Influencing your Senior
Manager
A Practical View
John Malloch
Head of Procurement
University of Exeter
Scope
• Practical – personal view
• Lessons and observations
• No direct theory
• Influencing senior managers and others
Why do we have to influence people?
Co-operate and align our aims to …
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Plan and manage categories
Source collaboratively
Manage contracts and categories
Use prices and deals
Improve service
Minimise maverick activity
Etc
… to improve service, value, efficiency and innovation
So what’s the problem?
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Time to engage (“too busy”)
Not interested
Not important enough
They know best; it’s been tried before; that won’t work …
Habit – it’s easy, comfortable and ingrained
Culture – departmental habits
Leaders that block
Dispersed organisation – doing different things in different places
Not enough procurement people
Top leadership interested but it’s not a priority
Etc …
Case Studies
• Finance Director
• Director of Estates
• Facilities Manager
• College Finance Manager
• College Manager
Finance Director
Analysis
• Limited time
• My battles must not interfere with his strategic objectives
Approach
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Prioritised my aims
Identified his important aims and problems
Supported those aspects but wove in my objectives
Fed my aims into the appraisal process
Result
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4 extra procurement specialists
Removed the construction risk
Gained Energy and Sustainability (unintended consequence)
Improved savings
Director of Estates
Analysis
• Estates did its own thing: ‘compliance’ was window-dressing
• Biggest spend and biggest risk
• Big construction programme
Approach
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Recruited a specialist to handle construction – senior grade
Streamlined ITTs to ease workload and gain trust and access
Advertised Estates’ successes in procurement
Key meetings
Regular meetings to chart progress
Frequent informal engagement of director – few, strategic topics
‘Tapped’ the capital process and instituted PO approval
Result
• Engagement
• Efficiency, savings and compliance
• No longer my highest procurement risk
Facilities Manager
Analysis
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Large spend, no compliance
Few contracts, cosy deals, favoured suppliers, hidden data, unusual arrangements
Senior manager was the blocker
People OK!
Approach
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1st PO identified the expenditure
FD split the service
2nd PO ran further competitions and a basic savings programme
Another PO attempted to normalise the purchasing process
3rd PO identified key people and gained trust and allies
Result
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Frameworks used for many services
Value, service and efficiency improved
Our purchasing officer is a trusted partner
Still much more to do …
College Finance Manager
Analysis
• Forward-thinking ambitious college with good ideas about efficiency
• Poor strategic procurement
Approach
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Built professional relationship with Finance Manager
Procurement Officer worked with high-spending stakeholders
Provided help, but inserted process, value and compliance
But stood our ground with £800k of marketing spend (pa)
• Sacred cow / long-standing incumbent
• “it’ll never work” / “you don’t understand marketing”
• Careful, collaborative work, but we remained firm
Result
• 25% better value; innovative solutions; delighted customer!
• General spin-off = first point of call
College Manager
Analysis
• Most senior and experienced
• Biggest-spending college
• Most outward-looking college manager
Approach
• Work more closely
• Solve problems, and be flexible
Result
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Useful discussions, including development of college supply chains
Developed concept of Procurement Partner
Procurement sponsored the college purchasing team
‘Leaned’ purchasing processes and reorganised team
What factors help or hinder?
• Luck
• Opportunity
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Major changes – piggyback them!
Receptive people
Shared values or goals
Timing
Culture (including the effect of leadership)
Soft skills
Trust – takes time to build
Context – period of investment / change / directive
Time
Resources – time, people & money
Authority – what can you do without significant challenge
What can we do?
• Focus carefully on fewer key aims
• We are limited (time, effort and money) - accept we can’t do everything
• Select (e.g.) 3 top aims and appoint ‘owners’
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Play the long game – slow burn relationships for the future
Exploit opportunities (but only if you can sustain them)
Find mutual objectives (or align them) – we need shared success
Demonstrate clear SUCCESS (even if small)
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Let the departments claim the success
Ensure others refer to it
Publish case studies
Others will want the same!
• Maintain effort – don’t lose months of work
• Habit = Cue – Routine – Reward
• Hardwire new processes to reinforce the habit
• Hire people with interpersonal skills
• Be flexible
Summary
• Follow opportunities (if they fit your plan and resources):
• People / categories / contracts / requests for help / suppliers
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Client-pull not procurement-push
Develop relationships
Find allies (and bypass blockers if necessary)
Create benefit for the clients (their value not yours)
Invest your time and effort where there’s demand, support and opportunity
• Don’t fight big battles unless worth it.
• but stand your ground when important
• Focus on key areas – don’t spread your resources
• Offer help, but say ‘no’ more often