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T H OU GHT L E A D E R SHIP

Supply chain peak

performance: HI vs AI

By Chantal Kading, Managing Director, The People Shop
The key to supply chain success is to automate value chains, not tasks, to integrate your
artificial intelligence (AI) through human intelligence (HI).

hat if it is possible that one day our children and numeracy are systematically measured and graded,
may live in an era of technological dictatorships but resilience, empathy and teamwork are not. Due to this
W – implanted computer chips that read and perception, a change of terminology has been proposed from
monitor our thoughts, where our every move is tracked ‘soft skills’ to ‘essential skills’, ‘complex skills’ and ‘human
by facial recognition and an algorithmic obedience system capabilities.’
deployed by governments throughout the world?
With technology rapidly changing, hard skills become
In this dystopian future, our leaders would use artificial obsolete even faster. According to Harvard Business Review,
intelligence (AI) to decide if we could receive welfare, the best way to make organisations more data-centric and
education, medical care or even food. In an everything- digital is to invest in people who are most adaptable, curious
automated world, most people would be without work in and flexible in the first place. Just as supply chain has been
an economy of digital exclusion. Only a small percentage of the essential service during the pandemic, so these essential
humans on earth would be digitally equipped to function in skill sets are taking centre stage in the future of work.
the economy. Such a future is possible if we do not control
and regulate technology in our current age. So argues Johan Future peak performance is paved with mental
Steyn, an AI and automation thought leader. and emotional grit and cemented by the social art of
communication, reskilling and integrating your four human
Is this what we are building through today’s business intelligences:
automation craving? Are we creating our own demise by Agility quotient (AQ) is about mindset, the ability to
dehumanising each other with boardroom acronyms such as deal with adversity, persevere and place oneself in optimum
full-time equivalent (FTE), like our fellow citizens are merely position.
headcount, a general consumable, expendable? Emotional quotient (EQ) is the ability to recognise
and manage one’s own emotions as well as the emotions of
If hindsight is 2020, we need to apply foresight in others with resilience and flexibility.
2022 and apply responsible AI or we will land humanity in Social quotient (SQ) determines how well we interact
the wrong ICU – time for CPR. The difference between AI with others. Communication is an art and influence requires
and humans is heart. Our heart holds the code to human attentive listening and empathetic feedback.
intelligence – when we connect, become present and Intellectual quotient (IQ) is the original intelligence
receptive, we can reimagine the future. measure that is a fixed number based on numeracy and
literacy.
The skills of the future are not more technology
and hard skills; these are empty without soft skills. The Should we continue to focus on profit at all costs and
World Economic Forum Future Skills list for 2025 largely efficiency at human cost? We will end up in business ICU. The
comprises the soft stuff such as critical thinking, flexibility, key is to automate value chains, not tasks, to integrate your
resilience, emotional intelligence, complex problem solving artificial intelligence through human intelligence. We can L O GI S T I CS NEWS
and originality. Soft skills were traditionally perceived as gain exponential results, inspire our community and unify
inferior to hard skills because they were difficult to quantify a legacy of possibility, supplying a sustainable future our
and measure. At school level, hard skills such as literacy grandchildren will be grateful for and thrive in. •

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