October 20, 2022
During a PUM advisory project in Zimbabwe, it became clear once again how valuable the collaboration between a young professional and a senior consultant can be. One has supply chain knowledge from their studies still fresh in mind, while the other knows from experience when and how to apply that knowledge. One can create dazzling PowerPoint presentations, while the other can convincingly sell them to a board of directors. An interview with Nick Jonkergouw and Peter Bol about co-creation at UC Group.
“It all started with a PUM project I undertook earlier this year at the company Pearlspot in Zimbabwe,” says senior consultant Peter Bol. “I visited them for a few weeks and advised them to look for additional warehouse space, work with more clearly defined product groups, and implement a cycle counting process. The warehouse was packed to the brim with items, and everything was disorganized. Inventory changes were poorly recorded, and due to poverty and corruption, items were frequently stolen. As a result, warehouse employees had to search endlessly and often failed to find what they needed.”
After his visit, he stayed in touch with the company and noticed that while his advice was enthusiastically received, it quickly faded. “During online conversations, I noticed that they were indeed working on it, but they weren't following through,” Peter Bol continues. “For instance, the managing director once proudly told me they had conducted an inventory count for the first time and planned to repeat it the following month. But cycle counting really needs to be done much more frequently. The company has product groups that are so prone to theft that you might need to take a sample daily.”
In consultation with the PUM organization, it was decided that Peter Bol would make a second coaching visit to the African company so he could elaborate on his advice on-site. “I thought this was fantastic, of course, but I really wanted to send the company a proposal beforehand, in which I had further elaborated on my previous advice. I wanted to lay a theoretical foundation that matched their maturity level and that we could immediately start working with.” That was when he brought in young professional Nick from the UC Engineering department. Nick had just started working at UC Group.
“At Peter's request, I developed three logistics concepts,” Nick explains. Besides cycle counting, these included differentiating logistics flows and a KPI dashboard for
the production department. “I delved into this and gathered all available knowledge on the subject. You can go very deep into it, but you also need to keep it simple. Otherwise, you already know they'll never use it. To find the right balance, I needed Peter again. He knows how to translate it for a company like Pearlspot and how to balance theory with the knowledge level of those who need to implement it.” With this input, he further developed the projects and created PowerPoint presentations.
Both consultants know better than anyone that convincing someone requires more than just a PowerPoint. “Take that KPI dashboard for the production manager,” says Peter Bol. “According to the production manager himself, such a dashboard is completely unnecessary. When I was there last time, he conjured up all sorts of lists that, according to him, accurately showed the current situation. What I want to convey to him during my second visit is that his fellow managers and other stakeholders also need to see how he performs. This way, he can also market himself much better.
“Another tip I'm going to give him is that he shouldn't build that dashboard himself, as he did with those lists, but rather leave it to a specialist. These are the kinds of things you need to address with someone face-to-face, because otherwise, it just won't stick.”
Focusing on what you do best and seeking collaboration for other matters – that's the core message Peter Bol and Nick Jonkergouw want to convey. One has knowledge from their education fresh in mind, while the other can perfectly assess which concepts can truly work in a company. Nick: “In my department, we undertake projects independently, but we also collaborate with other UC consultants, for example, on the design of a new warehouse. The reverse also happens. For instance, I'm currently working on a warehouse design that also requires the layout of an outdoor area. I don't have experience with that, but one of our senior consultants does. We bring them in, and together we achieve a result.”
According to the two consultants, the value of co-creation is still greatly underestimated. “There are many individualists in our field,” says Peter Bol. “People are experts in a specific field and prefer to do everything themselves. That's a pitfall, not just for consultants but also for managers. They increasingly spend less time on their actual work. Furthermore, other people can do those other things much better, which improves the final result.”
Finally, Nick mentions a third argument for co-creation. “As a young professional, I can, of course, still learn a lot from Peter, but it also works the other way around. I introduced a specific KPI for the manufacturing dashboard that Peter wasn't yet familiar with. You collectively improve because you learn from each other.”
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