12 MANAGING AND NEGOTIATING WITH SUPPLIERS
WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT?
As a manager, your focus will become more externally directed and this will include dealing with suppliers. The more IT becomes commoditised the more suppliers you will have to deal with. It is written in folklore that suppliers, and indeed consultants, are the big bad wolf. Do not trust them is the message from the past. However, more recent evidence suggests that adversarial relationships like these are ineffective. You might achieve a short-term gain, but destroy any prospect of good will in the future. The name of the game is mutual benefit, which will entail cooperation and a desire to reach a deal that is good for both parties.
DELVING A LITTLE DEEPER INTO THE SUBJECT
Get The Art of IT Management now with the O’Reilly learning platform.
O’Reilly members experience books, live events, courses curated by job role, and more from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers.
