Building Supply Chain Resiliency by Changing the Way Work is Done
As analytics and automation continue to grow, the industry will continue changing, including building out specialized roles and strengthening partner relationships. Here’s how to adjust roles for the current supply chain workforce.
Building resiliency in today’s supply network requires multifaceted solutions. Adopting the latest technologies is one increasingly common approach businesses are using to address modern logistics challenges – such as operational efficiency and carbon footprints. As analytics and automation continue to grow, the industry will continue changing, including building out specialized roles and strengthening partner relationships.
Adjust Roles for the Current Workforce
In the last several years, we’ve watched the labor market shift where Gen Z workers outpace Baby Boomers for the first time while Millennials and Gen X still make up the largest share. This change in the talent pool requires businesses to approach roles differently to fill in-demand jobs with modern skill sets.
As professionals increasingly bring more technical skills to the table, thanks to their immersion in the digital age, supply chain leaders have the opportunity to accelerate innovation and data-driven capabilities. Further, when strategic hiring is combined with the upskilling of existing talent, an organization can establish a future-forward culture.
In practice, this looks like creating new roles and career pathways that solve current and future logistics challenges. For example, organizations can explore positions focused on tracking and tracing supply chain assets to optimize network visibility or staff an automation technician to oversee advanced warehouse solutions that streamline pallet sortation, repair, and loading.
The introduction of new skills into the workforce benefits both the organization and its employees while building business resiliency. Offering a supportive and challenging work environment can improve job satisfaction through professional development, and enabling the cross-pollination of skills can help teams build a broader understanding of the total enterprise.
Foster Knowledge Sharing with Partners
Strengthening employee skills can also drive results outside an organization’s walls through knowledge–sharing with partners. When looking at Deloitte’s 2023 Global Chief Procurement Officer (CPO) survey, 61% of respondents believed that increasing supplier collaboration is their top strategy to deliver value. This means businesses with specialized talent are more valuable to their customers.
One way to consider the benefits of partnership for both parties is when they share similar values and can lean into each other’s expertise. For instance, two companies that prioritize sustainability can bring together specialized and skilled people from both sides to engage directly and problem solve.
When organizations think differently and collaborate effectively, resiliency and innovation naturally follow.