Strategic Training Executive Program 2.0: A Leadership and Change Management Program for Health Supply Chains in Low- and Middle-Income Countries

Abstract

People that Deliver’s vision is “a world where health supply chain workforces are empowered and equipped to optimize health outcomes by improving access to health commodities.” However, health supply chain management (HSCM) is not a recognized profession in many low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). HSCM professionalization efforts are essential if health outcomes are to be significantly improved in these countries; this means transforming supply chain management into a recognized profession of the highest integrity. The Strategic Training Executive Program (STEP) was created in 2016 to address prevailing leadership style gaps. Since then, STEP has undergone rigorous revisions to improve its applicability, scalability, and usefulness in LMICs. To date, STEP—in all its forms—has been delivered to 30 countries and contributed to building the supply chain capacities of more than 600 health supply chain professionals. This case study discusses the evolution journey of designing and sustaining the second generation of STEP (STEP 2.0). This journey is an innovative illustration of how diverse yet motivated organizations collaborated during a global lockdown and health emergency to reimagine a program recognized by all as essential for post-pandemic supply chain systems.