TECH & AI
“ They need to plan their journey through several stages of development to reach digital maturity , and it ’ s a journey that has to take into account customers and suppliers , but most importantly , the workforce . Firms have to start by understanding their level of readiness for cutting-edge technology , in terms of management , organisational structures and skills .”
In Loseby ’ s experience , the problem is often that senior managers “ start from the wrong place ”.
“ More often than not , the original business case for digital transformation will be that there will be a loss of headcount ,” he says . “ But , usually , this is not true .”
He says that , although AI and ML do take over what were once labour intensive tasks
– such as contract renewals – this frees up those who once performed such tasks to be more strategic in their roles .
“ So rather than cutting headcount , automation increases value , by allowing people to focus on tasks involving ESG , and partner and customer relations ,” says Loseby .
He adds : “ The key is to acknowledge your workers ’ stake in the change process , and to give them opportunities to acquire new skills and to progress alongside the technical sophistication of the firm .
“ With AI and ML , the skill sets you ' ll need on that journey will change , so involve the people that are going to be impacted early in the process , because they will need to take ownership of whatever the end-solution might look like .” supplychaindigital . com 115