COSCO (Greece): Leading the Digital Supply Chain Program
Program Overview
COSCO (Greece) engaged the Digital Supply Chain Institute to deliver its “Leading the Digital Supply Chain” development program. The primary objective was to guide research teams toward actionable plans for digital supply chain business execution.
As a leadership development program, the was structured around key DSC business domains, including data and demand management, talent management, technology, and risk management.
Each program module addressed management practices, new data and analytics capabilities required to enable digital transformation, new technologies, and new models of collaboration.
The program was conducted at the request of a senior leader within the company and was designed to improve alignment among participants regarding digital supply chain strategy and the transformational actions required to accelerate execution. Participants were expected to conduct research and develop recommendations for digital supply chain business improvement, finalized as actionable project proposals by each group in the program.
COSCO Needs Interviews
Prior to launching the leadership program, DSCI conducted a “needs analysis” to ensure strategic alignment and relevance of the program modules. Three individuals were selected by COSCO to be interviewed. The interviews revealed a need for a unified definition of digital supply chain business strategy. There was also recognition that the Greece operation was expected to increase its knowledge and action plans to remain aligned with the parent company.
Operational concerns included:
- The speed of information exchange (latency)
- The balance between manual vs. automated processes
- Challenges in sharing information across organizational boundaries
Based on these interviews, DSCI concluded that a broad overview of the digital supply chain opportunities would be the most appropriate foundation for the program’s design and content.
Leadership Development Outcomes
The leadership objective of the program was to improve strategic alignment among participants regarding the digital supply chain opportunity.
While several action-planning presentations demonstrated improved alignment, the absence of a strong call to action limited the program’s overall impact. Some participants appeared to approach the program as a skills-based training exercise rather than a leadership development initiative, which reduced engagement at the strategic level. Stronger executive sponsorship and visible leadership presence are essential to achieving the full impact of a digital transformation leadership program. For this reason, COSCO (Greece) has a significant opportunity to generate measurable value if teams execute at least two of the prepared project proposals.
Action Planning Outcomes
All research teams delivered final presentations during the action planning module on May 11. Two teams (Group B and Group C) presented particularly high-value and actionable plans. All final presentation decks were submitted to COSCO (Greece) for review.
Group B presented a segmented approach to customer needs identification, strong identification of barriers (internal and external), gap analysis, and realistic timelines. It was a thoughtful plan that merited further consideration from COSCO leadership.
Group C assessed the current business models and processes and developed clear goals for how the DSC investments will improve business operations for COSCO (Greece). They came up with ‘Digitalization Pillars” of “Simplicity and Security,” “Flexibility & Scale Growth,” and “One Stop Shop,”, all of which resonated and showed leadership thinking.
Conclusion
The program advanced COSCO (Greece)’s digital supply chain action planning efforts and increased participant confidence in executing initiatives at speed. During the program, DSCI identified a need for deeper exploration of track-and-trace capabilities within the shipping and logistics sector. In response, DSCI will offer a specialized session on track and trace for interested participants.