(Supplier) Relationship Management Applied to my International Internship

When people don’t show up for work, it is difficult to get things done. We can talk all day about efficiency, change management and the like, but those things cannot be fathomed without the strong base of consistency at the foundation of a business.

When I began working at the Mayflower Bocawina National Park (MBNP) six weeks ago, there were three present rangers. As the summer picked up and things started moving, we got up to six. Things were looking good! Unfinished projects like sleeping giants started to wake up and make progress. However, those who had been the base of consistency started to dwindle. Over the last couple of weeks, the ranger numbers have shifted dramatically. We are back down to three active rangers in the park, two of which are brand new. Not only has that lack of consistency been a challenge workwise, but on a personal level as well. I have lost coworkers who I built relationships and friendships with that I may not get the chance to see again.

As I began looking at it from a supply chain standpoint, I remembered learning about Supplier Relationship Management, or SRM, from Dr. Remko Van Hoek 's Procurement course. Some takeaways that I learned there have helped me to frame my mind around relationship management with the rangers, and how better managing those relationships could greatly improve the park.

What is SRM?

Supplier Relationship Management is a facet of procurement that divides up the partners of a business into different categories. There is simply not enough time to spend the same time and energy with every supplier or customer that your business has. Therefore, it allows for focus on the most strategic partners of a business. As a business begins to gain a solid foundation and reputation in its field, it can begin to focus on bottleneck and more importantly, strategic relationships. At successful companies, it is likely that the 80-20 rule applies. It states that 80% of a company’s time is spent with 20% of their most strategic suppliers.

There is much more to be said about SRM, but those basic principles have come to mind time and time again when thinking about park staffing, different customer bases, and outside entities that the park has relationships with.

Relationships at the Park

As with any network, there are many interconnected webs of relationships at the MBNP. There is the relationship with the board of directors and the park staff, or employee relationships. There are relationships with each guest who researches the park online or enters the park borders, or customer relationships, which I’ve talked about in previous content this summer. And finally, there are complex relationships with resorts in the area, including a resort within the park boundary – we will call these resort relationships. I will home in on the employee relationships below and look at how we can apply SRM to those specifically.

Employee Relationships

The Mayflower Bocawina Environmental and Development Group is the board of directors for the actual MBNP itself. Hiring (and inevitably, firing) is done through the board. However, there seems to be a vast disconnect between the board and the park staff. I will receive information from the rangers and get a very delayed contradictory response from the board days later. There seems to be a disconnect in communication.

Scheduling is another struggle with employee relationships. It is often done by the park warden. However, if he is gone on leave or vacation, which has been the case through much of my time this summer, it falls on the board. The work schedule for the rangers is unique and strenuous. They typically follow a fourteen-day split of ten days working, four days off. Five of those nights must be spent at the park camping overnight for security purposes. At times, a ranger will be camping by themselves until the next morning, which has been a common complaint. Many staffing problems have resulted from miscommunication with the schedule, whether it be rangers not getting their due time off, rangers not staying overnight when they are supposed to, or just flat out not coming to work after a pay day.

Like any valued business relationship, there needs to be time put in on both ends for it to be successful. Currently, I am not seeing that effort. I think that if the board had a meeting with each ranger specifically then it would show the care and effort that they have for their employees, leading to a greater sense of unity in the park. They might detail their specialized roles based on their skills, emphasize open communication concerning the schedule and expectations that come with it, and how they will be compensated properly for their time with proper days off and pay. Not only that, but it could save the board from having to constantly put out fires. Rather than being one step behind, they can be two steps ahead of the curve. The park needs to prioritize the relationships that keep its gears churning. Only then can they comfortably move on to the relationships that bring revenue through the entrance gates.

Final Thoughts

It has been difficult to see valued parts of the team come and go throughout the summer. Seeing the park struggle to make consistent strides on projects paired with how personal relationships have been affected are areas that I have had to navigate with a new perspective. Being able to apply SRM principles to a service job at a national park was the last thing I thought I would learn this summer, but I continue to see my mental boundaries challenged, broken down, and rebuilt through my experience in Belize. Staffing may always be an issue in a labor-intensive career, but if relationships are strategically categorized and sought after accordingly, the park can make big strides towards efficiency and sustainable change.