There is a growing demand on organisations and their people to demonstrate the right behaviours to secure future contracts. We engage with many Clients on behalf of our Clients and for the future success of Alleviate Consulting Limited. It’s hugely important to understand a Client’s objectives and challenges if you really want to have satisfied customers. Clients have always wanted good behaviours from their supply chain but now they are asking for them clearly in submissions etc.

However, does the supply chain fully understand what the Client wants? Have we fully engaged with our Clients. Have your Clients fully explained what behaviours they want and more importantly what those behaviours look like. We need to have complete clarity on what those behaviours are and what they mean to our Clients.

Behaviours are driven out of the values, vision and culture of our Clients and our own business environment. After all, we all know what Trust is, don’t we? Well maybe we have different views of what Trust means and I am sure it will vary from situation to situation. Clients need to be clear on what they mean by behaviours and what they are really looking for people to deliver. Remove any ambiguity to allow your supply chain to fully understand what Trust means to you. Break it down into sub values and explain or agree what those mean in the day to day life of delivering a project or framework.

The culture that you create on the project / framework must reflect those behaviours you wish to see. Does the process reflect those behaviours? What about your KPI’s, working environment or your relationships with your supply chain? Behaviours will only be sustainable if all the above reflects the behaviours you wish your supply chain to demonstrate.

Remember the behaviours you are asking for may not be reflective of the behaviours they are required to demonstrate for their parent organisation. How do you square the circle, what are your realistic expectations as people move from one set of behaviours to another?

How do you intend to provide clarity, measure behaviours, review the outcomes, deliver on the challenges? Reward and recognition as well as incentives for the supply chain must reflect the behaviours you are looking to see demonstrated.

It is a big challenge for the industry but it is a challenge that needs to be addressed for the industry to mature. For now and in the immediate future this has to be driven by Clients.