Abe Eshkenazi, CSCP, CPA, CAE
APICS CEO

    Earlier this week, Canada’s Globe and Mail featured an interview with Katherine Phillips, a Northwestern University professor. The article was titled “Scoring through Diversity,” and I thought it was particularly relevant as we approach the 2009 APICS International Conference & Expo, which highlights the theme “Global Ability.” Plus, the National Hockey League kicked off its season last night.

    Phillips examined NHL data about the nationality of players. Hockey fans know that Canadians dominate the league; however, Europeans are now joining in greater numbers. Phillips studied the performance of teams over time and how team diversity influences the ability to win games. Essentially, what she found is that, as individual team diversity became more prominent, teams won more games.

    “If you look at the composition of that starting line, if there is at least one non-Canadian on it, the team is more likely to have a positive uptake for the diversity increases that they have,” Phillips says. “They win more. There is an integration of those people who are ‘different’ into a legitimate status position on the team and there is a change. I think there is sort of a shift that happens.”

    Chances are, nobody reading this is an NHL player. However, we all work as part of teams. Phillip’s study underscores the importance of diversity within those teams. “If you believe that there is a possibility to improve on anything in life, how do you do that? You do that by taking different perspectives, bringing them together, and finding something new,” she says. “That is what learning is: It is taking two things that are out there and reconciling them, bringing them together in some way where you create something new.”

Diverse perspectives

APICS blogs are a great way to learn from new perspectives. Here, students and young professionals write about their ideas related to operations and supply chain management. Four up-and-comers are featured blog authors, and I encourage you to read what they have to say on everything from finding a job to sustainability. They will also be blogging about their experiences at APICS 2009.

    Our bloggers include Patrick F. Cullinan, who is studying global supply chain management at Clarkson University. Next is Rebecca Evangelista, a 2008 graduate of Syracuse University. Evangelista works in materials management within her organization’s supply chain management group. Sundeep Mathur is a supply chain manager for a biotech company in the Boston area. He, too, is a 2008 graduate of Syracuse University. Lastly, the blog features Christine Tsao, a project management assistant in California. Tsao graduated from California State University, Chico, where she earned her operations management degree.

    I am delighted APICS has a forum for these impressive young people as they explore the world of operations and supply chain management. More importantly, I am encouraged by what this kind of medium can provide to our members as a whole. Seeing the field through the eyes of a new professional can influence and encourage even the most experienced industry veteran. As Phillip’s NHL research suggests, different perspectives help us do our jobs better. Blogs are just one way APICS is your resource for numerous viewpoints. After all, we don’t want simply to play at the game of operations and supply chain management; we want to win.