Skill Requirements of Senior‐level Logisticians: Practitioner Perspectives
International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics Management
ISSN: 0960-0035
Article publication date: 1 March 1991
Abstract
With logistics increasingly adopting a strategic orientation in many firms, senior‐level logisticians must possess certain skills in order to successfully manage the logistics function. This article argues that the contemporary senior‐level logistics manager needs to be proficient in three categories namely: business, logistics and management skills. The purpose of this research is to report the results of a survey of US logistics managers designed to assess the importance of business, logistics, and management skills. Management skills emerged as the most important of the three, followed by logistics and business skills. These findings suggest that contemporary senior‐level logistics executives must be managers first and logisticians second. In addition, the emphasis on management skills suggests that high‐ranking logistics executives may have the opportunity of rising to top management positions such as the Chief Executive Officer – a career path unheard of two decades ago.
Keywords
Citation
Murphy, P.R. and Poist, R.F. (1991), "Skill Requirements of Senior‐level Logisticians: Practitioner Perspectives", International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics Management, Vol. 21 No. 3, pp. 3-14. https://doi.org/10.1108/09600039110004025
Publisher
:MCB UP Ltd
Copyright © 1991, MCB UP Limited