Story originally appeared in the Wall Street Journal on June 19, 2020, produced in partnership with WSJ Custom Content. Excerpts from the story below. To see the full story visit WSJ.com.

For most manufacturers, retailers and distributors, the performance of the supply network drives significant costs, impacting the performance of the business. Across the supply network, common themes have emerged, from the explosion of e-commerce to the need for real-time visibility, and ultimately a synchronized and resilient supply chain.

Achieving that synchronization with its customer base and resiliency, however, can be a challenge, requiring broad coordination throughout the organization. “In leading companies there’s a much tighter linkage between the financial plans and the operating plans than there had been in the past,” says Steve Mehltretter, lead Americas partner for Kearney’s strategic operations practice.

Understanding how successful companies get there means looking inside the modern C-suite.