Improved change readiness through supply chain competency development

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to report on the experiences from a number of two‐day courses in fundamentals of supply chain management completed for about 200 employees in a case company. The courses were held in order to increase the organisation's competency level and by this prepare people for changes. The paper aims to test whether this course has had an effect on the implementation process and participants taking part in the course. Design/methodology/approach – Applies two sets of questionnaires. The first questionnaire consists of evaluation sheets that were handed out to the participants and filled out at the end of each course. The second questionnaire was distributed by e‐mail to the participants of the completed courses. Findings – Provides evidence for the possibility to construct and complete a supply chain course that could increase competency level and change readiness. Practical implications – It takes time to obtain a common understanding of technical terms, concepts and the mechanisms for running supply chains efficiently. The involving part for such a course construction is the most important element. Originality/value – There is little in the literature about how companies approach changes in global supply chains from a change management and competence perspective.