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Rethinking Risk Management

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Anticipating emerging risks means reshaping the board.

Risk management is often cited among the top two or three items on board agendas, yet many companies have found themselves unprepared for a variety of recent shocks, including the COVID-19 pandemic, the Great Resignation, cybersecurity events, labor shortages and supply chain disruptions.

The breadth of risk for public and large private companies has grown exponentially in recent years, but few organizations have gone far enough in evolving and expanding their risk management approach to keep up with the pace of change. This is one reason regulators have stepped up enforcement of board requirements around fiduciary duties.

In some cases, boards may need to update their views about the world’s ability to deal with risks. These views may include the expectation that supply chains are infinite, labor is unlimited and the United States is always able to innovate its way out of problems.

That’s not the world today’s companies operate in. World Economic Forum, the Control Risks global risk survey, McKinsey and others have identified several of the most significant areas of current and emerging corporate risk. The top risk areas include:

  1. Proper understanding and articulation of company risk appetite, risk review objectives, and existential and emergent risks.
  2. People and talent.
  3. Mergers and acquisitions.
  4. Digital transformation.
  5. Cybersecurity.
  6. Climate risks and action.
  7. Future pandemics or similar situations.
  8. Supply chain vulnerabilities.
  9. Regulatory risks.
  10. Political risks.

These risks present challenges on many levels. Boards must identify, assess and manage risks intelligently, while simultaneously focusing on business opportunities that may arise from the very same issues. They must communicate risks not just to shareholders, but also to other stakeholders.

Today’s boards need to consider whether they have the right people, expertise, committees and processes to address today’s higher-risk business environment. Crises are likely to come faster and hit harder. However, boards that make changes to better address risk can succeed in making their companies more resilient.

The following are changes boards should consider to enhance their risk management approach and better help their companies navigate and mitigate emerging risks.

Read more at Rethinking Risk Management

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Record-Breaking Supply Chain Disruptions and Supply Shortages

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aerial photo of pile of enclose trailer

Factory Fires, Mergers & Acquisitions, Business Sales, Factory Disruptions, and Leadership Transitions rank as the top five supply chain disruptions in the first six months of 2021, with life sciences, healthcare, and the automotive industry being most impacted.

Records are to be broken, say observers of the recently-concluded Olympics. But the dark side of such comfortable declarations was evident in global supply chains this year.

According to data released by Resilinc, a global leader in the supply chain risk monitoring space, human-caused supply chain disruptions are rising overall, with the amount of factory fires up 150% (when comparing the first half of 2021 to the first half of 2020).

This year is on track to have the most factory fires ever reported. The uptick is due mostly to gaps in regulatory and process execution as well as a shortage of skilled labor in warehouses.

The data also reveals that disruptions due to Supply Shortages (semiconductor chips, plastics, cardboard are all examples) were up 638% in the first half of 2021. Resilinc sent out 251 Supply Shortage alerts; this type of disruption ranked 6th in terms of most reported events (behind Leadership Transition). Supply Shortages are driving consolidations, mergers, and business sales as companies look to give a quick cash boost to the core business or optimize the supply chain to best serve the customer base.

In the first half of 2021, almost half (46.5%) of disruptive events occurred in North America, followed by Europe (23.43%), and then Asia (19.45%). In comparison, in the first half of 2020: North America had the most disruptive events; Asia had the second highest; Europe had the third most.

While Human Health disruptions, which include COVID-19 related events, ranked 19th in terms of the number of event alerts in the first half of the year, Resilinc has continued to designate the event as “severe.” It’s the first time in the company’s history ranking an event at that level of impact.

Read more at Record-Breaking Supply Chain Disruptions and Supply Shortages

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Six Ways To Optimize Your Supply Chain To Generate Profit

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Companies use multiple tactics to generate economic profit, including introducing new products, launching marketing campaigns or undertaking acquisitions. Supply chains offer an effective, though less understood, path to creating value through growth, driving down working capital, improving cash flow and lowering cost.

Surprisingly few companies understand the importance of the supply chain, and few have a formal strategy in place for managing global supply chain risk in the years ahead. This is especially dangerous given the volatility and uncertainty in trade relations between the U.S. and China, as well as other scenarios around the world. Besides geopolitical uncertainty, having the right talent, a holistic perspective and appropriate technology may all figure into the supply chain risk factor.

Use the following best practices to optimize your supply chain and minimize risk.

Redefine The Supply Chain

Best practices begin with redefining supply chain excellence and broadening its scope.

Create A Cross-Functional Team

Best practices for driving shareholder value through supply chain optimization can be easily implemented in any company for concrete results.

Focus On The Right Metrics

Following increased visibility and cross-functional team-making, focusing on the right metrics is the logical next step.

Connect With The C-Suite

Another essential best practice in supply chain optimization is building relationships throughout the entire company and starting conversations with the CFO and other key executives.

Manage Risks

Long-standing supply relationships have value, but disruption of those relationships can be devastating.

Total Value Optimization

The Total Value Optimization (TVO) framework promotes greater collaboration, integration and transparency.

Read more at Six Ways To Optimize Your Supply Chain To Generate Profit

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