> **来源：[研报客](https://pc.yanbaoke.cn)** # 21st-Century Procurement Skills Reloaded: Summary ## Core Content The document "21st-century procurement skills reloaded" explores the transformation of the procurement function in the context of technological advancements, particularly AI, and evolving business demands. It outlines how procurement is shifting from routine, process-driven tasks to more complex, strategic, and collaborative work, emphasizing the importance of human skills in this new landscape. ## Main Viewpoints - **Procurement is evolving rapidly**: Over the past decade, procurement has undergone a structural shift, and this transformation is accelerating. By 2030, the profession is expected to be significantly different from its current form. - **AI is not replacing humans, but augmenting them**: AI is expanding the analytical capacity of procurement professionals, enabling them to focus on strategic and high-value tasks that require human judgment, influence, and collaboration. - **The human core is becoming more important**: As routine work declines, the focus of procurement is shifting toward areas that require complex problem-solving, cross-functional collaboration, and strategic foresight. - **New meta-skills are essential**: The report identifies seven key meta-skills that procurement professionals must develop to thrive in the future, including complex problem solving, collaborative intelligence, digital fluency, visionary thinking, resonance, adaptability, and self-management. ## Key Information ### 1. Procurement Toward 2030 - **Redefining the human core**: Procurement is moving away from routine tasks and toward strategic, complex, and collaborative activities. - **Cognitive Lens framework**: This two-dimensional model maps procurement tasks based on their complexity and collaboration intensity. Routine tasks are in the lower-left quadrant, while strategic, high-value tasks are in the upper-right. - **Impact of AI**: AI is enhancing the analytical reach of procurement professionals, allowing them to make better-informed decisions. ### 2. The Collapse of Routine Work - **Decline in routine tasks**: From 2019 to 2026, the proportion of time spent on routine work has dropped significantly, with many CPOs reporting less than 30% of their time on operational activities. - **Shift in task profiles**: As automation and AI take over repetitive tasks, procurement professionals are increasingly engaged in high-complexity, high-collaboration work. - **Increasing complexity**: Decisions now involve multiple dimensions such as cost, carbon, risk, and geopolitical factors, requiring more strategic thinking. ### 3. The Dual Impact of Technology - **Automation vs. augmentation**: Automation handles routine tasks, while augmentation supports strategic decision-making through AI. - **Current AI adoption**: Only 18% of companies use AI extensively in procurement by the end of 2025, but this is expected to rise to 70-90% by 2030. - **Human judgment remains central**: AI provides data and insights, but humans are needed to interpret, align, and make decisions. ### 4. New Skills Are Required - **Seven meta-skills for 2030**: 1. **Complex problem solving** 2. **Collaborative intelligence** 3. **Digital fluency** 4. **Visionary and anticipatory thinking** 5. **Capacity for change** 6. **Resonance** 7. **Self-management** - **Training and development**: These meta-skills are responsive to training and can be developed through structured programs. ### 5. Structural Implications - **Strategic orchestration**: Procurement is becoming more strategic, requiring coordination across functions and ecosystems. - **Ecosystem governance**: Supplier management is evolving into managing broader supply chain ecosystems. - **Human-AI collaboration**: AI will assist in analytical tasks, while humans will focus on strategic and relational aspects. ### 6. A Procurement Playbook - **Build a human-core skill architecture**: Focus on developing meta-skills that support strategic decision-making. - **Redesign roles**: Move from data gathering to strategic advisory roles, leveraging AI for preparatory work. - **Integrate AI as a coworker**: Deploy AI agents to handle tasks such as market monitoring, risk identification, and scenario simulation. - **Establish a decision spine**: Create a structured approach for cross-functional decision-making, including standardized templates and clear escalation routes. - **Develop resilience and regulatory intelligence**: Build capabilities to monitor and respond to geopolitical and regulatory changes. - **Enhance narrative influence**: Frame decisions effectively to align stakeholders and influence leadership. - **Create a culture of continuous change**: Encourage experimentation with AI, rapid skill development, and adaptability. ### 7. Final Words - **Human renaissance**: The future of procurement is not about machines replacing people, but about elevating human capabilities through AI. - **Strategic role**: Procurement professionals will play a central role in shaping the future of the function, focusing on strategic partnerships and sustainable value creation. - **Opportunities for transformation**: The rapid pace of change and adoption of AI presents both challenges and opportunities for procurement to redefine its role and impact. ## Conclusion The procurement function is undergoing a significant transformation driven by AI and automation. While routine tasks are declining, the demand for strategic, collaborative, and complex decision-making is rising. To thrive in this new era, procurement professionals must develop meta-skills that enable them to work effectively with AI, influence stakeholders, and drive sustainable value creation. The future of procurement is one where human intelligence and AI work in tandem to create a more resilient, scalable, and strategic function.