Supply chains are vast and complex networks, where different businesses work together to manufacture and distribute goods around the world. While business practices, technological systems, and even customers play a role in how the global supply chain functions, strong relationships are essential for ensuring smooth operations. This becomes particularly apparent when we consider how every part of the supply chain is an independent business. These completely separate, large, global entities function in silos, and yet, they need to collaborate seamlessly. Because these relationships are important to supply chain business, organizations can turn to a social network analysis to understand and improve supply chain relationships.
What Is Social Network Analysis?
Social network analysis is a way of understanding and visualizing the sprawling web of social relationships in an ecosystem, and mapping them out in a visual manner. It’s a way of collecting, analyzing, and demonstrating the key actors in a social network, and clarifying their relationships and associations. In a social network analysis, individuals (or individual organizations) will be indicated by different “nodes” (or points), and their connections will be demonstrated by links.
Social network analysis can be used for any social ecosystem, including the supply chain. It reflects the individual “actors” within a supply chain network (such as different suppliers, vendors, and contractors), and how they’re connected (whether that’s through formal contracts, collaborative projects, or informal communication channels).
How Can Social Network Analysis Be Used in Supply Chain Management?
While social network analysis can be applied to different scenarios, it has several uses within supply chains. While traditional supply chain management often focuses on optimizing individual processes and strategies, the reality of the supply chain is that it’s interconnected. With that in mind, here are some ways social network analysis can be used in supply chain management:
1. Mapping network structure
Social network analysis can help businesses in the supply chain understand the exact structure of their network, across their entire ecosystem, including all players and how they’re connected. This can help clarify how different players work together, which entities are dependent on each other, and why certain bottlenecks occur.
2. Understanding information flow
By analyzing the strength and direction of ties between different entities, social network analysis can pinpoint how information travels through the supply chain. This can help leaders target areas where communication is flawed or slow, allowing for precise improvements.
3. Identifying key players
Social network analysis can reveal influential actors within the supply chain based on their number of connections, or their position as bridges between different groups. This knowledge can help businesses in the supply chain build stronger relationships and foster better overall collaboration.
4. Analyzing collaboration patterns
Relationships with supply chain partners can be challenging, and data shows that 45% of brands are looking to improve their collaboration with supply chain partners. Social network analysis can help decision-makers identify new collaboration opportunities and improve current collaborations.
The Benefits of Social Network Analysis in Supply Chain Management
Social network analysis allows supply chain decision-makers to clearly understand the role their vendors and partners play in their operations, and how they’re all connected (and to what degree). This can allow for more thoughtful, strategic network design, which can be beneficial for operational efficiency and profitability. For example, data shows us that effective supply chain network design can lead to a 15-20% reduction in transportation costs.
But there are also numerous other potential benefits to using social network analysis in supply chain management, including:
- Enhanced visibility and transparency: Social network analysis acts as a “map,” which can reveal the entire supply chain ecosystem, and has the potential to expose hidden connections, identify strengths, and clarify bottlenecks. This improved visibility can allow for better supply chain planning, proactive problem-solving, and informed decision-making.
- Improved flow of communication: Social network analysis clearly shows communication patterns and avenues, and can help you pinpoint areas where information flow is slow or inefficient. This can help organizations streamline and improve communication.
- Identify key partners and influencers: Social network analysis highlights influential supply chain players, based on their connectivity and positions. This might include vendors, distributors, or manufacturers, for example. This clarity can allow companies to prioritize and strengthen certain supplier relationships, and foster stronger collaboration across their supply chain network.
- Monitor risks and disruptions: By visualizing dependencies and connections, supply chain decision-makers can identify areas that are at risk, and proactively manage them. For example, if you see many aspects of your supply chain are reliant on one point in the network, you might seek to diversify your supply chain or come up with contingency strategies if that one point were to face a disruption.
- Facilitate collaboration: Social network analysis can uncover existing collaborative patterns in your supply chain, and help you identify areas for fostering collaboration across the entire network.
How to Improve Supply Chain Relationships Through Social Network Analysis Insights
While the insights from social network analysis can be interesting on their own, they can be the most impactful when organizations leverage them as a tool for improvement. Think of social network analysis as more than just a diagnostic tool: this process offers you a perspective which can be translated into actionable strategies for strengthening your supply chain.
Here are some tips for putting your social network analysis insights to work in your supply chain:
1. Strengthen weak ties
If social network analysis identifies areas of weak or non-existent communication, you can seek to strengthen these areas. For example, you might look to improve information-sharing with critical suppliers, develop new communication channels, or even launch new joint projects, to encourage relationship-building.
2. Promote collaboration and knowledge sharing
By identifying existing collaborative clusters within your supply chain social network, you can clearly see where your supply chain is excelling when it comes to collaboration. Then, you can use these relationships as a blueprint for promoting collaboration across the entire supply chain, and between other parts of your social network. Also, you can establish knowledge-sharing protocols and systems, organize joint programs, and even create dedicated teams that are tasked with owning collaboration between specific partners.
3. Targeted relationship management
Social network analysis helps reveal who in your network has a high level of influence, and how different parties are connected. With this knowledge, you can prioritize building stronger relationships with these organizations. For example, you might create new communication processes, develop dedicated account management strategies, or launch joint planning initiatives.
4. Proactive risk mitigation
Social network analysis reveals potential vulnerabilities within your supply chain, such as areas that are exposed to single-point failure, or over-reliance on particular partners. Based on these insights, supply chain decision-makers can develop proactive risk management strategies. This might include diversifying suppliers, establishing safety stock procedures, or developing contingency plans for potential disruptions.
Social network analysis can be extremely beneficial for supply chain businesses. By revealing exactly how different entities and organizations are connected, and through what means, decision-makers can improve communication and collaboration across their supply chain.
StockIQ: Your Partner in Supply Chain Relationships
Social network analysis can help you build stronger relationships across your supply chain, but still, you need the technological infrastructure to support these relationships. That’s where StockIQ can help. StockIQ is an advanced, user-friendly supply chain planning suite that allows you to easily control inventory, simplify ordering, and improve demand forecasting. You can use the data and insights from StockIQ to inform your social network analysis and improve collaboration across the board.
Improve your operations with StockIQ by contacting us today, or requesting a StockIQ demo.
