The Depression-era economist and political scientist, Joseph Schumpeter (1883-1950), worried about the stagnation of capitalism and globalization long before globalization was a thing (and he wondered whether capitalism would even survive). The term “creative destruction” that Schumpeter championed was a way to describe a process in which the old ways of doing things are destroyed and […]
Kate Vitasek
When Tradeoffs Become Trade-ups
In one of his recent blogs, Seth Godin wrote about the interesting dynamics of tradeoffs, for instance, making a laptop more powerful will probably affect battery life and its weight. So, trade-offs can be a sort of magic if done right —or a double-edged sword, good for some, not so good for others. I submit that […]
ABCs of RFX Bidding Methods: Which Ones are Right for You? – Intelligent Sourcing/October 2020
Article posted 6 October 2020 in Intelligent Sourcing Magazine. Link: https://www.intelligentsourcing.net/abcs-of-rfx-bidding-methods-which-ones-are-right-for-you/
The Public Procurement Leaders Podcast with Kate Vitasek — September 2020
Public Sector Heroes podcast hosted by Raj Sharma on 22 Sept 2020. Link: https://poddtoppen.se/podcast/1123856095/public-sector-heroes-podcast/the-public-procurement-leaders-podcast-with-kate-vitasek
Art of Procurement – 17 Feb 2020 with Kate Vitasek
Unpacking The Standing Neutral W/ Kate Vitasek. An Art of Procurement podcast on 17 February 2020 “In these complex deals, change is the norm and it’s very easy to get out of alignment as new players come in town. So we have to keep the relationship and the contract in continual alignment with everyone’s interests.” […]
Games People Play with Vendors
In what seems like a strange message from a different era, a Harvard Business Review article in 2012 by Reed K. Holden, wrote about the games buyers play with vendors, and the fact that the relationship buyer “has been in steady decline.” Holden, the author of Negotiating with Backbone, contended that the relationship buyer was […]
Libby Weber: The Importance of Framing Your Contracts — Future of Sourcing 23 March 2020
Libby Weber – Associate Professor at the University of California, Irvine – promotes a way of thinking about contracts beyond their traditional “preventive” role of avoiding risk, preventing breaches or opportunistic behavior. Her premise? Why not use contracts to promote cooperation, flexibility, and creativity?
Contracts and Baggage
I met University of Vermont Law Professor Oliver Goodenough recently at an IACCM/Stanford Law School event that discussed the future of contracts. He posed this question: “Does the term “contract” come with baggage?” The discussion that followed was lively. The simple fact of the matter is today’s mental model of a contract does come with […]
Art of Procurement: Unpacking The Standing Neutral W/ Kate Vitasek
Philip Ideson podcast with Kate Vitasek on 17 February 2020 “In these complex deals, change is the norm and it’s very easy to get out of alignment as new players come in town. So we have to keep the relationship and the contract in continual alignment with everyone’s interests.” Here is the link: https://artofprocurement.com/episode302/
Culture of Innovation
It seems every company recognizes the importance of innovation. This is especially true for the IT industry, where often today’s latest software innovation is yesterday’s news. This is why it is intriguing to see InformationWeek taking a stab at pushing for a “culture of innovation.” A recent post outlined five techniques “to support and encourage entrepreneurship in your […]