As many countries gradually inch back to some form of normalcy after the Covid-19 lockdown, there might be a temptation to just gloss over the systemic threats that appeared at the outbreak of the pandemic. The restrictions on free movement and shut down of production and economic activities means traditional management structures and chains of commands need re-evaluation, and we may see more de-centralized organizational models starting to emerge. We are seeing that Global Sourcing is being challenged by populist overtones, as was seen with as Japan’s call for a decoupling of Japanese companies from China.

Organizations can neither influence the public health responses to the pandemic, nor can they change societal structures by themselves. But they can prepare for the restart of the economy and, what appears to be even more important, for any potential second wave of Covid-19 or other pandemic threats. Suffice it to say, the implications of all this are immense. Much boils down to the question of whether we need new playbooks for sourcing to prepare for the unknown.

In this interview moderated by Tom Reuner, Head of Strategy, Arago, Avasant’s Srinivas Krishna (Partner and Global Lead EMEA Region) shares his experiences and points of view on the sourcing challenges amidst COVID-19, and has provided some actionable insights for organizations to navigate through this unprecedented time. Srinivas shares his insights on:

How the discussions with clients during the Covid-19 pandemic are different given that the industry has not faced anything comparable.
Whether we need new playbooks for sourcing.
How to guide clients on Intelligent Automation and Digital Labor in these pandemic times.
The end goal which clients should prepare their operations for.