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Associate Professor of Supply Chain Management

Steven Carnovale

Dr. Carnovale is an Associate Professor of Supply Chain Management at Florida Atlantic University and Co-Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Purchasing and Supply Management. He has previously held positions at the Rochester Institute of Technology and Portland State University. Specializing in interfirm networks, risk management, and global sourcing, Dr. Carnovale's research has been published in numerous journals. Before academia, he co-founded a marketing strategy firm and worked in various roles in the IT and marketing sectors.

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Contributor Brief·Steven Carnovale · 2 articles
Updated May 9, 2024

Counterintuitive efficiency: remove friction to unlock hidden value

Carnovale argues that operational leaders consistently miss competitive advantage by optimizing for cost reduction rather than customer experience friction. His thesis across both logistics and retail is that removing barriers to transactions—whether anticipating disruptions or enabling easy returns—paradoxically generates revenue and efficiency gains that cost-cutting alone cannot achieve.

$billions

lost by retailers annually on returns management

“Making returns easier turns returns into revenue, not just cost recovery.”

Returns Cost Retailers Billions (2023)

Strategic priorities: traditional cost-focused vs. friction-reduction approach

Cost minimization mindset1
Anticipatory disruption prevention2
Frictionless customer experience2
Prescriptive operational optimization3

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13%Cost minimization
Cost minimization mindset
Anticipatory disruption prevention
Frictionless customer experience
Prescriptive operational optimization

2

distinct industries where friction removal unlocks hidden revenue

Advanced analytics enable leaders to anticipate disruptions before they cascade.

Predictive and Prescriptive Analytics Open Up a New Frontier (2024)

The counterintuitive path to profitability lies in making returns even easier.

Returns Cost Retailers Billions (2023)

“Frictionless processes convert cost centers into competitive revenue engines.”

Themes:Friction removal as hidden revenue driverPredictive capability over reactive cost controlCustomer experience as operational efficiency lever

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