Local vs Global Won’t Decide Who Wins – Tech Talent Will 

Speaking to leaders across industries in recent weeks, the Zero100 team keeps hearing questions related to a common theme: What is the best org structure for end-to-end supply chains? It's one we hear time and again, no matter the geopolitical climate, uncertainty, or fast-evolving tech.   

Conventional wisdom speaks to capability at the core and flexibility at the edges. And we've talked about this ourselves for years, in the form of the STAR model.  The framework isn’t new, but it remains a sticking point for ops and supply chain leaders. Why? 

Possibly because we’ve been asking the wrong question.  

Instead of What is the right org model?, we should ask: What’s the right org model for right now? This forces us to consider what the business needs to deliver and where it is on the digital transformation journey. 

In other words, the context of tech maturity and broader goals affect the ideal org structure, enabling companies to capture economies of scale as well as local responsiveness.

Global vs Local vs Relative Value

New Zero100 data explores how global/local tensions shift with digital maturity.

Early in the transformation journey, for example, centralization is a strong and necessary step. There needs to be unity: global roles, common platforms, a cohesive strategy. The relative value of standardization is high at this stage because building the foundation is critical. 

As a company matures, the equation shifts. Once you have solid data foundations and integrated platforms in place, each additional step toward centralization delivers less benefit. What matters more is local autonomy and speed – flexibility to be able to adapt to market-specific nuances, build operations infrastructure for a segmented consumer base, and outpace competitors.  

Zooming In on Tech Talent

To evaluate tech talent holistically, we analyzed technical skills using our Wizard/Citizen/Translator framework. Wizards – the most technical experts who build platforms and other core capabilities – remain a key part of the digital maturity equation and typically sit at the global level, even as maturity increases. 

It’s a different story for Translators and Citizens. While this talent may sit globally, they must connect to and serve regional and business unit goals.  

In a recent Zero100 survey of 14,000 consumers across seven countries – results we’ll share in a report next week – we found that every region contains multiple distinct customer segments. Brands that win market share build holistic operations strategies that attract and retain these segments by understanding how different consumers respond to different offers across regions. The takeaway? Regional consideration from Citizens and Translators is invaluable.  

How Much Tech Talent to Hire

While technically enabled talent drives and sustains digital transformation at scale, recruiting and developing it is one of the biggest barriers.  

Our recent analysis of the FMCG industry shows companies in the top quartile of digital maturity invest nearly 2x more in Wizards than their peers – and they globalize these teams. P&G, Nike, Nestle, and Walmart are among the top quartile here. 

But where does regional placement make sense?  

The data proves that some IT roles perform best locally, including regional cybersecurity offices (for regional compliance and local threat response), network engineers (for on-site hardware and local network management), and service desk analysts (for end-user support in local languages and time zones).   

So… What Should You Do?

1. Start by building a global Wizard hub. These technical experts build platforms that scale – and it’s a critical maturity ingredient.
2. Then establish a product-based digital operating model with named product owners, roadmaps co-shaped with business units, and shared metrics.
3. Hard-code hybrid governance. Global builds platforms and capabilities; business units activate them locally. And tie decision rights and incentives to product adoption.
4. Integrate supply chain into segmented consumer value propositions regionally. Your supply chain delivery needs to flex to support what matters in each market.
5. Invest in regional Citizen and Translator capacity. These roles bridge global platforms and local needs. While hard to recruit for and develop, they’re vital.

The companies that win won't be the most centralized or decentralized. They'll be the ones that make the tension productive – using global scale to enable local speed and segmentation, rather than constrain it.