Lean Is NOT the Problem: The Truth About Supply Chains in the New Normal

Lean Is NOT the Problem: The Truth About Supply Chains in the New Normal

In a compelling conversation on Business Talk, Dr. Anthony Alexander, Associate Professor in Operations Management at the University of Sussex Business School, explored how today's "new normal" is defined not merely by disruptions, but by their accelerating frequency, from the 2008 financial crisis and COVID-19 to geopolitical shocks like the Ukraine war. He challenged the popular narrative that lean supply chains are inherently fragile, arguing instead that lean's pull-based philosophy actually builds responsiveness, while true resilience means adapting to a stronger state, much like muscle rebuilding after stress, rather than simply recovering to the status quo. Drawing on frameworks like Cynefin and concepts like exaptation, Dr. Alexander emphasized that organizations must sharpen their awareness of which decision context they are in and integrate technology meaningfully into operations, not just install it, if they are to thrive amid relentless turbulence. References: Alexander, A., Blome, C., Schleper, M. C., & Roscoe, S. (2022). Managing the “new normal”: the future of operations and supply chain management in unprecedented times. International Journal of Operations & Production Management, 42(8), 1061-1076. Christopher, M., & Holweg, M. (2011). “Supply Chain 2.0”: Managing supply chains in the era of turbulence. International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics Management, 41(1), 63-82. Christopher, M., & Holweg, M. (2017). Supply chain 2.0 revisited: a framework for managing volatility-induced risk in the supply chain. International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics Management, 47(1), 2-17. Sauer, P. C., Silva, M. E., & Schleper, M. C. (2022). Supply chains' sustainability trajectories and resilience: a learning perspective in turbulent environments. International Journal of Operations & Production Management, 42(8), 1109-1145. Alexander, A., Walker, H., & Delabre, I. (2022). A decision theory perspective on wicked problems, SDGs and stakeholders: the case of deforestation. Journal of Business Ethics, 180(4), 975-995. Alexander, A., Kumar, M., & Walker, H. (2018). A decision theory perspective on complexity in performance measurement and management. International Journal of Operations & Production Management, 38(11), 2214-2244. Ahi, P., & Searcy, C. (2015). An analysis of metrics used to measure performance in green and sustainable supply chains. Journal of Cleaner Production, 86, 360-377. Pidd, M. (1997). Tools for thinking—Modelling in management science. Journal of the Operational Research Society, 48(11), 1150-1150. French, S., Maule, J., & Papamichail, N. (2009). Decision behaviour, analysis and support. Cambridge University Press. Google Books Ocasio, W. (1997). Towards an attention‐based view of the firm. Strategic Management Journal, 18(S1), 187-206. Snowden, D. J., & Boone, M. E. (2007). A leader's framework for decision making. Harvard Business Review, 85(11), 68. This podcast is brought to you by Global Management Consultancy. Disclaimer: 1. The background music incorporated in this video is the intellectual property of its respective developer and is protected under applicable copyright laws. Notwithstanding that it is a free-to-use version, Business Talk, Global Management Consultancy, and Deepak Bhatt do not own, and expressly do not claim, any rights, title, or interest in or to this music. 2. In an engaging episode of the Business Talk podcast, Dr. Anthony Alexander unpacks the key insights from his research, “Managing the “new normal”: the future of operations and supply chain management in unprecedented times.” The uploaded video contains copyrighted content, so changing any graphics, music, or on-screen appearance of the author or host is not allowed.

Did the Declaration Create One Nation? Prof. Carlton Larson Explains

In this episode of Business Talk, we sit down with Professor Carlton F. W. Larson, the Martin Luther King Jr. Professor in Law at the University of California, Davis, whose scholarship in American constitutional law, Anglo-American legal history, and the law of treason has made him one of the country’s foremost authorities on treason and the American founding. Drawing on his distinguished academic career, including landmark books such as On Treason: A Citizen’s Guide to the Law and The Trials of Allegiance: Treason, Juries, and the American Revolution, and widely cited research that has shaped both courtroom arguments and public debate, Professor Larson takes us inside his groundbreaking work, One Nation Under Law: The Meaning of the Declaration of Independence. He shows how the Declaration did not create thirteen separate nations but announced the birth of a single American people, operating under an unwritten constitutional framework from the very first day of independence. Along the way, he challenges familiar myths about Thomas Jefferson’s authorship, the legal status of the Declaration, and the parchment on display in the National Archives, revealing instead a collective act of nation-making that continues to define American law, identity, and the ever-evolving balance between federal and state power. This podcast is brought to you by Global Management Consultancy. Disclaimer: 1. The background music incorporated in this video is the intellectual property of its respective developer and is protected under applicable copyright laws. Notwithstanding that it is a free-to-use version, Business Talk, Global Management Consultancy, and Deepak Bhatt do not own, and expressly do not claim, any rights, title, or interest in or to this music. 2. Professor Carlton F. W. Larson shared key insights from his book, “One Nation Under Law: The Meaning of the Declaration of Independence”, in an engaging episode of the Business Talk podcast. The uploaded video contains copyrighted content, so changing any graphics, music, or on-screen appearance of the author or host is not allowed.

Assetization Explained: Dr. Kean Birch on Modern Capitalism

In this insightful conversation, Dr. Kean Birch, Ontario Research Chair in Science Policy at York University, explores the central ideas behind his book Assetization: Turning Things into Assets in Technoscientific Capitalism, explaining how modern capitalism is increasingly organized around ownership, control, and the generation of future revenue rather than the simple sale of goods and services. Drawing on examples from biotech, digital platforms, intellectual property, and data-driven business models, he shows how “assetization” is reshaping industries, institutions, and everyday life in ways that carry major economic and social consequences. This podcast is brought to you by Global Management Consultancy. Disclaimer: 1. The background music incorporated in this video is the intellectual property of its respective developer and is protected under applicable copyright laws. Notwithstanding that it is a free-to-use version, Business Talk, Global Management Consultancy, and Deepak Bhatt do not own, and expressly do not claim, any rights, title, or interest in or to this music. 2. Dr. Kean Birch shared key insights from his book, “Assetization: Turning Things into Assets in Technoscientific Capitalism”, in an engaging episode of the Business Talk podcast. The uploaded video contains copyrighted content, so changing any graphics, music, or on-screen appearance of the author or host is not allowed.

Can Sports Fuel Nationalism and Conflict? Dr. Andrew Bertoli Explains

Dr. Andrew Bertoli, Assistant Professor at IE University in Madrid and Segovia, Spain, joins us to discuss his thought-provoking book, Beyond the Stadium: How Sports Change the World, and to explore the complex ways sports shape politics, society, and global affairs. In this engaging conversation, he challenges the common view of sports as either mere entertainment or an unquestioned force for good, offering fresh insights into how athletics influence nationalism, social connection, conflict, and cultural change. This podcast is brought to you by Global Management Consultancy. Disclaimer: 1. The background music incorporated in this video is the intellectual property of its respective developer and is protected under applicable copyright laws. Notwithstanding that it is a free-to-use version, Business Talk, Global Management Consultancy, and Deepak Bhatt do not own, and expressly do not claim, any rights, title, or interest in or to this music. 2. Dr. Andrew Bertoli shared key insights from his book, “Beyond the Stadium: How Sports Change the World”, in an engaging episode of the Business Talk podcast. The uploaded video contains copyrighted content, so changing any graphics, music, or on-screen appearance of the author or host is not allowed.

How America's Elections Are Shaped by Constitutional Choices | Prof. Lori Ringhand

In this engaging episode of Business Talk, Professor Lori Ringhand, J. Alton Hosch Professor of Law and Josiah Meigs Distinguished Teaching Professor at the University of Georgia School of Law, explores the core ideas from her book, We the Voters: The Constitutional Choices That Shape America's Elections. She traces how the Constitution's original, narrow definition of "We the People" has been expanded over centuries through persistent struggle, and explains how the Constitution functions as a broad framework for elections rather than a fixed rulebook, a design that is both empowering and vulnerable to manipulation. From the surprising origins of the Electoral College to the erosion of voting rights through landmark cases like Shelby County v. Holder, Professor Ringhand offers a clear-eyed yet ultimately optimistic account of American democracy, reminding us that the pathways for change exist, and that every citizen has a role to play in making elections more free, fair, and inclusive. This podcast is brought to you by Global Management Consultancy. Disclaimer: 1. The background music incorporated in this video is the intellectual property of its respective developer and is protected under applicable copyright laws. Notwithstanding that it is a free-to-use version, Business Talk, Global Management Consultancy, and Deepak Bhatt do not own, and expressly do not claim, any rights, title, or interest in or to this music. 2. Professor Lori Ringhand shared key insights from her book, “We the Voters: The Constitutional Choices That Shape America's Elections”, in an engaging episode of the Business Talk podcast. The uploaded video contains copyrighted content, so changing any graphics, music, or on-screen appearance of the author or host is not allowed.