Last week I had the pleasure to join the Cparity Event „From S&OP to IBP“ in Amsterdam
Here are some paradigm shifts that stood out:
➊ “𝐈𝐁𝐏 𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐛𝐞 𝐩𝐮𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨𝐩-𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐧” → “𝐈𝐁𝐏 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐥𝐬𝐨 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐰 𝐛𝐨𝐭𝐭𝐨𝐦-𝐮𝐩.”
I had the pleasure of presenting with my customer Vladimír Stodůlka about how fostering a spirit of intrapreneurship within a local IBP team led to significant improvements in forecasting and local Sales & Operations Execution. This initiative demonstrates how IBP improvements can emerge organically from the ground up.
➋ “𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐬 𝐊𝐢𝐧𝐠” → “𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐂𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐒𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐫𝐬.”
At the CParity event, several of HELIBLICK’s customers, including Vladimir, participated. None of them view the relationship as “The Customer is King.” Instead, they embrace a partnership mindset. This collaborative dynamic inspires me to co-generate optimal solutions, knowing I am privileged to work with such outstanding partners. In any IBP setup, suppliers achieve the best results when they are treated as equal partners.
➌ “𝐈𝐁𝐏 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐓𝐨𝐨𝐥” → “𝐈𝐁𝐏 𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐧 𝐄𝐜𝐨𝐬𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦.”
In her inspiring presentation, Danielle IJkema highlighted how IBP operates more like a dynamic ecosystem than a traditional planning tool:
A tool has interconnected parts that follow predictable patterns, relies on expertise, and enables centralized decision-making.
An ecosystem, on the other hand, evolves through interactions, involves multiple stakeholders contributing to decisions, and adapts quickly to changes through mutual learning. This adaptability is crucial in today’s complex environments.
➍ “𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐩 𝐨𝐟 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞” → “𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐧 𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐳𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐜𝐚𝐩𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲.”
Many speakers emphasized that leadership support is critical for successful IBP. While strategic guidance from the C-suite is vital, IBP also demands participative leadership at all levels. As Peter Senge aptly defined, “Leadership is the capacity of a human community to shape its future.” Developing this organizational capability ensures IBP is truly integrated.
➎ “𝐈𝐁𝐏 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐬” → “𝐈𝐁𝐏 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐬.”
The event brought together leading IBP consultancies, including the sponsors Oliver Wight EAME LLP, and Involvation, HELIBLICK GmbH to exchange ideas. The future will demand even more IBP expertise to address increasing complexity. While approaches differ, they often complement one another. Collaboration among consultants will be essential to meet customer needs and drive better organizational performance, cross-functional alignment, and human well-being.
Thank you to the organisers, the speakers, sponsors, and delegates for making the event exceptional. Let’s further invest into IBP as the driving force to improve organisations!