“ You ’ re more valuable to the organization than this job you applied for ” Jennifer Carlson recounts a story that she has never forgotten . After she graduated from college , she started applying for jobs . One day she met with an HR hiring manager who was interviewing her for a job she had applied for , and he said , “ You know , I think this job isn ’ t the right job for you . It ’ s kind of a dead end . There ’ s nowhere to go from here , and I think you have more . You ’ re more valuable to the organization than this job you applied for . So let me work with you and see if we can find a better fit . You know , something that might have a growth pathway .” She says that she never forgot that and has never met anyone else during her career that has done or said something like that .

It really depends on the organizational culture , and that comes from the top down . As Pytlik believes , you really need that C-suite level to want to support the inclusion for women and diversity . Because if top leadership doesn ’ t believe in it , it really isn ’ t going to make a difference . She , like many others , has felt in the past that the only option was to leave a company and move somewhere different , for more open doors and for better opportunities .

Frontline supply chain employees that are women

Organizations are increasingly turning to internal mentoring programs — with ERGs and other initiatives — to provide opportunities for people to interact with other women leaders in various positions . But these mentorship programs must be open to people in leadership positions , as well as frontline employees . Focusing primarily on management level or salary level employees does a disservice to the organization .

Sarah Charai of Cleveland Clinic works on the operations side of supply chain right now — specifically in materials management . This has historically been a very male dominated part of the supply chain business . She feels that she has a large responsibility to pay

“ I think if your leadership team is all men , you need to stop and ask yourself why , and why you haven ’ t attracted more women . After all , there are a lot of qualified women out there now in this field , so there ’ s really no reason not to have some diversity in your leadership team .”

— Jennifer Carlson , Vice President of Supply Chain at Boston Medical

it forward and to encourage women on her team and the women she comes across who are interested in supply chain or in healthcare . She spends time being a mentor and encouraging networking , making herself available to answer questions , engage in discussion and lend support .

C-suite leaders who are women

Healthcare as a mission There seems to be the notion — whether you can prove it or not — that women clinicians frequently advocate for more “ comprehensive ” healthcare solutions that go beyond traditional medical interventions . This broader perspective can influence clinical integration efforts by considering social determinants of health and promoting a more holistic view of patient well-being . The increased visibility of women in clinical roles may prompt a broader examination of gender disparities within healthcare supply chains . Women clinicians — turned leaders — may advocate for gender diversity and equity in supply chain leadership , potentially influencing organizational policies and practices .

Carlson has seen firsthand that healthcare systems — often nonprofit systems — don ’ t always run with the most efficiency . They manage their businesses sometimes more from a place of heart . But she sees this as a huge opportunity to really drive more business rigor into the processes . As she puts it , “ If there ’ s no margin , there ’ s no mission .” It comes down to giving care that ’ s affordable , which means looking at the total healthcare and supply chain network .

Transparency and innovation come through collaboration In unison , all four leaders talked about collaboration as critical to success with internal stakeholders and external partners . Pytlik finds that if she is upfront and honest with her supply base about her challenges , suppliers aren ’ t afraid to come forward with creative or innovative solutions , because they know she ’ s going to listen and be open to hearing them and even potentially trialing with them . She also believes that innovation is probably one of the largest things she looks for . How is a partner innovating ? How are they bringing new ideas

“ Well , you know , we haven ’ t always had a seat at the table , right ? Which means we haven ’ t always had a voice . Based on that experience , women are very sensitive to the need to be inclusive . And they ’ re very aware about ensuring everyone ’ s involved , that everyone finally has that voice .”

— Sarah Charai , Executive Director , Supply Chain Operations at Cleveland Clinic

16 SUPPLY CHAIN OPTIMIZATION Issue 8 / 2024