Advantages to Procurement Certification Part 4: Improved, Unified Team

When you work as part of a procurement team it is important that everyone works together and is unified in their approach toward company goals. This is true with a team of 2 all the way up to a team in the 10s or beyond. When you work by yourself you obviously understand your notations, reminders, and all aspects of your job because you are approaching everything from your point of reference and training. The challenges come when you have two or more people working together from different backgrounds, different educations, and different workplace experiences. Certifications across your team can help bring an improved level of unification which in turns increases efficiency and send productivity soaring! One area of inefficiency is the use of different terms. Some terms used in the purchasing and procurement profession include supplier, vendor, cost avoidance, supply management, sourcing, purchasing, spend management etc. As you read those terms certain images popped into your mind and triggered thoughts of other terms. Are they the same thing your coworker thought when reading them? Some are probably the same, but others will be different. There are times we utilize the same terminology interchangeably for different meanings. In fact, at times different organizations interpret these terms differently. There are also times a completely different term is used to describe the same end goal.   However, if the same team uses different terminology for the same thing, it will become difficult for them to work together as a team on a common goal. If the team members do not agree on the use and meaning of the same terms it lead to confusion and inefficiency. The purchasing manager is responsible ensuring that there is coordination between the team members and they can conveniently work as a team. One aspect of that is proper communication. Purchasing managers and teams that pursue procurement certifications learn and adapt to using standardized terminology. This will help the team members work together, minimize confusion, and improve efficiency overall. The entire atmosphere and work environment changes when all members are certified and the approach of the team is unified. When all team members have certifications, are speaking the same terminology, and exercising increased efficiency the leader has a much easier time working to motivate the members to contribute their best for the team and have team spirit. Their passion to contribute towards the team can help the procurement department give their best and increase the return on investment. In order to keep them motivated, the leader has to make sure that the members are confident of what they are doing. All of this is made possible through certification. If the team is certified, the success of the organization is much more likely to follow. A certified team has the tools necessary to work together and complete projects successfully. The individual members of the team will feel confident about themselves and the team will function better in the long run. Having the procurement team certified is very helpful in making the team members stronger and self-confident which in turn benefits the organization.