--- title: "SRM: Swimming Against the Tide" description: The latest WorldCC report Enhancing Collaboration Through Effective Relationship Management highlights the critical role of effective SRM programs for both buyers and suppliers. image: https://news.worldcc.com/hubfs/Relationship-Management-WorldCC-Cover.jpg --- [![WorldCC-logo-RGB-blue-hrz](https://news.worldcc.com/hs-fs/hubfs/WorldCC%20branding/WorldCC-logo-RGB-blue-hrz.png?width=1217&height=249&name=WorldCC-logo-RGB-blue-hrz.png "WorldCC-logo-RGB-blue-hrz")](https://www.worldcc.com/) # World Commerce & Contracting # World Commerce & Contracting This is a search field with an auto-suggest feature attached. - There are no suggestions because the search field is empty. - [Research](https://www.worldcc.com/Research) - [Resources](https://www.worldcc.com/Resources) - [Learn](https://www.worldcc.com/Learn) - [Events](https://www.worldcc.com/Events) - [Membership](https://www.worldcc.com/Membership) - [Blog](https://news.worldcc.com/news-from-worldcc) This is a search field with an auto-suggest feature attached. - There are no suggestions because the search field is empty. # SRM: Swimming Against the Tide by [Tim Cummins](https://news.worldcc.com/news-from-worldcc/author/tim-cummins)   |   Jul 12, 2024 The new Enhancing Collaboration Through Effective Relationship Management report from World Commerce & Contracting confirms the value that effective SRM programs bring to both buyers and suppliers. And it also reveals that those effective programs are currently very much the exception. Our business environment has created a need for collaboration and supply security. This should enable supplier relationships to flourish, but transactional behavior remains a formidable barrier to change. The report reveals core challenges in inter-organizational dialog, compounded by internal divisions and fragmentation of roles and data. Formal SRM programs frequently struggle to reach the surface or realize their true potential in this environment. Talented individuals, desperate to bring value to their organization, are too often left swimming against the tide. So is this a thankless task, best abandoned? The success stories tell us no, and the direction of modern business and technology also point towards a more relational future. To achieve change, SRM needs to be more than an overlay. It requires focused attention from senior management to develop deep roots and alter embedded attitudes and practices. The report provides a baseline and a call to action. It also tells us that progress may be slow, but the journey is definitely worth taking. As a non-profit membership association, World Commerce & Contracting is the only independent body providing research, training and certification to SRM professionals or those performing SRM roles. Download the full report: [https://info.worldcc.com/enhancing-collaboration-through-effective-relationship-management](https://info.worldcc.com/enhancing-collaboration-through-effective-relationship-management) This post originally appeared in Commitment Matters on 4th July 2024: [https://commitmentmatters.com/](https://commitmentmatters.com/) - - - - #### About the author Tim Cummins [Follow me on my website](https://www.worldcc.com/) [Follow me on LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/tim-cummins-62248a/) Tim Cummins is President of World Commerce & Contracting and Executive Director of the Commerce & Contract Management Institute. He is also a former Professor in the School of Law at the University of Leeds. For 25 years, Tim has led research and the development of standards for the Commercial and Contract Management discipline, an achievement that was recognised by the Financial Times ‘Market Shaper of the Year’ award in 2019. Over that time, he was instrumental in developing the world’s only global non-profit association dedicated to Commercial and Contract Management and continues to work with its 80,000 members in both public and private sector to improve the quality and integrity of trading relationships. Tim’s inspiration came from a career in Finance and Commercial Management, spanning multiple industries and countries and providing insight into the critical role that commercial innovation plays in delivering business and social value. Topics:   [Contract Management](https://news.worldcc.com/news-from-worldcc/tag/contract-management) ,   [SRM](https://news.worldcc.com/news-from-worldcc/tag/srm) ,   [Relationship Management](https://news.worldcc.com/news-from-worldcc/tag/relationship-management) ### Related posts [WorldCC and Resolutiion Partner to Power AI Innovation for the Global Commercial and Contract Management Community](https://news.worldcc.com/news-from-worldcc/worldcc-and-resolutiion-partner-to-power-ai-innovation-for-the-global-commercial-and-contract-management-community) [Do WorldCC Certifications Matter?](https://news.worldcc.com/news-from-worldcc/do-worldcc-certifications-matter) [Contracting: The Overlooked Source of Procurement Value](https://news.worldcc.com/news-from-worldcc/contracting-the-overlooked-source-of-procurement-value) [The View From Here: Turning 2025's Insights Into 2026's Impact](https://news.worldcc.com/news-from-worldcc/a-year-of-growth-and-excellence-in-contract-management) [Stop the Leakage: WorldCC Report Provides Blueprint for Recovering 5.4% of Contract Value](https://news.worldcc.com/news-from-worldcc/stop-the-leakage-worldcc-report-provides-blueprint-for-recovering-5.4-of-contract-value) [![WorldCC-logo-white-hrz-1](https://news.worldcc.com/hs-fs/hubfs/WorldCC%20branding/WorldCC-logo-white-hrz-1.png?width=400&height=82&name=WorldCC-logo-white-hrz-1.png "WorldCC-logo-white-hrz-1")](https://news.worldcc.com/)   © 2025 World Commerce & Contracting |  [Privacy Policy](https://www.worldcc.com/privacy) [317.234.5678](tel:317-234-5678) © 2023 Apex Events  |  Privacy Policy ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Tim Cummins", "url" : "https://news.worldcc.com/news-from-worldcc/author/tim-cummins" }, "dateModified" : "2024-07-12T15:20:48.827Z", "datePublished" : "2024-07-12T15:20:48.000Z", "headline" : "SRM: Swimming Against the Tide", "image" : [ "https://news.worldcc.com/hubfs/Relationship-Management-WorldCC-Cover.jpg" ], "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://news.worldcc.com/news-from-worldcc/srm-swimming-against-the-tide", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://news.worldcc.com/hubfs/WorldCC%20branding/WorldCC-logo-RGB-blue-vrt.png" }, "name" : "World Commerce & Contracting" } } ```