Blog
Untapped potential: getting the most out of people and technology
As the role of technology in supply chains continues to evolve, where does human expertise fit into the equation? How are supply chain professionals expected to adapt their skillsets to complement digital solutions and leverage their expertise? Is there really a role for human expertise in the supply chains of the future?
The use of technology begs a lot of questions, the answers for which are necessary and pressing. Technology obviously plays a dominant role in all walks of business life, but there’s still a requirement for human expertise – you just have to find the right balance.
And if the last two years have shown us anything, it is just how valuable human expertise still is to supply chains – which goes some way to answering questions about the role of supply professionals in the future. The overnight adaptation of businesses required to cope with COVID accelerated digitisation, creating lasting impacts, many of which are positive – but it also underscored the vital role a human touch plays.
Adding value
Striking the balance is nuanced. You need enough technology to keep up with market demand, but also enough expertise to get the most from digital investments. The pace of technological developments means striking that balance is somewhat of a moving target, but if we keep in mind that technology should add value across all aspects of the business then we have a sound starting point.
Using AI and automation, for example, can empower teams to solve complex problems and better manage processes. Both technologies are becoming standard practise, and their use for gathering data, performing routine tasks, and identifying trends means the relationship between human and machine is at an inflection point.
It’s now pretty simple to leverage the best technology has to offer to make better, more informed decisions and to adapt strategy for a better future. However, the role of the skilled professional in this equation remains as crucial as ever, simply because data needs an expert eye to analyse, interpret and present it in meaningful ways; and creativity is something machines have yet to master.
Getting skills right
With advances in AI, it’s easy to forget that people are at the heart of the supply chain and that they are crucial to building and maintaining long-term relationships. To that end, they offer a competitive advantage over just a data driven approach. Moreover, they’re better than technology when used in the right role. It’s why I believe that tech should be a tool, and not the overall system.
Technology is of course critical to modern supply chains, but when complications arise it is skilled professionals that think, react and adapt to keep businesses going. It begs the question, then, how do we skill current and future generations to work alongside tech and get the most from it?
The influx of digital tools into the workplace can feel overwhelming; its common for workforces to correlate digitisation with redundancy and to fear it adoption – that’s something we must guard against, because the expertise of skilled workers will always be necessary.
In that context, communication is arguably the most crucial skill future generations will need – and it’s one that machines won’t truly be able to replace. Collaboration, the ability to sell and persuade, to influence and most importantly to lead all have effective communication as their bases.
Developing those as core competencies in current and future workforces is essential because those aspects of business will always remain – simply because human interaction is the most efficient and direct way to deal in business – and in business, as in life, it’s what we expect.
Fertile edges
Data analysis has become an endemic skill for the modern professional. It’s crucial not only for the success of their organisations but also for their career; building competency therefore is essential for both parties.
We know that data is only useful if you can act on it; its distillation into actionable take aways defines modern business (and those of the future too) and how they operate. It’s a process that leverages the speed and accuracy of technology and the expertise and creativity of people – and it also gives us an indication of how we should approach the relationship between human and machine.
The point of technology is to enable, to improve and to optimise processes that are time consuming. As supply chains grow longer and more complex, the digital tools we use can provide greater visibility, improve transparency and enhance responsiveness. It is within those parameters that we need to develop our workforces – to capitalise on the gains that technology helps us to make and to raise standards across the board.
Developing a fundamental understanding of supply chain science is crucial to that. Equipping our workforces with a root and branch understanding of how supply chains work is the foundation on which evolution can take place. It provides the basis from which we can apply insight from data and human creativity to solve problems and forge new ways of working.
I’ve said before that today’s cutting-edge technologies are islands of excellence that are stepping stones to something better, bigger and bolder: enhanced supply chains. They will raise the standard and performance of your operation, provided they are aligned to your strategy.
However, there’s little doubt in my mind that to get the best from your technology you have to leverage the vast and often untapped potential of supply chain professionals. The combination of industry-leading expertise and cutting-edge technology is a potent mix – and it’s open to everyone.
The people that populate your workforce are not fixed or static entities – they’re quite the opposite. Harnessing their agility, intelligence and adaptability should be a priority for every organisation that is serious about evolving their supply chains, and their organisation as whole.
