It’s May 3 – election day for 131 English local authorities, all 32 in Scotland and 21 in Wales, plus the London mayoral contest and two others in Liverpool and Salford.
Over the next few days, political pundits will pour over the results. What if it was actually the general election – who would win? How much were local issues at play? And what do the results mean for the future career of leader X?
Of course, it’s impossible to predict at this stage. But one thing’s for certain: The turnout among voters will be massively short of 100%. In fact, for local council elections it usually hovers around a paltry 30%. This is blamed on voter apathy and a stack of other reasons.
There are options for change. Firstly, the tyrannical one of forcing people to vote (usually for one candidate). Let’s forget that. But, in recent years, governments have used more subtle approaches such as introducing postal voting and pilot schemes for Internet voting. No big upturn in numbers just yet.
Of course, the politician that gets elected with just 30% turnout doesn’t complain.
But in areas of business, getting everyone’s buy-in is essential. Take the introduction of a purchase-to-pay (P2P) system for instance. If a buying organisation has 500 important suppliers, then ideally 100% of them should be on board with P2P.
The success of getting their ‘vote’ can make or break a P2P system – and will help decide whether buying organisations will achieve their hoped-for savings and return on investment. What good is flashy procurement interface and a slick invoice processing system if suppliers simply ignore them?
What’s vital is proper engagement with suppliers. Good communications, explaining how they gain too. And a range of easy-to-use, flexible ways for them to sell their items and submit invoices easily – regardless of their company’s size and IT know-how.
If you get that right, then your P2P system will be voted in - by a landslide.
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