to help to address this gap in skill sets.