By Jenny Segal MA FIA C.Act, an author, public speaker and passionate advocate for workplace culture transformation. Through her consultancy, Speaking with Images, Jenny combines high-energy speaking with inspiring photographic storytelling to help businesses create cultures that people want to work in.
The doom mongering of AI is everywhere. Jobs will be lost and humans consigned to the scrap heap, as computers take over the world, doing more for less. But whilst AI is certainly heralding in a new age of work, the emphasis on increasing efficiencies and cost savings is short-sighted and dangerous. Done carelessly, it risks alienating your people; fearful for their jobs and nervous about handing over information which makes them more expendable more quickly, the workforce will be in conflict with the AI, a combination almost guaranteeing failure. A far better way is to view the transformation through a growth mindset: AI will enable businesses to take the people and the infrastructure they already have and double their capacity. It’s not about people losing their jobs. It’s about using AI to give your people so much more opportunity. Take your people with you; empower them. You will get efficiencies as a by-product. That’s the real prize.
Whereas most businesses are working to maximise profit, the same is not typically true of the people working in them. Money motivates us, but only up the point where we have enough. Then other motivators start kicking in: being part of a team, having autonomy, having purpose. The key to unlocking human productivity is to tap into these motivators. And AI can do just that. By leveraging its capabilities to enhance operational efficiencies, employees can be freed up to engage in more meaningful work, thus fulfilling their intrinsic motivations. Feeling valued and purposeful, they will work harder, leading to a compounding of productivity gains derived dual sources: the human and the AI. Individual productivity coupled with organisational productivity. It’s a win-win.
However, transitioning to an AI-enable business is complex and expensive, and businesses will want to realise their investment by ensuring the transformation project is a success. But historically this has not been the case, with far more getting it wrong than right. McKinsey put the failure rate as high as 77%. And even those companies that succeed with pilot projects often struggle to drive real business value. The reasons for failure are cited as a combination of technical, organisational and strategic, but often the real reason is because we don’t get the people side right. Given the sensitivities and the high stakes, the narrative behind the roll-out is critical, and this is where the culture of the business comes into play.
Businesses get better outcomes when they behave authentically, saying and doing what they actually believe in, rather than saying one thing and doing another. A bottom line-driven organisation claiming to be introducing AI to improve its employees’ job satisfaction just won’t ring true; framing the change in the context of driving a more efficient business with better profitability which, as it happens, is also great for employees, is far more convincing. Employees are not daft and they can smell the dissonance; if they doubt the company is committed and might course-correct down the line, they are far more likely to disrupt and disengage from the transformation process. Frame the messaging in a way that is congruent with what is driving the change. And this is where HR has a vital role to play, ensuring an authentic connection between the culture and the rationale behind the business transformation.
Key to success is getting early buy-in, as this will help to bring the business along with you on the transformation journey. Involve teams at the start of the process; explain the reasoning, take the temperature and ask them what their fears are. Respond to them honestly, thoughtfully and sensitively. Build feedback loops to address their concerns and, where that is not possible, be honest about the reasons why. Be as clear and open in communication as possible, leveraging internal comms teams and L&D resources to get the messaging right.
AI transformation is an exciting and uncertain time and HR has the opportunity to be the anchor for ethical empowering transformation, that stays true to the culture of the business. That starts by showing up as the voice of the people in every AI discussion, and being the voice of the AI transformation in every discussion with the workforce. Getting the communication right is nuanced and challenging, but it is crucial given the productivity benefits at stake.