Is “creative procurement” an oxymoron? Not at all! In fact, creativity plays a key role in many things we do every day. It’s just that most Procurement professionals don’t recognise it due to the tick-box process approach often adopted by the profession. But Procurement is not meant to be a tick-box exercise. As Procurement professionals, our jobs are to leverage the supply markets to create or enhance competitive advantages for our stakeholders. That requires insights, business skills and…. creativity.
Is “creative procurement” an oxymoron? Not at all! In fact, creativity plays a key role in many things we do every day. It’s just that most Procurement professionals don’t recognise it due to the tick-box process approach often adopted by the profession. But Procurement is not meant to be a tick-box exercise. As Procurement professionals, our jobs are to So, what is creative procurement? De Bono’s quote about creativity pretty much sums it up for me.
Creativity involves breaking out of established patterns in order to look at things in a different way.
– Edward de Bono, Maltese physician, psychologist, author, inventor and consultant psychologist
Now, lots of people consider themselves either “creative” or “not creative”. So, what if you are not creative? The fact that you are a human being means that you have unlimited access to creativity, even if your habitual thinking tells you you’re “not creative”. We can all access insights and creative thoughts once we quiet our minds, allowing the noise of everyday busy-thoughts to subside. This works in all aspects of life, including in business, as recognised by the founder of VISA in this quote.
Make an empty space in any corner of your mind, and creativity will instantly fill it.
– Dee Hock, Founder and former CEO of the Visa Credit Card Association
So, how do you leverage creativity in the Procurement area? Paradoxically, leaving your Procurement hat on the peg is helpful. Don’t worry; you’ll get to put it back on later!
What I mean is, listen to stakeholders with an open mind – without any Procurement agendas playing in the background. The mind-set of a consultant where you are exploring the issues and devising solutions jointly with the stakeholder is very helpful. Think in terms of business solutions – not sourcing projects.
Like anyone else, stakeholders want to succeed. They are looking to Procurement to help them achieve that by leveraging the supply markets. Being an intelligent connector between business needs and the innovation, capabilities and possibilities of the supply markets is, in itself, creative procurement. By doing so we are helping to create something that didn’t exist before. The late Steve Jobs recognised that creativity is about “connecting things”.
Creativity is just connecting things. When you ask creative people how they did something, they feel a little guilty because they didn’t really do it, they just saw something. It seemed obvious to them after a while. That’s because they were able to connect experiences they’ve had and synthesize new things.
– Steve Jobs, Founder of Apple Inc.
That’s what we need to do as Procurement professionals. See things in the business we support. See things in the supply market. Connect!
Armand Brevig is the Managing Director of Procurement Cube. We have created an effective and lean Procurement product that unlocks hidden business value for SMEs. It’s a Procurement Powerhouse inside your organisation that delivers Value for Money, Total Cost Control and Enhanced Competitiveness. The approach builds fit for purpose capabilities that deliver sustainable strategic value. The focus is on what really matters in your unique situation.
