Tanya W.’s framework describes individual evolution. The archive shows why most never make the climb.
Tanya W. published a framework this week that maps the four levels of procurement professionals — from Order Taker to Transformation Engine. Her insight is sharp:
“I’ve seen junior buyers work at a higher level than entire leadership teams.”
She’s right. Level is not title. Level is posture, curiosity, and willingness to ask better questions.
But her framework assumes practitioners can evolve through individual effort — posture shifts, better questions, small habits compounded over time.
The data suggests something more uncomfortable.
We’ve known what Level 4 looks like for nearly two decades.
We haven’t systematically invested in building it.
The Organizational Readiness Problem
Between 2013 and 2015, CPO confidence in their teams’ capabilities dropped from 48% to 38%. Meanwhile, only 3.2% of organizations invested more than 1% of their budgets in talent development.
Read that again.
CPOs don’t believe their teams have the skills. And they’re not investing to close the gap. As a side note, yesterday’s Procurement Insights post, 85% Aren’t Ready. So, Why Does the Industry Keep Selling? reported that CIOs believe only 15% of their teams are AI-ready.
A practitioner can’t evolve to Level 4 if:
- Their organization rewards Level 1 behavior
- Leadership doesn’t believe in their team’s capability
- Investment in development stays below 1%
What Happens When Levels Collide?
What happens when a Level 4 practitioner lands in a Level 1 organization?
They get ignored. Undermined. Burned out.
Or they leave.
Or they regress to survive.
Tanya’s framework describes individual readiness — what the practitioner is capable of becoming.
The missing layer is organizational readiness — whether the culture, governance, and investment exist to support that evolution.
Both have to align. Otherwise, the fires keep burning, no matter how evolved the individual.
The Bottom Line
Tanya’s 4 Levels should be paired with a readiness question:
“What level of practitioner does this organization currently support? What level does their initiative require? What’s the gap?”
If you deploy Level 4 technology in a Level 1 organization with Level 2 practitioners, you will achieve an 80% failure rate.
Individual evolution matters. But it’s only half the equation.
The other half is whether the organization is ready to receive it.
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ADDITIONAL REFERENCE LINKS:
Procurement Insights
The Missing Layer in Procurement’s 4 Levels
Posted on December 10, 2025
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Tanya W.’s framework describes individual evolution. The archive shows why most never make the climb.
Tanya W. published a framework this week that maps the four levels of procurement professionals — from Order Taker to Transformation Engine. Her insight is sharp:
She’s right. Level is not title. Level is posture, curiosity, and willingness to ask better questions.
But her framework assumes practitioners can evolve through individual effort — posture shifts, better questions, small habits compounded over time.
The data suggests something more uncomfortable.
We’ve known what Level 4 looks like for nearly two decades.
We haven’t systematically invested in building it.
The Organizational Readiness Problem
Between 2013 and 2015, CPO confidence in their teams’ capabilities dropped from 48% to 38%. Meanwhile, only 3.2% of organizations invested more than 1% of their budgets in talent development.
Read that again.
CPOs don’t believe their teams have the skills. And they’re not investing to close the gap. As a side note, yesterday’s Procurement Insights post, 85% Aren’t Ready. So, Why Does the Industry Keep Selling? reported that CIOs believe only 15% of their teams are AI-ready.
A practitioner can’t evolve to Level 4 if:
What Happens When Levels Collide?
What happens when a Level 4 practitioner lands in a Level 1 organization?
They get ignored. Undermined. Burned out.
Or they leave.
Or they regress to survive.
Tanya’s framework describes individual readiness — what the practitioner is capable of becoming.
The missing layer is organizational readiness — whether the culture, governance, and investment exist to support that evolution.
Both have to align. Otherwise, the fires keep burning, no matter how evolved the individual.
The Bottom Line
Tanya’s 4 Levels should be paired with a readiness question:
If you deploy Level 4 technology in a Level 1 organization with Level 2 practitioners, you will achieve an 80% failure rate.
Individual evolution matters. But it’s only half the equation.
The other half is whether the organization is ready to receive it.
-30-
ADDITIONAL REFERENCE LINKS:
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