Three Techniques to Improve Organizational Alignment

When organizations are aligned, things happen quicker.

It takes less effort. People know what to do, and there is a greater bias for action.

As a result, the organization can achieve higher levels of results and better withstand the pressures of demand and supply volatility.

Line of business leaders lack alignment.

While many consultants claim that business results happen through better IT and business alignment, in this study, we find that the gaps in functional alignment within the business functions of sales, marketing, finance, and supply chain are far greater than the gaps between IT and line of business.

Research Overview:

• Objective: To understand how different functional groups view their supply chain agility, team alignment and performance against functional goals.
• Highlight: Organizational alignment matters. There are 3 key techniques to improve alignment and combat supply and demand volatility: clear agility definition, sales and operations planning, and supply chain center of excellence.
• Survey Details: The research for this report was conducted from March – May, 2013. It is based on an online survey among 195 manufacturers in supply chain, IT and finance roles.