Warehouse tech relies on human leadership
Technology can streamline tasks, save time, and do the heavy lifting, but robots are unlikely to replace the need for human leadership anytime soon. In fact, as supply chain veteran Will Quinn writes in Leading with Purpose in the Age of Automation, real people are the linchpin to any warehouse tech strategy.
“AI can sort data. WMS platforms can route efficiently. Robots can lift more than any human. But none of it means a thing if your team doesn’t trust the direction or the person giving it,” Quinn writes in his article for Distribution Strategy Group. You can have the best tools money can buy, but they still need someone to lead the way. That's where you come in."
“Automation” doesn’t necessarily denote technology that can be plugged into an operation and expected to work without oversight. Similarly, machines or systems with artificial intelligence (AI) aren’t guaranteed to make the “smartest” decisions based on your operations and workforce.
These are increasingly valuable tools, but they still require people to keep them on track. That begins with building trust, says Quinn, who recalls implementing "voice picking" on a warehouse floor only to find that, while the solution should have boosted efficiency and safety, the workers weren't buying in. "The pushback wasn’t really about technology; it was about trust,” he writes. “We couldn’t get traction until we slowed down, explained the ‘why,’ and let early adopters lead the way. But the resistance started to melt once we invited people into the process.”
The same resistance was felt when introducing “cobots” to another warehouse, he continues. It was an investment meant to free workers up for more productive tasks, but instead made them fear for their jobs. Once again, leadership was key to the investment: “We didn’t ignore the tension. We talked about it, answered questions, and showed how the bots would support the team, not replace it,” says Quinn. “Fast-forward a few weeks, and the results speak for themselves: higher throughput, less physical strain, and no more overloaded pack stations. The cobots were a win but only worked because the people were still at the center.”
These are increasingly familiar stories in warehouses across the industries. As new, more automated, and smarter tools enter the process, companies are recognizing that it takes more than simply "flicking the switch" on their high-tech investment to achieve a return. True technological transformation pivots on leaders who can lead with purpose, drive collaboration, coach through resistance, inspire commitment, and keep the human workforce engaged and inspired. These are skills that even the most sophisticated machines can't beat humans at, at least for now.
As Quinn adds: “AI, cobots, WMS, LMS, OMS, WES, YMS: whatever acronym we invent next, they’re all tools, just like a forklift. They help you do more with less strain. But they’ll never replace the need for leadership. And if your people don’t feel like part of the process? It won’t matter how fancy the system is. You’ll be solving the same problems, only with shinier tools.”
Read the full article, Leading with Purpose in the Age of Automation, at Distribution Strategy Group.
Back to Newsletters
