As AI technology continues to advance and become increasingly prevalent in the workplace, leaders must help organisations adapt to stay competitive. However, simply implementing AI tools is not enough. A comprehensive approach that considers the human experience and cultural transformation required is necessary for the future workplace. In this article, we’ll explore the key takeaways from a recent Humans & AI in the Workplace podcast episode discussion with Dr. Debra Panipucci and Leisa Hart on Priming your organisation for AI.
Here are the key takeaways for leaders:
1. Bring the right mindset and set the conversation
We have a great opportunity to learn from the social media ‘experiment’ when it comes to brining AI into the workplace. First and foremost, the mindset needs to be that “the technology is here to SERVE US”. It’s here to help humans do more meaningful work and make better decisions informed by data analysis and recommendations from intelligent technology. Yes, some tasks will be replaced and that’s an opportunity to give your people more meaningful ‘human centred’ work which delivers a better overall business outcome as well.
Leaders are the curators of cultural transformation. It’s been proven over decades that organisations who foster a culture of curiosity and experimentation (within key guidelines) are the organisations that withstand disruption, competition to create sustainable businesses. So as a leader you get to set the conversation about the way you bring AI into the workplace and how you curate the changes it will have on your culture.
2. Start with your People, then the technology.
Focus on the human experience and cultural transformation you will need to make. This requires understanding and exploring how AI is going to support (augment) the skills and work of your people and where there are pockets within the organisation that have behaviours (such as protectionism of data and information) that will disrupt progress.
Inviting people to explore the practical opportunities of AI in their work through curiosity, creativity, and critical thinking is the most effective pathway forward. Not only will they get the chance to find opportunities to improve productivity, they’ll also feel included in where the future of workplaces is going.
3. Trust your people to help you identify high-impact areas
Determine where AI can improve work processes by proactively engaging employees in identifying the use cases and potential value creation of AI. Start with Identifying areas where AI can solve pain points and improve experiences.
Supercharge efforts to foster innovation and experimentation with AI by starting small with contained Proof of Concepts (POC). One of our partners RedMarbleAI have been helping organisations start with POC’s for the last 6 years. This helps everyone understand and learn the key insights before scaling.
4. Support your people to truly understand the guardrails and policies
One of the proven ways to help people embed change in an organisation is to have a cohort of your target audience involved in the design and delivery. We use this approach as often as possible with our clients as it’s the fastest way to gather insights, test understanding (materials, processes, decision points etc) and refine as you go. You need to actually help your people understand the guardrails they’re operating within and apply policies (addressable usage, responsible usage of data etc) in the flow of their work. This requires organisations to do more than just create an e-learn module.
5. Prioritise education and recalibrating your Leadership
Bring leaders together to understand their role in leading teams with AI is paramount now. It’s a key priming activity that can commence in bit sizes. As cultural change and behaviour change specialists, we help leaders understand the different roles they need to play as AI comes into their organisation.
Ensure senior leaders and executives are aligned and set the direction. Having an connected and aligned leadership team is fundamentally important priming activity. Introducing AI into your organisation has enormous positive potential for your people and your business. That potential is only realised if the senior leadership team are clear on the purpose and strategy and that’s consistent with their words and actions each day.
8. Repurpose Freed-Up Capacity
At some point we’ve all gained extra ‘time’ due to better systems, technology and processes still not always used the extra capacity effectively. As a leader it’s your role to encourage employees to direct extra capacity into future-focused work. This starts with helping your people to avoid filling freed-up capacity with non-essential tasks.
9. Leverage the “fun stage”
Leveraging the “fun stage” of AI adoption to prime their organisation is a great opportunity for leaders to showcase the potential of AI in the workplace. This can be used to not only highlight the benefits and potential productivity gains, but also the role of critical thinking skills required by everyone in the business.
By following these key takeaways, leaders can prime their organisation for successful AI adoption, focusing on both the human experience and technical aspects. Remember, priming your organisation takes time, but it’s essential for achieving productivity gains and return on investment from intelligent technologies. Now is the time to get in front of the changes happening in your industry and most likely in pockets in your organisation.
At AI Adaptive, we work with leaders to understand the impacts of intelligent technologies on their workforce, their culture and the leadership skills required for the future workplace.
