Successful Global S&OP: Leadership, Change Management, Behavior, & Cross-Cultural Differences

Even though much has been written about how to deal with the process and technology of Global S&OP, not much has been said about the behavioral and cultural aspects of it. This article provides some thoughts on how to deal with behavioral and cultural challenges in implementing and sustaining an effective Global S&OP. Globalization has made it necessary for companies to plan and operate not only across different regions within a country, but also outside the borders of the country of origin. This has impacted, among other things, the Sales and Operations Planning (S&OP) process. The S&OP implementers now have to deal with geography-driven social and cultural differences in implementing and sustaining the process. In an S&OP meeting, they have to pay attention to cultural issues to arrive at a consensus. The S&OP managers and senior leaders have to be aware of their own regional culture as well as the cultures of other regions in which they operate. According to Jim Collins and Jerry Porras in their book Build to Last, a company’s culture is created from its core purpose and values. Core values are what the company stands for; the company has to stick to these values even if they ...