Stay light on your feet and Roll with the punches; in the Ring and in the Supply Chain!
Peter Unelind
President, Making the Shift | Driving Sustainable Profitable Growth | Leading Business Improvement ??
Both in boxing and supply chain management, someone who lacks agility may get hit more often and struggle to find opportunities to strike back, while lacking resilience might mean giving up after being knocked down.
Agility: Stay light on your feet; avoiding being hit and adjust tactics to counter the opponent
Resilience: Roll with the punches; withstanding the punches of an opponent and keep on fighting
Agility in a supply chain refers to the ability to adapt quickly to changing market conditions and customer demand. This can include adjusting sourcing, production processes and locations in response to changes.
In boxing, agility can refer to the boxer’s footwork, reflexes and coordination enabling him/her to move quickly and fluidly around the ring, thus avoiding being hit. It might further include the ability to analyze the situation and then quickly change the tactics to counter the opponent.
Resilience in a supply chain refers to the ability to withstand and recover from any disruption, for example a natural disaster, an economic downturn or a part of the supply chain failing. This can include building redundancy into the supply chain, developing contingency plans, or partnering with several alternative suppliers.
In boxing, resilience can refer to mental toughness and the physical ability of a boxer to withstand the opponent's punches and keep fighting, even after being knocked down or hurt.
Cred to Mathias Fransson and our discussions around these concepts.
The boxer idea partly coming from a Forbes article .
Head of Global Sales @ AquaGreen | Business Development | Digital Transformation | Industrial Automation | Green-Tech | Decarbonization
1 年Interesting comparison Peter. Another comparable aspect is the fact that both involve a series of interconnected steps that must be executed in the right sequence for success. In boxing, a fighter has to use a combination of punches and footwork to execute a winning strategy. Similarly, in supply chain, companies have to manage a series of interconnected steps, from raw material sourcing to production to distribution, to ensure that products are delivered to customers on time and at the right quality. Both supply chain and boxing involve a degree of risk management. In boxing, a fighter has to manage the risk of getting hit while trying to land punches on their opponent. In supply chain, as you also mention, companies have to manage the risk of disruptions to the supply chain, such as natural disasters or political instability, which can impact their ability to deliver products to customers.