The SCM Knowledge Supply Chain: Integrating World Views to Advance the Discipline

• Published date: 01 December 2014
• Date: 01 December 2014
• Author: Stanley E. Fawcett,Matthew A. Waller
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1111/jbl.12076

Editorial

The SCM Knowledge Supply Chain: Integrating World Views to

Advance the Discipline

Matthew A. Waller

1

and Stanley E. Fawcett

2

1

Walton College Executive Education

2

Weber State University

Supply chain management is a discipline immersed in knowledge creation and dissemination concerning the integration of business

processes across functions and among firms. Academics are the producers and distributors in this knowledge supply chain. The Council of

Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP) provides numerous opportunities to integrate functions and processes between academics

and practitioners. The Journal of Business Logistics, the CSCMP Educators’Conference, the CSCMP Annual Global Conference, and CSCMP

per se, provide the venue for linking academics to practice, bridging the gap between the two groups as part of the same universe of value

creation. Being actively involved in all of these makes a researcher more complete, relevant, and rigorous.

Keywords: supply chain management; logistics; transportation; operations management; purchasing; Council of Supply Chain Management

Professionals; research; education; innovation; knowledge creation; knowledge dissemination; publishing

INTRODUCTION

Supply chain management (SCM) is, in part, a discipline con-

cerned with the integration of business processes across functions

and among firms. Supply chain managers are bridge builders,

joining various business functions, from design, to production, to

purchasing, to transportation—all with the goal of achieving tar-

get service levels at the lowest costs. When this happens, cus-

tomers are delighted and top-line revenues grow. Likewise, the

academic side of the SCM community should be an integrating

force in the knowledge stream. Therefore, the best supply chain

academic forum is the one that best integrates across knowledge

functions and entities.

SCM—as a field of practice—exists in an imperfect world. For

instance, supply chain visibility is incomplete. The route to com-

petitive success is poorly demarcated. Yet, relentless competition

and dramatic technological revolution is forcing businesses to

accelerate the quest for constant supply chain innovations. Unfor-

tunately, today’s businesses cannot find enough well-educated sup-

ply chain managers. Simply put, there are not enough people

trained in the existing supply chain knowledge and capabilities.

The result: A high, and unmet, demand for trained supply chain

managers exists. Because trained and dedicated SCM professionals

are in short supply, many companies bring people into the SCM

process from other parts of the company.

Challenges to the business community are opportunities for

academics as researchers and educators. With the economy in

flux and functional-theoretical knowledge is partial at best, our

growth potential is huge. But, only those who best address the

shifting ground will prosper. As we move from being tucked in

the corners of marketing and finance departments to a field

recognized as being integral to global business strategies, we

must be better stewards of the knowledge supply chain.

THE COUNCIL OF SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT

PROFESSIONALS AS AN INTEGRATING VENUE

Just as supply chain managers, in part, oversee the acquisition, pro-

duction, and flow of goods and services, as academics we manage

the acquisition, production, and flow of supply chain knowledge.

Supply chain managers must integrate across numerous business

functions. Likewise, we must integrate across a wide variety of

needs for the same kinds of knowledge, including students, practi-

tioners, and other academics. We depend on various venues and

formats to reach these audiences, but we believe that the best

forum for academics would be one that integrates all of these func-

tions. This is the mission and goal of the Council of Supply Chain

Management Professionals (CSCMP).

In most business disciplines, a division between academics

and practitioners persists. This gap, of course, runs contrary to

an SCM-based view of business and knowledge. In reality, sup-

ply chain practice and study form an interdependent community

united around the common goal of improvement and innovation

of supply chain practice. CSCMP uses a variety of initiatives that

span all industries and numerous business functions to bring

together our diverse community of practitioners and academics.

This unifying role is neither easy to define nor easy to carry out.

It takes tremendous effort to balance the goals of the academic

and the practitioner communities. However, the best investment

is in efforts that unite the two. CSCMP does this effectively, pro-

viding excellent platforms and environments for networking

among a wide variety of members.

The dense and diverse social network of CSCMP produces

high-quality research and innovative practice. We have devoted

Corresponding author:

Matthew A. Waller, Department of Supply Chain Management,

Walton College Executive Education, Donald W. Reynolds Center,

Room 229, 1 University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR 72701, USA;

E-mail: mwaller@walton.uark.edu

Journal of Business Logistics, 2014, 35(4): 277–280 doi: 10.1111/jbl.12076

© Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals