Can’t We All Just Get Along?

Procurement Heroes, have you ever had the occasion to ask an engineer about their opinion of procurement?

I have.

The answer runs along the lines of “they just sit there in their ivory tower” and “they don’t understand my job and what I need” and “buncha bean counters!”

And you know what? I can’t argue with those sentiments. They are right, we in the procurement profession have certainly cast ourselves in this light, to our own detriment.

Procurement is seen as driven by cost savings, no matter what. Procurement is seen as “messing up” the relationship with good suppliers. Procurement is the foot in the aisle slowing up progress.

Now, ask procurement what they think about engineers.

Stodgy. They don’t understand the business side of our company. They don’t reply to my email and they don’t write SOW’s when I need them.

Fact is, a company needs the talents of both professions in order to keep on as a profitable business.

In his post on the Procurement Leader’s Blog Paul Teague says that some companies “…have created the position of procurement engineer, hiring technical professionals and embedding them into procurement organizations.”

And I think that makes sense. It’s easy to take shots at someone in a different organization, a little harder when that person sits across the table from you in staff meetings.

I once sat among a team that included engineers, finance, sourcing and planning and we were focused on a single product. My teammates, upon discovering that both my father and brother were engineers immediately deemed that I was “raised by engineers” and therefore, acceptable.

In that story, there is a kernel of truth to pull out and use.

In working successfully with many engineers, I’ve found that all they’re really asking is for procurement to speak a little of their same language. Laugh at their nerd humor. And most importantly, try to understand where engineering is coming from, what they need, and how you can help make their lives a lot easier.

A little common language goes a long way.

As Teague sums up, “So if you’re not an engineer, take one to lunch. He might not pick up the check, but at least he’ll quickly do the math to find your share.”

And with that, pocket protectors for everyone!