CHSCM 3.0 - Unit 1 - SCM in the Humanitarian World

• That they must put in place ways to deal with problems as they arise
If organizations identify that a close relationship is not working or providing the benefits expected,
then this may be caused by poor communication or the lack thereof. In particular, this may be the
communication that took place when the relationship was initiated. Organizations may enter into
supply chain relationships with a different understanding of what will be involved in making the
relationship work and on the benefits they will receive from it. This is usually due to poor
communication between the two organizations and not communicating what will be required of
each organization and the people who will be expected to make the relationship work.
It can be easy to say that this barrier can be overcome by making sure both organizations
understand what is involved in making the relationship work, and that they set up communication
channels and processes for communicating between them and within the organization. These
actions are important in removing two significant communication barriers, but they presume that
people understand how to communicate effectively and have the skills to communicate well. The
majority of people are not good communicators, so it is important that the people responsible for
setting up and managing relationships acquire the necessary communication skills.
When two organizations are working together to manage the supply chain, there are often
significant differences in their size and power positions. This can lead to an unbalanced relationship,
where the organization in the more powerful position can decide to take advantage of the situation
and consider its own self-interest, rather than the interests of the other organization and the total
supply chain.
Ways of overcoming the barriers of power and self-interest are very similar to the actions identified
earlier when we looked at culture and values. It is important to recognize and acknowledge that one
party in the relationship is in a more powerful position and that this may cause difficulties when
working together if that party decides to adopt a position of self-interest. The organizations can
then identify what situations may occur that can lead to one party taking advantage of their position
of power, and put in place a mechanism for dealing with these situations if they arise.
Even where organizations are involved with the same aid operation, they can have different goals,
objectives, and priorities. These will then influence the goals, objectives, and priorities of the
function and the people managing their supply chain. Where one organization wants to work
together with an organization whose goals, objectives, and priorities are different, then there can be
reluctance of people to put time and effort into the relationship. This is not because they don’t want
to; it is because their time and effort has to be put into other things to meet the needs of their jobs
and organizations.