Procurement employees use different skills to tackle the requirements of their jobs, from the ability to think creatively to relying on strong networks to building in-depth expertise.
These skills fall into six groupings, or competencies (see chart 1), according to CEB research.
Chart 1: The six competencies of procurement Source: CEB analysis
So which competency is most important?
It’s a trick question. Procurement teams need strong performance in all six areas to move on from the function’s traditional transactional image and succeed as a more strategic department. As chart 2 shows, all competencies have a significant effect on strategic performance.
Chart 2: Maximum impact of staff competencies on their contribution to strategic performance Source: CEB analysis
Most Procurement functions expect staff to demonstrate their facility with multiple competencies (see the competency model for a category manager from a food and beverage company in chart 3).
Chart 3: Sample competency model for a category manager from a food and beverage company (click image to enlarge) Source CEB analysis
More On…
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For more on the research behind what makes a strategic employee, CEB Procurement members should review the recent research on the dedicated website.
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CEB Procurement members that are the head of their function can register for the remaining senior executive forum, which will cover the latest findings from CEB research on procurement talent.
The indicators are on point and very educative