^The APQC Blog

The globalization of supply chains has made risk a primary concern for organizations. The aftermath of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan and the recent flooding in Thailand serve as stark reminders of how natural disasters can throw supply chains off balance.

Even people who don't celebrate a holiday in December feel the effects of largely empty office buildings, holiday parties, extra traffic, and ever-expanding end-of-year task lists. Productivity is part of APQC's name, and we still experience lags during December. It can be difficult to stay focused with plenty of distractions piling up outside the confines of work.

People often ask me: “My organization isn’t an APQC member, but I want to learn more about knowledge management and take advantage of APQC’s resources. How can I do that?” First off, if you’re new to knowledge management, I highly recommend checking out Knowledge Management Overviews, our complimentary collection of summary articles.

Over the past few years, APQC has noticed a trend in our knowledge management research. Namely, best-practice organizations build knowledge sharing and collaboration into the way employees already work, instead of having those activities be separate add-ons that people have to shift gears to participate in. When employees see KM as something that’s part of their daily routines, it becomes a lot easier to convince them to participate.

Here at APQC we’re always on the lookout for the next hot supply chain topics. And with 2011 winding down, it’s the perfect time to take stock of what has happened in supply chain management over the last year and what you want to know about in the new year. So we want to hear from you: what are the most pressing issues in supply chain management?

Specifically, what issues are you most concerned about in:

Good intentions are fine when it comes to giving gifts to people you don't know very well, being late for dinner even though you left work early, or forgetting to buy milk even though you wrote it on your list, but they are not enough to make a business successful. Sure, I want to do business with organizations that have the best intentions at heart. But I also expect those organizations to take action on their intentions. If I don't see actions and results, forget about keeping my support or my business.

CFOs and controllers have been sternly reminding their staffs that there is zero tolerance for errors or delays in financial reporting. The heat source: regulators worldwide who have been ratcheting up quality standards for disclosures. That, coupled with XBRL adoption, is prompting finance teams to address the so-called last mile of finance and streamline and automate financial reporting processes.

The news was just released today that APQC has been named a 2011 Global Most Admired Knowledge Enterprise (MAKE) Award Winner. This is the second time we’ve been recognized as a Global Winner and the seventh time we’ve been acknowledged in the North American category. We are thrilled and humbled to be included on this list of amazing organizations, which includes many of our members, customers, and featured best-practice firms.

This month we’ve released several new content pieces related to supply chain management. We have something for just about everyone, whether you want a high-level look at supply chain processes, information on procurement practices, or best practices in reverse logistics.

More than half of workers in the United States feel the need to develop skills. But, fewer than a quarter of U.S. workers feel that their employer is providing the kind of formal training that would help them develop their skills. These survey findings were released last week by consulting company Accenture.*