Читать книгу Supplier Diversity For Dummies - Kathey K. Porter - Страница 12

Throughout my career as a supplier diversity professional, I’ve worked in a number of industries and have been housed in a variety of departments: economic development, procurement, business operations, and community relations. I’ve had a range of supervisors, including those who knew nothing about supplier diversity, which gave me the freedom and flexibility to do a number of things. I’ve had supervisors who thought they knew supplier diversity, which created an epic battle to execute anything. Then I had those who understood and embraced the mission, which led to a real group effort.

Organizations have any number of reasons why departments end up where they do on the org chart. Sometimes they make perfect sense, and sometimes — well, I’ll just say they don’t ask me for my input. Inevitably, where supplier diversity ends up says a lot about the value the organization places on it and determines how you’re able to behave in the role. Ultimately, this positioning affects what you’re doing and the results you’re able to deliver. For example, I’ve found myself involved in things that were really outside my scope, some that expanded my view of supplier diversity and how it touches the community.

Through my experience and my conversations with supplier diversity colleagues, I know that where supplier diversity sits in the organization must be intentional. It sets the tone for how the program operates; how it interfaces with others throughout the organization; how it establishes influence; how it carries out tasks; and how it interacts with the community, stakeholders, and senior leaders. Additionally, it unconsciously sways how others view the role, which can lead to confusion about what supplier diversity actually is. The following sections dive into the true functions of supplier diversity as well as those it doesn’t actually cover.