Cross functional alignment in supply chain planning
Subtitle: a case study of sales and operations planning
By: Rogelio Oliva, Noel H. Watson
Contributors: Watson, Noel
Edition: 2nd rev.
Series: Working paper / Harvard Business School -- 07-001; Working paper (Harvard Business School) -- 07-001
Publisher: Harvard Business School
Published: 2008
Place of publication: Boston
Language: eng
Number of pages: 32
Subjects: Leitax (Firm)
Description: In most organizations, supply chain planning is a cross-functional effort. Functional areas such as sales, marketing, finance, and operations traditionally specialize in portions of the planning activities, which results in conflicts over expectations, preferences, and priorities. We report findings from a detailed case analysis of a successful supply chain planning process. In contrast to traditional research on this area, which focuses on incentives, responsibilities, and structures, we adopt a process perspective and find that integration was achieved despite an incentive structure which did not support it. By drawing a distinction between the incentive landscape and the planning process, we identify process as an additional mediator, beyond structure and responsibilities, that can affect organizational outcomes. Thus, organizations may be capable of integration while different functions retain different incentives to maintain focus on their stakeholders' needs. We hypothesize that achieving alignment in the execution of plans can be more important than informational and procedural quality. We close by discussing the implications of our findings for organizations and researchers.
Notes: "July 2008"--Publisher's website.

Originally published: c2006.

Includes bibliographical references.