I summed up my views on the topic of ways of working, post pandemic, and the impact of AI and automation on our daily lives during  The Procurement Show recently. There were three headlines:- RATE, RESPONSE and REGIME.

1. RATE 

1. We will face an unprecedented rate of change and growth in the uptake of automation and AI over the next 5 years. 
2. Procurement professionals will be faced with the ideology of pivot or perish. This means that we will have to integrate and collaborate with automation, to excel in our roles going forward, and seize the opportunity to become more strategic advisors as a result.
3. CPOs will be faced with the task of ensuring that:-

• Their staff and the business do not lose sight of the fundamental role procurement plays in an organisation which is collaborative processes and practices, supported by systems. 
• Not every task can, or should, be undertaken on the screen or remotely. Optimised hybrid working is the way forward.
• Sufficient training and education budgets are in place to upskill suppliers, procurement staff and stakeholders.
• Other change programmes within procurement and the business do not affect the uptake of the automation agenda.
• Automation is not the panacea to all of the challenges procurement faces. The business may assume it can get more procurement output with less staff . Are CPOs ready for the challenging debates with the CFO on these matters? 

2. RESPONSE 

1. It is very easy to remain unaware of the impact AI and automation has on our lives mentally, emotionally and physically. Extended time spent on the screen, both professionally and personally, can have a major impact on our quality of life. 
2. Consuming large quantities of data each day can affect sleep, mood, increase irritability and decrease attention spans.
3. Change of any type in the workplace can be daunting and leaders need to assist in educating staff on managing the upskilling programmes whilst undertaking business as usual and/or other change programmes.
4. Employees may wish to consider creating stronger boundaries around logging on and off times, to control the neurological  responses in their bodies. 

3. REGIME
   1. The smorgasbord of work systems demands that we speed up and consume more data, improve performance with less staff and deliver better strategic insights. It will continue to have an impact on our nervous systems. 
   2. Collaboration is now human to human and human to machine.
   3. CPOs are now called to define a working regimen that allows for hybrid working to support the new demands on staff. A clear plan of monthly, quarterly and annual key meetings to be on site for, as well as constant refreshers on team and individual purpose and targets will help staff navigate their way through the change cycles. 
   4. Trust your teams. Delegating output-based performance measures will help teams decide best how to conduct their daily tasks, as well as which tasks are best done face to face.
   5. CPOs will see benefits from being open and honest about the new stressors in the workplace and supporting the implementation of limited log on before 8am and after 8pm.

For more on this multifaceted debate on ways of working, post pandemic, and the impact of AI and automation on our daily lives with Jonathan O’Brien and Paul Philpott, go to the podcast  https://positivepurchasing.com/podcast-the-procurement-show/