LOGISTICS 2009February 8-11, 2009 ∙ Gaylord Texan ∙ Dallas, Texas

Title Sponsor :

Future Retail Leaders:Optimizing New Hire Training

2009 Logistics Student Scholarship Winners

Thank You

2009 Sponsors

The Classroom to Office Transition

Amanda Baer, Iowa State UniversityWal-Mart Stores Student

Caitlyn Brinker, Auburn UniversityAgility Logistics Student

Introduction

Classroom to Office Transition

Focus on setting and managing priorities, project management, and application of academic theory to workplace reality

Topics

• Expectations of Organizations

• Preparation by Supply Chain Programs

• Strengths of New Hires in the Workplace

• Weaknesses of New Hires in the Workplace

• Gaps between Preparation and Expectations

• Possible Solutions and Ways to Bridge the Gaps

• General Conclusions

Expectations of Organizations

Skills• Ability to interact and work with diverse people• Leadership skills• Time management & prioritizing• Ability to be coached and to continually learn• Structured communication skills• Writing skills

Personal Qualities• Extraverted• Outgoing• Well-spoken• Ability to adapt• Sense of humor

Strengths of New Hires

Personal Qualities• Building networks

• Maintaining good relationships

• Eagerness to learn

• Able to be coached

• Interpersonal skills

• Raw energy and talent

• Time management

• Global awareness

Skills• Lean thinking

• Ability to question processes and ideas to obtain a better understanding

• Analyzing skills

• Leadership & teamwork skills

• Communication

• Able to apply concepts learned in the college setting to the workplace

• Confidence with computers & technology

Weaknesses of New Hires

“Hard Skills”• Presentation skills• Software: Microsoft Visio and Microsoft Access• Need greater experience with Economics, Statistics, and Spanish

“Soft Skills”• “Naïve” about what to expect in the real world• Trouble adjusting to faster pace of workplace• Difficulties adjusting expectations• Communication – supporting arguments & selling ideas• Not able to allocate time well• Lack of preparation – reading/researching beforehand

Gaps of New Hires

Department Heads & Supply Chain Professors• Lack of business ethics training• Lack of quantitative and project management courses• Lack of writing and communicating skills

Recent Hires• Communication skills – the ability to ‘cold call’• Presentation skills – Presenting solutions

Executives• Lack of focus on all of the different areas in the supply chain• Transition to being the boss• Leading people• Separation between theory and practice - book smart vs. real world• Presentation skills – selling ideas

Solutions in the Classroom

• Encourage students to get involved – learn to set and manage priorities and time by balancing school, work, clubs, etc.

• Guest speakers/group case projects/field trips – show students real life situations and application of classroom concepts to real life examples

• Leadership Training – give students experience working with people and leading groups

• Apply academic theory to the workplace by teaching students to plan well, manage time/people, and communicate

• Emphasize turning theory into practice via internships and co-ops

• More emphasis on non-supply chain courses such as business ethics, quantitative areas such as statistics, and communications

• Required project management courses

Solutions in the Workplace

Leadership Development ProgramOverview of all aspects of the organizationExpectations and examples of presentationsPractice day to day tasks while still in a supervised settingOverview of computer programs used frequently by the organization

Mentor Program for helping new hires adjustPaceEnvironmentExpectations

Offer internships and/or co-ops

Conclusions

The ability to communicate and work well with others are extremely important skills for recent graduates transitioning to the workplace

Many skills and qualities needed to succeed in the workforce cannot be taught, they need to be learned through experience

Raw energy, talent, and eagerness are strengths of new hires in organizations

Overall, the gaps between the classroom and the office are shrinking, however, there is always room for improvement

Bibliography

• Kluesner, Jaclyn. Supply Chain Trainee, Nestle Purina. Email Interview. November 21, 2008.

• Poist, Richard. Chair, Department of Logistics, Operations, and MIS. Personal Interview. November 20, 2008.

• Reiff, Dave. Senior Vice President of Logistics, Wal-Mart. November 24, 2008.

• Siewert, Jeff. Director of International Logistics, Home Depot. Personal Interview. December 15, 2008.

• Kelleher, Patrick. Senior Vice President of Business Development of the Retail Business Unit, Exel Logistics. Personal Interview. December 4, 2008.

• Gibson, Brian. SCM Professor and Program Coordinator. E-mail Interview. December 12, 2008.

People Management in Supply Chain Management

Amanda Morgan, Waynesburg UniversityGiant Eagle Student

Tin Tran, Northeastern UniversityAMB Property Corp. Student

Presentation Agenda

• Purpose

• Strengths

• Weakness

• Gaps

• Recommendations for RILA, employers and the

academic community

• Keys for Success

Purpose

To demonstrate the challenges in people management faced

by recent Supply Chain Management graduates entering the

industry and provide recommendations to RILA and the

academic community.

Strengths

• Academic foundation

• Technologically inclined

• Analytical thinking

• Diverse ideas

Weaknesses

• Team building

• People skills

• Flexibility

• Decision making

• Company language

• Leadership roles

• Task priority

Gaps

• Connecting management to Supply Chain

• Decision making and analysis

• Listening/communication

• Managerial experience

• Classroom changes

• Diverse groups

• Diverse cooperative work experience

• Visit facilities

• Mentoring system

• Internships/Co-ops

Recommendations for RILA Members & the Academic Community

Keys For Success

From Industry Executives:

• Effective communications

• Listen

• Develop & support a vision

• Treat all with respect

• Lead by examples

From Recent Graduates:

• Open communication

• Seek feedback

• Continuous learning and improvement

• Work smart

• Understand the “big picture”

• Find a mentor

• Be proactive

A Special Thanks To…

• Susan Carenbauer, Giant Eagle

• Fred Chin, Senior Manager – Integrated Supply Chain Raytheon

• Kate Cousins, Giant Eagle

• Lauren Horrigan, Gexpro Services

• Kristen May, Senior Director of Supply Chain for Giant Eagle

• Bill Parry, Vice President of Logistics for Giant Eagle

• Michael Power, SCM Professor at Northeastern University

Workplace Communication bridging the gap

Neha Tummala, University of TorontoCanadian Tire Student

Julie Kleist, University of MinnesotaTarget Corp. Student

Meggie Powers, Michigan State UniversityDematic Student

Topics of Interest

What we are interested in examining in this presentation:

• Types of interaction within the workplace

• Skills new grads come in with from school

• Skills they need to develop

• What management can do to facilitate growth for students

Approach

• Executive Interviews

• Student Interviews and Personal Experience

• Environmental Scan

Environmental Scan

HypothesizingData

Gathering

Generation of

Recommendations

Data Gathering

Data Gathering

Presentation

Types of Interaction in the Workplace

• Oral Communication

• Written Communication

• Group Communication

Skills New Grads Have:

• Technical skills

• Analytical skills

• High level exposure to industry and concepts

• Energy, enthusiasm, willingness to learn and take on challenges

Skills Needed

• Enhanced communication skills

• Putting concepts into practice

• Higher comfort level in front of peers

• Willingness to listen and engage in discussion

The Formula

Skills they come with

+ Training and experience

Oral Communication

Grads feel prepared with:

• PowerPoint

• Teach outs

• Formatting

Experience from school:

• Take communication classes in school

• Take part in clubs and organizations

• Presentations in class

Oral Communication – Management’s Role

What Management Can Do:

• Including public speaking and presentation delivery in training program

• Job Shadowing – Mentor can guide the new grad through the process of presentation building

• Provide opportunities for giving presentations internally

Written Communication

New hires expected to have some experience in:

– Constructing e-mail messages

– Designing presentations

– Writing executive summaries, concise reports and proposals

Written Communication –Management’s Role

• Encourage new hires to take advantage of existing resources

– Online tools (templates, etc.)

– Co-workers/administrative assistants

– Examples of past reports

• Include in Training

– Building effective presentations

• Give practice opportunities

– Writing executive summaries, concise reports and proposals

Group Communication

Group Experience that New Grads Come With:

• Group Projects

• Clubs and extra-curricular interaction

• Past internship/employment experience

• Social gathering and activities Need to Work on:

• Active listening

• Adjusting to team accountability

• Tailoring the message

• Cross-functional communication

• Change management and leadership

Group Communication –Management’s Role

• Rotational program for cross-functional understanding

• Give ownership – enable them to own/lead a piece of the

team's work or a meeting e.g.

– Leading a discussion (facilitation)

– Being in charge of minutes

– Interviewing client or stakeholder

and presenting findings in a group

• Foster networking opportunities

Mentorship

• Provide a mentor – build mentoring into the culture of an organization

• Provide direct and regular feedback

• Create a culture of creativity – allow the new grad to take risks

Key Takeaways

Key Takeaways

• New hires expected to have basic skills –Management’s role will be to build on that foundation

• Immediate and constructive feedback from mentor/manager is the fastest method of skill development

• Provide access to the organization’s resources and encourage utilization

• An organization’s greatest assets are its employees

Thanks for Listening!

And to our experts – Thank you!Professor Ann Armstrong – Rotman MBA, U of Toronto

Professor J. Christopher Beck – Engineering, U of Toronto

Natalie Bell – Demand Planning Analyst, Best Buy

Steve Carter – Director, Transportation Planning, Target

Tony Chiarello - AMB

Gerri Commodore – Director, Supply Chain, Target

John Fitch – Director, Corporate and Student Relations Office, Supply Chain Management, Michigan State University

Professor Steve Huchendorf – Supply Chain Management, U of Minnesota

Joe Long - Director of Distribution, Modell’s Sporting Goods

Professor Joseph C. Paradi – Center for Management of Technology and Entrepreneurship, U of Toronto

Mark Price - Canadian Tire, Associate Vice President, Operations and Capacity Planning

Student ContributionsGodmans Chow – Supply Chain Analyst, Procter and Gamble

Amanda DeCook – Supply Chain Management Career Fair Coordinator, Michigan State University

Patrick Mok – Analyst, Accenture

Questions?

People ManagementAmanda Morgan, Waynesburg University

Giant Eagle Student

Tin Tran, Northeastern UniversityAMB Property Corp. Student

Classroom to Office TransitionAmanda Baer, Iowa State University

Wal-Mart Stores Student

Caitlyn Brinker, Auburn UniversityAgility Logistics Student

Workplace CommunicationNeha Tummala, University of Toronto

Canadian Tire Student

Julie Kleist, University of MinnesotaTarget Corp. Student

Meggie Powers, Michigan State University

Dematic Student

Thank You!

Be sure to continue your conversation with the students at the Scholarship Winners’ Table during lunch today