From Buyer to Integrator: The Transformation of the
Supply-chain Manager in the Vertically Disintegrating Firm

Using case study data, we describe the change in supply-chain management toward supply-chain integration. We find that as large firms disaggregate into linked chains of focused firms specializing in distinct areas, those focused firms paradoxically require more highly-skilled generalists, "supply-chain integrators," capable of coordinating product development, marketing, production, and logistics within and across organizational boundaries. We report on the change in supply-chain roles as managers of people become managers of supplier organizations. We finally discuss possible responses from educational institutions and firms to better prepare people for the supply-chain integration function.