HBR On Strategy
Turn Your Supply Chain into an Innovation Engine
Feb 19, 2025
Kasra Ferdows, an operations management professor at Georgetown University and supply chain expert, delves into how open digital platforms revolutionize supply chain innovation. He shares Haier's remarkable response during the pandemic, swiftly creating mobile isolation wards. The conversation highlights the importance of transparency and collaboration, illustrating how even small organizations can harness digital tools for efficiency. Ferdows emphasizes cultivating strong supplier relationships and nurturing innovative strategies for lasting competitive advantage.
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Quick takeaways
- Haier's successful response to COVID-19 highlights how open digital supply chains enable rapid innovation and effective collaboration among partners.
- Implementing open digital platforms incrementally allows companies to build trust and foster innovation without overwhelming management challenges.
Deep dives
Rapid Innovation Through Open Digital Platforms
In 2019, the company Hire successfully utilized its open digital supply chain platform to rapidly respond to the urgent need for mobile isolation wards in Wuhan during the COVID-19 crisis. By collaborating with a home furnishings company and its suppliers, Hire managed to develop and deliver these products in a matter of weeks. The key to this swift innovation was the transparency and collaboration enabled by their platform, which allowed various partners across the supply chain to work together seamlessly. This example illustrates how companies can leverage open platforms for agile problem-solving and product development, even in times of crisis.
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