ISM & Procurious: Leveraging Social Media in Procurement
Ahead of his keynote address at the Procurious Big Ideas Summit 2016, ISM CEO Tom Derry discusses ISM’s new partnership with Procurious, as well as the power of leveraging social media in procurement.
ISM and Procurious recently announced a new partnership, as ISM became a Procurious Foundation Partner. This will increase Procurious members’ access to ISM’s highly regarded research, events and educational offerings, from certification programs to the newly launched ISM Mastery Model™. ISM members will also benefit from the rich educational resources and networking opportunities on Procurious.
Leveraging Social Media
Over the last several years, social media has become crucial for connection professionals in all fields — especially procurement and supply chain. I honestly don’t see how anyone can expect to be successful in this day and age without leveraging social media.
Social media gives you access to a broader network than could ever be obtained face-to-face. You have the opportunity to tap into the global repository of procurement knowledge. Why would anyone choose to miss out on this competitive advantage?
Not only that, social media can serve as a news channel providing real-time updates and alerts. How powerful is it that you can be updated on market trends, natural disasters, geopolitical events and much more — all with a tool you keep in your pocket. It’s the agile organisation that survives and thrives in today’s environment, and you can’t be agile if you’re not plugged in to real-time events.
Procurious and ISM
When I first learned of Procurious, I felt it was a no-brainer. Procurious enables the supply management professional to leverage the immediacy of a social network in a in a professionally appropriate medium.
With the focus solely on supply chain, this platform connects professionals working on similar projects and initiatives globally. This adds value in two distinct ways: your building your own knowledge base, but also your personal professional brand.
When I tell colleagues about Procurious, I often hear, “How is it different from LinkedIn?” While there are many similar features, Procurious provides additional advantage for procurement and supply chain professionals. In addition to connecting you globally with those in the field, it gives you the upper hand through education, blogs, event calendars and my favourite — the Discussion board.
Discussions and Communication
I think we have all experienced our work being halted by a roadblock we have not faced before. As procurement professionals, we are often the experts in our organisation, making it feel like this is our mountain to climb alone. Instead of banging our head against the wall, we have somewhere to turn.
Whether you are looking for the right SRM system or a need career advice, the discussion board immediately connects you with others who may have the answer you need. There is strong, practical value in the communication on the discussion boards. One recent post was looking for advice on how to manage stakeholder expectations on procurement lead times.
Professionals from around the globe weighed in with advice on how to communicate the value procurement adds beyond simple considerations of speed and price. It’s just one example of how practitioners can leverage the experience of their peers to facilitate real results.
Looking to the Future
ISM is becoming more engaged with Procurious. We will be launching an ISM group this month. This group will add another place for those connected with ISM to go for networking and and for those new to ISM to discover and connect with us.
I am looking forward to watching the ISM community grow and develop on this platform. I see this being a great place for our members and nonmembers to connect. With more than 50,000 ISM members globally, there is a great opportunity to be had from potential collaboration.
