The Future Of Supply Management: A Conversation with Two Millennials

Bringing millennials into the supply management profession is challenging because the usual recruitment tools don’t work. As we educate millennials about the profession, we also need to educate ourselves about millennials.

By M.L. Peck

M. L. Peck is the senior vice president of Program and Product Development for the Institute for Supply Management.

August 25, 2015

“Looking for ways to change the world and improve the quality of life for others? Enjoy getting out of the office for a break during the day? Constantly seeking new challenges and learning opportunities? Aspire to make a difference to your organization? Live for social media?”

That may not sound like the job description most of us post for a position in the supply management profession. But, if the industry wants to attract millennials, that group of young people age 18 – 35 who are entering today’s job market, perhaps we should.

After all, engaging millennials in the supply management profession is challenging. In part, that is because the usual recruitment tools don’t work.  Their motivators and desires are different, as are their work habits and style. Many of us from a different generation may be put off and want to change those attitudes. However, if we as a profession learn to embrace and harness those differences, millennials can have a huge, positive effect on their companies, communities, and our industry.

As we educate millennials about the profession, we also need to educate ourselves about millennials. Here’s what two millennials recently told us.

Building awareness of supply management profession

Tania Santiago, indirect procurement lead for the Latin American region at Millicom International Cellular SA in Coral Gables, FL, credits Professor Norm Aggon at Penn State for introducing her to the profession through an introductory business class on supply chain management.  Grayson Mitchell, outbound logistics supervisor at Fiat Chrysler Automobiles in Auburn Hills, MI, had a similar experience at Howard University. He first learned about the discipline during an introductory business class in his sophomore year.

Subsequently, both Santiago and Mitchell were able to participate in supply management internships at major corporations including IBM, Johnson & Johnson, Owens Corning, Eli Lilly, and Chrysler Group. Both received multiple honors and scholarships, including the prestigious R. Gene Richter Scholarship.
The exposure to the profession in college “really gave me the opportunity to learn about supply management and understand how many different departments it touches,” said Mitchell.  “You are tackling a different challenge every day.”

Santiago and Mitchell agree supply management as a career choice is becoming more popular and appealing on college campuses. Students are attracted to the number of different disciplines within the profession, the breadth of responsibility, and its impact on sustainability and the global footprint.

To build the enthusiasm of millennials who opted for a career in supply management and to provide broader visibility to their talents and achievements, ISM partnered in 2014 with ThomasNet to initiate the “30 Under 30 Rising Supply Chain Stars Program.” The program recognizes up and coming professionals who are making significant contributions within multi-industry procurement roles.  In the first year, we received more than 200 nominations, and nominations are now open for 2015. Santiago was one of our 30 Under 30 Rising Star in 2014.
It’s not enough, however, that we expose millennials to the profession and reward them for their hard work.  If we’re going to recruit them, we need to understand what attracts them to certain companies.

What’s a millennial looking for anyway?

Millennials want to work for companies that are authentic and trustworthy.  They’re looking for companies that make a positive difference in the world, protect the environment, and treat people as individuals, not tools to accomplish a task. Once they’re on board, millennials want to continually learn and have responsibility for projects and decisions that have a direct impact on their company’s bottom line. “We want to prove our worth and give something back,” Santiago said.

Mitchell’s opportunity to intern at Chrysler after his junior year in college ultimately led to his accepting a job with them. “I wasn’t just a number or an intern; I was an employee – a valuable asset.  We worked on projects that were meaningful and helped our company,” Mitchell said. Also important was the global environment Chrysler created after it survived bankruptcy and partnered with Fiat.

He appreciates Fiat Chrysler’s “innovation teams,” the focus groups made up of different employees who wouldn’t ordinarily work together, from new hires to 30-year veterans to those who work on the production side and others from the commercial side.

“The innovation teams create the space to bounce ideas around a room of people that truly embody diversity of thought,” he said.  “Whether we’re discussing more eco-friendly supply chains or coordinating a feasible work-from-home schedule, many great ideas come from these teams.”

How do you keep them?

Millennials work much differently than the baby boomers before them. As a result, many baby boomers hold the misperception that millennials don’t have the same work ethic. Nothing could be further from the truth. They’re very effective at what they do, they just work differently. “We like to maximize the efficiency of our time.  We’re not focused on ‘face time’ – being at your desk for eight to 10 hours and then going home,” Mitchell said.  “If we can get that same work done in a shorter period of time or at home and be just as efficient, we’re all for it.”

Santiago characterizes the workstyle of millennials as dynamic. “We don’t necessarily take the linear path to arrive at a conclusion.  We may go in circles, we may take a break to surf the web or get out of the office, but we get the results,” she said.

Opportunities to learn are very important to millennials. Whether it’s a lateral move into a new department, rotations from the headquarters office to a warehouse or a call center, or a transfer to a different geographic location, millennials are eager for the “opportunity to move around under the same roof,” Mitchell said. “We need to be continually challenged because we do get restless. We’re eager and extremely hard working and want to continue to learn,” Santiago added.

Both Mitchell and Santiago said they know peers who have moved on from one company to another because they weren’t learning something new.

“We take pride in new challenges, but if we find ourselves not being challenged, we tend to look elsewhere,” said Mitchell.  “As we get five, 10, and 15 years into the future, millennials will represent a large portion of the workplace – and if companies have not been preparing for this, they certainly should start today.”

Some companies may find it difficult to make the changes necessary to attract and retain millennials. At ISM, we’ve learned that if a company is making a good faith effort and continually trying to engage them, millennials are eager to help.  For example, some companies are hosting focus groups made up of millennials to brainstorm ideas and then giving that same group the “green light” to make the changes.  Millennials want to help their company.

Our newly developed ISM Mastery Model ™ is another tool managers can use to have a conversation around learning, one of the key motivators for millennials. The Mastery Model includes a proprietary supply management competency framework, a comprehensive survey to determine where knowledge levels may be deficient, and a subsequent roadmap of specific training and coaching to prepare millennials for the next step in their career.

Many large, established companies will experience a loss of 50% to 67% of their workforce due to retirements in the next five years. It’s time to ramp up our efforts to attract and retain millennials in our profession.