The Gartner Supply Chain Podcast

Host Thomas O’Connor and Gartner VP Analyst Dwight Klappich dive into Dwight’s Predicts 2024: Supply Chain Technology, a set of five predictions for growth and change in supply chain technology between 2026 and 2028.

Thomas and Dwight explore the value these predictions hold, the research that drives them and the broad challenges they address, particularly in regards to workforce and talent management. They take close looks at two key predictions surrounding smart robots and employee engagement tools, respectively, then close the show with a review of past predictions in supply chain technology.

This episode explores:

• The value of Predicts 2024: Supply Chain Technology. (1:13)
• How Predicts 2024: Supply Chain Technology addresses broad challenges like geopolitical uncertainty, talent strain and improved customer outcomes. (2:39)
• A deep dive into the prediction that smart robots will outnumber frontline workers in manufacturing, retail and logistics by 2028. (9:04)
• Why 40% of large warehouse operations will deploy employee engagement tools by 2028. (13:09)
• A review of both accurate and inaccurate past predictions. (19:23)

This episode explores:

• An overview of this year’s Power of the Profession award categories and the connecting themes that its submissions shared. (1:43)
• Notable differences in the content of this year’s submissions. (4:09)
• Winners in each of the four categories. (5:15)
• Advice for innovating in organizations that are “just trying to keep the lights on.” (11:50)

Host Lindsay Azim and Gartner VP analyst Maria Nieradka discuss this year’s Power of the Profession Supply Chain Awards, including its winners, standout entrants and prevailing themes. They explore the supply chain industry’s greater focus on people-centric investments this year, smaller organizations driving innovation and how manufacturing prevailed across topics and categories. Lindsay and Maria close the show with recommendations for supply chain leaders using innovation as a means to meet enterprise goals.

About the Guest

Maria Nieradka is a vice president, analyst in Gartner’s supply chain practice, providing research insights, advice and thought leadership to life sciences clients. Her research coverage includes supply chain strategy, environmental, social and governance (ESG), risk management, mergers and acquisitions and diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). Based on previous experience as a chief supply chain officer, she provides expertise in end-to-end supply chain practices with deep knowledge in planning, procurement, manufacturing and distribution. Maria leads Gartner’s Power of the Profession program. She served on Gartner Supply Chain’s Executive Advisory Board through 2021.

In this podcast, host Thomas O’Connor and guest Tom Enright ask the question: Are we navigating a less global world? They explore, using real world examples, how the definition and concept of globalization is being rewritten while the formation of trading blocs and country alliances are forcing change within global supply chains. Reforming them into more purposeful, directional and geographically specific models. The discussion closes out by identifying four key actions that supply chain leaders need to take as they look to lead their organizations through a world that will continue to feel less global in how it trades, while achieving the goals of global growth.

Gartner clients can access the research report associated with this podcast at: https://www.gartner.com/document/4001081

This episode explores:

• The concept of antifragile supply chains and thriving due to uncertainty. (00:44)
• Supply chains are on a spectrum of coping with uncertainty from a state of fragile to resilient to antifragile. (3:12)
• How supply chains respond to uncertainty depending on where they are on the spectrum of fragile to resilient to antifragile. (5:48)
• Insight from organizations already on the path to supply chain antifragility. (11:39)
• Advice for listeners on how to get started on their journey to supply chain antifragility. (17:56)

Host Thomas O’Connor and Gartner research vice president Tim Payne discuss findings from the Executive Report: The Antifragile Supply Chain - Thriving Under Uncertainty, a report that proposes a paradigm shift towards managing uncertainty in supply chain organizations.

Tim, author of the report, dives deep into how the majority of supply chains’ approach to uncertainty is fragile, and ultimately rooted in preventing major losses from uncertainty. These organizations are protective of stability, and build their supply chains for redundancy and efficiency. However, shifting towards an “antifragile” mindset allows supply chain organizations to convert uncertainty into business growth and competitive advantage.

Thomas and Tim close the show with recommendations for supply chain leaders interested in pursuing this antifragile mindset, including how and where to begin the process.

This episode explores:

• Reasons behind the emphasis on frontline workers right now (1:00)
• How chief supply chain officers (CSCOs) can juggle frontline work challenges and approach redesigning the frontline workforce at their organizations (2:18)
• How CSCOs design their frontline workforces depending on their appetite for change, and whether they view their workforce as a tool or a cornerstone (5:45)
• The different futures of the frontline workforce, with insight from real-world examples (7:30)
• Recommendations for CSCOs on the future of frontline work (20:05)

Host Caroline Chumakov and guest Emily Rose McRae discuss the call to action for redesigning frontline work and what the human-technology interface should look like for frontline employees going forward.

Many CSCOs recognize the need to augment their frontline workforces and to deal with the frontline talent shortage but are unsure of the right approach to take when redesigning frontline work. Emily Rose walks through four potential futures of frontline work and shares examples of the human-technology relationship in each.

Emily Rose McRae leads the Future of Work and Talent Analytics research teams in Gartner’s HR practice. While Emily Rose works across all issues that can lead to the future of work, her core areas of focus include emerging technologies and their impact on work and the workforce, new employment models, market and demographic shifts, and workforce planning to anticipate and prepare for these changes. Prior to joining Gartner, Emily Rose worked in management consulting and international development, providing data science support to U.S. government loan programs and microfinance projects in Fiji and Tonga.