Workshops

Vested 101

(1 – 4 hours)

This popular workshop gives organizations a way to get up to speed quickly on the key concepts of Vested. A typical “101” module includes:

• What is Vested?
• Why does it work?
• How is Vested different from conventional transactional and performance-based approaches?
• The 5 Rules of Vested

From Theory to Practice

(60 – 90 minutes)

Want to go behind the scenes and see how organizations are putting the Vested theory into practice? Kate can tap into her rich case study library and share insights from how real companies are challenging conventional transactional approaches to create highly collaborative win-win relationships. 

Barrier-Busting Breakout Group Exercise

(1 – 2 hour interactive RealPlay® session)

Like the idea of Vested, but have lots of internal and external barriers preventing you from moving forward? This workshop topic is excellent for identifying “barriers” to implementing Vested. Larger groups are divided into smaller breakout groups to work through how they can overcome the top barriers.

How Healthy Is Your Relationship?

(1 – 4 hour RealPlay® exercise)

This RealPlay® interactive workshop allows team members to see firsthand how healthy a relationship is using the University of Tennessee’s “12 Ailments” assessment.  Workshop duration depends on if the team does pre-work and how much of a deep dive they want to go into.

Deep Dive: How to Structure a Vested Agreement

(2 – 6 hour RealPlay® exercise)

This workshop topic helps participants learn the 10 essential elements for structuring a Vested agreement. The session gives real examples of some of the best practices for closing gaps in each of the 10 contractual elements. This workshop provides an excellent platform for a full-day workshop when a team wants to get up to speed fast.

Roadmapping RealPlay^® Exercise

(1 – 4 hours)

This workshop is ideal for those ready to get started adopting the Five Rules. This RealPlay® exercise will help your team develop a roadmap for how to close any gaps they have against the Five Rules. Many teams combine this workshop topic with the Deep Dive: How to Structure a Vested Agreement workshop.

Ask the Expert Open Discussion/Dialogue

(30 min – ??)

Is your group curious? Lots of questions? An open discussion/dialogue session is ideal to:

• Challenge the concept (“have you seen it work when…”)
• Address key concerns (“what do we do if….”)
• Brainstorm ideas (“what do you think about..”)

Team members can use the University of Tennessee’s Vested Orientation or the Vested Five Rules online courses as pre-work for getting up to speed on Vested prior to the workshop. and can submit questions in advance.

Interactive Game: Winning at the Game of Buying and Selling

(75 min – 2 hours)

This interactive game is an excellent way for teams to physically “see” the pitfalls of traditional buyer-supplier relationships. Team members will learn firsthand the power of creating a true win-win buyer-supplier agreement. The game is an excellent addition to larger team meetings where organizations want to expose team members to the power of creating win-win relationships.

Compatibility and Trust^® (CaT) Assessment Workshop

(2 – 8 hour RealPlay® exercise)

This workshop creates an open and transparent dialogue sure to kick-start a different discussion leading to a more transparent and trusting relationship. Teams complete an online and anonymous Compatibility and Trust survey prior to the workshop. The workshop shares the results and facilitates the group on how to align on gaps in trust, transparency, and compatibility—essential foundations for any successful relationship.

Deep Dive: Request for Partner

(2 – 8 hours)

Getting to a Vested agreement requires a more collaborative and transparent approach than used in a traditional Request for Proposal. This session provides an overview and discussion of how to change the lens of how you pick a partner, outlining a step-by-step approach for incorporating collaborative touch points with suppliers where potential partners develop a solution designed around the Vested Five Rules. We share a case study to show how Vancouver Coastal Health applied a collaborative “request for partner” process to enable Canada’s first-ever Vested deal. Some organizations choose an interactive RealPlay® session where the team develops the high-level roadmap for their RFP.

Sourcing Business Model – In Theory

(1 – 6 hours)

Sourcing Business Model theory first emerged in 2011 when researchers at the University of Tennessee suggested that sourcing should be thought of as a “system” that created a “business model” between the buyer and supplier. In 2015, researchers released the book Strategic Sourcing in the New Economy: Harnessing the Potential of Sourcing Business Models for Modern Procurement detailing seven sourcing business models and how to craft them. The book has been widely endorsed and is now being adopted as “the gold standard” for teaching category segmentation by the Sourcing Industry Group and NEVI, the Dutch Association for Procurement. This session will provide an overview of Sourcing Business Model Theory—including the why and what. The session can be combined with a detailed RealPlay® session—Sourcing Business Models in Practice.

Business Models Mapping – In Practice

(RealPlay® session typically taking 2 – 4 hours per spend category)

Not sure if Vested is right for your situation? This interactive working session allows team members to create a Sourcing Business Model “map” which helps team members identify the most appropriate Sourcing Business Model for their situation. This exercise is ideal for real teams that have a real sourcing initiative. For existing supplier relationships, ideally, the buying organizations and their supplier complete the exercise together. The time is based on the number of attendees and the number of functions/companies completing the exercise (e.g., the buyer and supplier working on the same deal will take longer than just getting the buyer’s perspective).

About the University of Tennessee Research

(5 min – 1 hour presentation)

Many organizations like to include a brief 5-10 minute overview about the University of Tennessee’s research into Vested and Sourcing Business Model theory—especially if they are trying to build credibility within their organization that Vested and Sourcing Business Model theory is not just a ‘fad.” Typical questions are:

• Which companies have applied Vested in X spend category?
• Which companies have applied Vested in my industry?
• Which companies participated in the research?

Readiness RealPlay® Exercise

(30 minute – 2 hour RealPlay® exercise)

Not sure if your organization is ready to make the shift to a Vested relationship? This interactive RealPlay® session allows your team to identify and discuss the six key “readiness” factors essential for moving forward. Workshop length depends on the level of pre-work done prior to the workshop.

Alignment Workshop

(1.5 – day RealPlay® exercise)

An Alignment Exercise is ideal for helping organizations think about  “what is next” for their relationship. Often Alignment workshops are combined with a Compatibility and Trust Assessment or a Deep Dive into How to Structure a Vested Agreement, where the team identifies structural flaws in their existing relationship that are holding them back or creating friction within the relationship.

Stakeholder Analysis

(30 minutes – 2 hours)

A stakeholder analysis is a perfect exercise to combine with a barrier-busting and readiness exercise. Use the information revealed in one or both of these exercises to help you begin your stakeholder analysis.