Today I describe the Culture-Friendly, Human-Centered way to lead an AI strategy initiative. This highlights the connection between culture and strategy.
Let’s call the business the Elefant Corporation. Elefant’s strategy is based on providing specialist leading-edge solutions to their clients. Client data is especially sensitive. Elefant wants to use ChatGPT and other AI tools, but they are concerned about data privacy. Their culture is highly risk averse. They decide to implement an in-house AI solution. Their AI is to be trained on their own proprietary data. In this way, they aim to minimise the risks of leaking private client information.
The traditional approach to leading change
Traditionally, the CEO, Divisional Manager or Business Owner (the Change Leader) appoints a project lead or team to define and evaluate different solutions, in this case AI platforms. Key decision makers select the vendor, sometimes a “tender panel” is formed briefly to make the decision. The project leader or team then implements the solution with the vendor. There’s the usual resistance, limited adoption. The budget has been fully used, the platform is live, but many staff don’t adopt the solution. Sound familiar?
The Turbocharged approach
Elefant’s Change Leader, in careful consultation with other stakeholders, forms a purpose-built, cross-functional working group to co-design the strategy and business requirements. People are selected for the working group across the organization, tasked with ensuring risks are considered from different organizational perspectives. This working group are involved throughout implementation, do the job of the selection panel, guide implementation and champion the take-up in their division. They learn invaluable skills in AI. They also learn how to get things done on scale in their business to get maximum stakeholder engagement. Those who are involved are super-motivated and influential.
The Turbocharged outcome
The risk-averse culture is navigated successfully to deliver the innovative strategy.
Elefant has a win-win-BIG-win.
A win for the working group members: they are champions for the AI platform, armed with new skills in getting projects and change delivered, new AI skills, and increased profile and recognition. (I’ve been pleased over the years to see many professionals who are allocated to these sorts of working groups have had their careers accelerate significantly afterwards.)
A win for others in the business: Elefant has included some tech-phobic naysayers, who have since developed their digital skills, are now the biggest AI fans, and accelerate a broader digital movement within the business.
A BIG-win for the financials: Elefant achieves significant ROI and AI-driven innovation, faster than they have ever done before. This firm builds their reputation in innovation, which attracts more clients.
3 tips for your AI initiatives
- Learn how to define your culture, the most distinctive behaviors that define “how things are done around here”.
- Set up your strategic projects in a way to get maximum engagement in your culture
- Consider the project resourcing upfront when you develop your AI strategy to turbocharge your approach. This ecosystem-based approach is fuelled by AI tools, such as those I describe in the CEO Guide to AI.
Please help me grow this blog, and forward this to your friends and colleagues.
Most people aren’t confident in how to adapt their approach to the culture. My research (participate here) is already indicating this. If you’re implementing projects in a way that is at odds with the organisation’s way of doing things, you will quickly come up against resistance. The mystery, the missing link is to bring culture into the equation early, and to keep it top of mind. By taking a culture-friendly approach, you’re approaching implementation from an integrated perspective, and you will accelerate your projects to a successful delivery.
That’s why I set up the Turbocharge Hub with ecosystem-based frameworks and skills that are multi-disciplinary and Culture-Friendly. And have a 96% success rate.
As one of our members said: “The Turbocharge Hub is connecting the dots, providing the holistic picture of how to influence implementation.”
_____________
Announcing upcoming global panel – Strategy Mavericks
Join us for a discussion that challenges the way strategy is developed. For the first time, a panel of well-known global strategy experts dissect the traditional strategy approach. All panelists have different views and perspectives, so expect a lively, controversial and stimulating discussion.
Featuring Will Bachman, Rob McLean AM, Alex MH Smith, chaired by Lisa Carlin. Sponsored by Women on Boards.
This free Zoom is on Thursday, July 25, 2024, 10am GMT London, 5am EST in New York, 7pm AEST in Sydney.
Click here to secure your spot.
Click here to repost the strategy panel on LinkedIn and be the hero of your network.
________
Quote of the week
“Persuasion is an art that requires a paintbrush, not a sledgehammer.”
Sahil Bloom (Investor and Entrepreneur)
|
____________ Keep turbocharging with a culture-friendly approach 😊🌱📈 |
PS Turbocharge your strategic influence 😊🌱📈
Join The Turbochargers Hub to use AI in your strategic projects
Email me back to work with me: strategic planning, execution and AI strategies
Subscribe to this weekly email if you received it from a friend
About Lisa Carlin
Lisa Carlin is a Strategy Execution Specialist. She works with business leaders to plan and execute their strategies in tough environments. Her clients love having her expertise and guidance to navigate their workplace culture and use AI to achieve success.
Lisa created The Turbochargers Hub, so leaders can master the art of strategic influence and generate momentum for organizational change.
Lisa is author of the globally acclaimed newsletter, Turbocharge Weekly, read by 8,000 business leaders.
Lisa’s career includes roles at McKinsey and Accenture, then running her own business since 1999. Over this time she has delivered over 50 implementations with a 96% success rate.