Exploring the New (Ab) Normal in COVID and Beyond, the Future of Supply Chains, Sustainability, and Climate Change- Part 1 with Dr. Yossi Sheffi (MIT)

Excellence does not happen by accident. Supply chains are
answering the call during COVID and will continue to do so as a
new vaccine comes to market. But how do we keep the momentum of
speed, flexibility, without cutting corners?


In a 2-part series, Sheri Hinish (SupplyChainQueen) chats with a
thought leader and supply chain advocate, Dr. Yossi Sheffi
from MIT who has been teaching, learning, building,
authoring many publications, including a new book 'the New
(Ab) Normal' in a conversation that pushes boundaries
highlighting areas that many in supply chain and technology shy
away from discussing...getting real on transformation,
innovation, and disruption.


In his new book, the New (Ab) Normal, Dr. Sheffi describes how
supply chains - by and large- responded to the challenges during
the COVID pandemic. Civilization depends on supply chains to
convert the planet’s bounty into products and deliver those
products affordably to 7.8 billion human beings. Sheffi exposes
the critical role supply chains play in helping people,
governments, and companies to manage that bounty. The book draws
on executive interviews, pandemic media coverage, historical
analyses, and themes from his books, "The Resilient Enterprise"
(2005) and "The Power of Resilience" (2015) to suggest how
companies become more resilient facing uncertainty. This
must-read book helps companies and entrepreneurs adjust to a
fast-evolving economic landscape.


We dig into the concept of resilience, but more importantly what
should we expect in 2021? What's in store for retail, omni
channel and ecommerce?


Fundamentally, The New (Ab)Normal is about businesses trying to
create a better future in a time of extreme uncertainty. We
explore incrementalism which is stifling supply chain innovation
and perpetuating the 'we've always done it this way' paradigm.
The problem is we iterate in a linear, bad system. And there are
no good choices in a bad system, only choosing between less bad.


When we think about extending traditional planning boundaries and
the buffet of 2020 supply chain buzzwords, are businesses missing
an opportunity to be truly disruptive, to embrace circularity,
new business models, and innovation? Why does the
incremental approach, even when gaps are highlighted by COVID and
climate change seem to persist? From non-linear thinking,
to sustainability, producer responsibility, and the value action
gap in consumption, we unpack the opportunity in building back
better. What will it take to build the supply chains of
2030? *Hint: science is the connector and technology is the
accelerator.


In part 2, Episode 47, we'll explore doubling down on technology
for transformative change. From AI, digital twins, and a deeper
dive in human behavior, Dr. Sheffi gives you the steps to risk
management and recovery in COVID and beyond when designing for
resilience.


To learn more, visit https://sheffi.mit.edu/ and
https://www.amazon.com/New-Ab-Normal-Reshaping-Business-ebook/dp/B08JHXQG1L/


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