THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN CATEGORY EXPERTISE , SOURCING EXPERTISE AND GENERALISTS
DID YOU KNOW ...
Gary Levitan , Global Head of
Procurement , Sourcing and Supply Chain at WeWork outlines the difference between the three :
• Being a category expert is to be an industry subject matter expert . Whether it ’ s experience in buying , sourcing , or managing , being a category expert the person really owns the product .
• Sourcing expertise is less about specific industry expertise and more about having competitive process expertise . It ’ s about knowing how to find suppliers and how to rate and grade them . It is also about how to run an effective and competitive process , how to get stakeholders engaged , and how to make proper recommendations .
• A generalist is someone who can flex into different categories and situations . They have broad industry , category and process experience and an eye for value .
WeWork , Designer Club ,
Seoul
218 April 2022