The Human Supply Chain: Mapping and Modeling the Flow of Human Capital for Navy ‘Seabees’

Abstract

We propose that managing the flow of people through an organization shares many of the same characteristics and challenges as managing the flow of materials through a traditional supply chain, and that supply chain management principles and practices can be fruitfully applied to talent management. In particular, we focus on the application of value stream mapping to aid organizations in understanding their people-related processes and identifying opportunities for improvement, and on the use of simulation modeling to help organizations evaluate and make decisions about improving talent flow. We discuss the applicability of supply chain principles to human capital, and then illustrate the applicability of value stream mapping and simulation modeling using a real-world case study of a large, complex organization. Keywords: