TECHNOLOGY
The future of workforces : Human-Machine convergence Rose thinks that the role of machines within the digital workforce will undoubtedly , only increase . “ The relentless pressure on business to do more with less , the hunger for ever more data to drive better decision making and the need to operate at increasing pace supports a greater demand for machines ,” he says .
“ We can expect to see machines take on more high value add activity , increasingly advising on , and taking critical business decisions . For example , we can expect this when making sourcing decisions in realtime based on huge and complex data sets ( market , political , economic , weather , supplier , etc .), that would ordinarily take humans weeks to analyse .
“ The lines between human and machineled tasks will become increasingly blurred such that the experience will be seamless . For example , with machines , procurement professionals , and business stakeholders working collaboratively and seamlessly to build and manage supply strategies .”
As opposed to a threat , Rose sees major opportunities in the emerging world before us . He says : “ All this sums up to an exciting opportunity for procurement to add more business value . Procurement functions that embrace this new digital workforce will thrive – those that don ’ t , will struggle to survive .”
Matthew Rose leads the Procurement Transformation practice at KPMG in the UK . He has worked extensively with Fortune 500 businesses to transform procurement capability through people , process and technology . A recurring theme across these transformation programmes has been the importance of a workforce equipped to harness the opportunity that digital presents .
72 May 2023