Intelligent Automation’s impact on operational agility and workforce adaptability in MENA retail warehousing

The rapid convergence of Logistics 4.0 necessitates critical evaluation of Intelligent Automation (IA) in emerging markets. This research investigates the integrated impact of IA on Operational Agility and Workforce Adaptability within a major MENA retailer's semi-automated distribution network. Employing a sequential mixed-methods design, the research utilizes expert interviews (N=7) and a structured employee survey (N=125) analyzed via PLS-SEM. Findings reveal that while IA significantly enhances operational metrics like throughput and accuracy, the regional availability of low-cost labor constitutes a critical economic barrier to high-capital investment. Furthermore, a socio-technical imbalance emerges where rapidly rising skill requirements fail to correlate with increased job satisfaction, highlighting the need for robust human-centric strategies. The study concludes that successful IA integration in the MENA context requires shifting investment justification from labor replacement to strategic capacity differentiation and joint socio-technical optimization.

Keywords: Intelligent Automation, Operational Agility, Workforce Adaptability, MENA Region, Logistics 4.0, Robotic Process Automation, Retail Warehousing, Socio-technical Systems