Being a Chief Technology Officer (CTO) is no small feat. With AI technology evolving at lightning speed, leaders are left asking tough questions such as:
- Which GenAI tools should we invest in?
- How should we implement them in our organization?
- How do we future-proof our business?
It’s no wonder the C-suite, especially CTOs, often feel the weight of navigating these uncharted waters. But here’s the kicker: while CTOs are typically the go-to decision-makers, emerging evidence suggests they might not be the best people to answer these questions.
Who holds the real answers? Your employees.
If you fail to understand your employees and their tasks, you are unlikely to succeed in implementing your AI agenda.
In this article, we explore why putting people first (your team on the ground) will be your secret weapon for successfully managing AI-driven transformation.
3 tips for taking a people-first approach to AI implementation
- Understand your employees
No one is better positioned to tell you how AI could be used in your company than your employees. They know their jobs inside and out and will identify use cases you couldn’t possibly know. Instead of traditional top-down delivery of tools, it is time to reverse the ownership and ask them to help you identify the right tools.
“Companies that figure out how to use their newly-productive workforce should be able to dominate any company that tries to keep their post-AI output the same as their pre-AI output, just with fewer people.” Ethan Mollick, associate professor at Wharton School at the University of Philadelphia, who studies the effects of AI on work, entrepreneurship, and education.Get to know your employees by reaching out. We recommend activities such as:
- Day in the life - step into your employees’ shoes for a day or week. Immerse yourself in their job and help understand the true use cases where AI can be beneficial
- Persona creation - work with your employees to develop personas that provide a true representation of their tasks, needs, and wants
- Job mapping - do you know what jobs are needed beyond just a title? Run a job mapping exercise to understand the jobs and key skills required to execute tasks - it’s often not what you think!
By completing these activities, you will identify use cases you had never thought of and understand what a real and measurable KPI is to track benefits.
The best bit is that this will do more than just help you identify the right tooling. You will have created a group of change champions who will help you with adoption. This group will trust you which will help to combat fear of change. You will have learnt far more about your business needs beyond AI (AI may not even be the fix!).
- Stay engaged with your people
Evidence shows that employees worry about telling people they are using AI because they fear they will be displaced by it in the future.
"Nearly 70% of professionals expect at least some part of their job to be impacted by GenAI, with a third of those surveyed expecting their job to 'fundamentally change.'" (Gartner, 2024)
As CTO, it is your job to change that mentality by showing people how powerful they can be with AI, which will ultimately help your employees and your organization stay ahead of the curve.
For successful AI implementation that truly puts people first, we recommend considering the following employee engagement models:
- AI councils (usage and employee ethics): Establish an AI working group of councils that is a cross-section of your organization dedicated to learning, exploring, and informing C-suites and key decision-makers
- Rewards, competitions, and gamification: Encourage exploration by gamifying AI usage with competitions and rewards. Not only does this encourage usage, it signifies safety in using tools
- Role modelling: Show how you are using GenAI to supplement your work. Employees must see you walk the walk. This will encourage adoption laggards to take the first step.
As you embark on employee engagement, use this as an opportunity to identify your change makers and first adopters. These groups of people will be imperative to help you successfully land the tool into the organization.
“The best way for an organization to benefit from AI is to get the help of their most advanced users while encouraging more workers to use AI” - Ethan Mollick
- Future-proofing your AI solutions
There will always be something better, newer, and faster just around the corner because GenAI is changing so quickly. Building this reality into your thinking and approach will help you and your teams to keep up with the pace of technology change and create foundations you can continue to build on.
- Flexible architecture: Build flexibility into your technical landscape. Avoid building your org and operating model around a specific tool. There is always the chance that something new and better will come along and make your ways of working obsolete and outdated.
- AI decision-making principles: Implement a set of design and decision principles that will help you and C-suites make decisions on AI products. Think of things like employee ethics, security, and benefits to end users
- Engagement is key: Selecting a tool isn’t a one-off thing. It is important to maintain that engagement and trust with employees. Use your employee engagement mechanisms and show they have a real impact on the trajectory of the business - feedback loops are key
- Be cost savvy: Companies can bring you in with initial free models. Be aware of ongoing charges and rising costs of “tokens” as you scale and increase usage.
- Long-term development opportunities: Many will adopt AI tools when shown it is safe to do so, however, many will also lag behind, scared of the pace of change. It is important to cater for all, establish learning opportunities, and take the time to regularly find out where your employees are in their learning and adoption. Investing in AI learning/training is investing in your employees and ultimately your company.
Key takeaways on taking a people-first approach to AI implementation
AI is changing at a fast pace. To stay ahead of the curve, you will need to rely on your employees' consistent use of AI to find new and innovative business use cases and models that will help you stay one step ahead of the competition.
- Involve employees early: Employees are the best resource for identifying AI use cases. Engage them in the process of selecting and implementing AI tools to ensure the right fit for your organization.
- Empathy drives success: Understanding employees’ daily roles, tasks, and needs through "Day in the Life" and "Job Mapping" builds trust, which uncovers hidden opportunities, and strengthens AI adoption.
- Ongoing engagement is crucial: AI implementation is not a one-time event. Continuously engage employees through AI councils, gamification, role modelling, and feedback loops to ensure sustained success.
- Build flexibility, not rigidity: Adopt a flexible approach to AI adoption, ensuring your organization’s architecture and decision-making processes can adapt to evolving AI technology.
- Invest in continuous learning: Regularly assess employee skills and provide ongoing learning opportunities to help employees keep up with AI advancements, reducing fear and boosting confidence.
If you need help implementing AI, managing change or taking a people-first approach, get in touch.
References
- Mollick, E. (2024). Co-intelligence: Living and working with AI. Portfolio/Penguin
- Gartner, Inc. (2024). "Essential Skills for Working With Generative AI. ID G00813149."
