Interpersonal Skills In Supply Chain

In recent years, supply chain has become strategic need of the company to perform consistently in turbulent market. The supply chain has evolved over the years as a strategy, however it took almost two decades to understand the evolution of supply chain from traditional transportation practices to an integrated approach which binds all the functional competencies, information’s flow and fund flows from one end to other ends which connect to remotest links which one firm have never realized. The intense competitions among firms, depleting natural resources, environmental concerns, political instability, crumbling economies and increasing inflation rates have forced the firms to aligned and adapt themselves in the tune of global needs of the

Le May et al. (1999), identified job training needs for supply chain managers. These needs are dominated by interpersonal skills (e.g., communication and meeting facilitation), cross-functional knowledge, and office equipment skills. They also suggested supply chain managers should be able to apply project management techniques, organize and coordinate meetings, conduct training, and use decision-making skills. Stank et al.,1998, had focused on the development of personal skills, such as assertiveness, passion, grooming, and dress. According to Bradley (1999), although "logistics grads are in demand," 42% of logistics professionals say those graduates are not adequately prepared. Johnson et al. (1999) in their one of the study suggested that today’s logistics manager must be both a technical expert and a generalist. They present the case of Dow Chemical, which seeks strong human relations and communications skills, cross-functional awareness, and the ability to make decisions quickly and independently. In the report of CII-KPMG (2007) ,which had expressed the acute shortage of truck drivers, ware-house professionals, transportation professionals, professionals needed for documentation & shipment of consignment from ship port or air-port. Inrcevic (2000) had stressed on strategic issues

Skills requirement for the supply chain managers. Suggest that supply chain managers need strong technological and/or functional knowledge, good people skills, and common sense.

CII-KPMG(2007) Survey on logistics skill gap in India. Identified variables that leads to logistics skill gap and proposed a path diagram showing possible linkages among causes that leads to skill gap.

Dubey and Singh,2009 Logistics skill gap study in context to Indian supply chain sector. The study has identified variables that lead to logistics skill gap and their interaction effects using structural equation modeling.

Pandey et al.,2012 Role of HR practices in supply chain The study has concluded positive associated between information sharing on supply chain integration under the moderating effect of HR practices like training and reward alignment.

Wu et al.,2013 Need for global logistics curriculum. The study has aimed to build global logistics curriculum based on Vietnam practitioners’ response to meet the future supply chain manager’s requirements.

Phase 5: Study quality assessment

We have assessed the above studies on the basis of:

• Research objectives and their scope;

• Methodology employed by these