1: According to an MIT study, six out of ten jobs today didn’t exist in 1940.
“Technology changes the skills required and the processes we follow,” Geoff Woods writes in The AI-Driven Leader. Our “opportunity is to develop the skills and processes for an AI-driven world.”
As leaders, we are responsible for training and supporting our people along the way.
What makes AI different?
“The sheer volume of data it has been trained on,” Geoff writes. “According to Meta Platforms (Facebook’s parent company), one of its models has been trained . . . on the equivalent of 200 million books. Imagine harnessing the intelligence of 200 million books at your fingertips, ready to assist with any task at any time. That’s the power of AI.”
And because AI learns from the immense amounts of data it is being trained on, it continuously improves its answers.
“Think of it as a student who absorbs information from various sources,” he writes, “and then applies that knowledge to solve problems at an incredibly fast pace with near-perfect recall.”
2: So where do we start?
“When introducing a new technology like AI into our organizations, it’s important to recognize that everyone will not adopt it at the same pace,” Geoff observes. “Each individual’s readiness and willingness to embrace change varies, which can lead to different rates of adoption across our teams.”
To capitalize on the opportunities AI provides, we are smart to pay attention to the “Adoption Curve,” which is derived from diffusion theory. For any given change, people generally fall into one of five groups:
Innovators (2.5% of our workforce): “These are the people who are excited to embrace AI and don’t mind navigating initial challenges,” Geoff writes. “They want to be first and will lay the groundwork for best practices and start building the momentum for change.”
Remember when the iPhone was introduced, and some people waited in line all night to be the first to purchase it? These were the innovators of that technology.
Early Adopters (13.5% of your workforce): “These people are quick to follow the innovators,” he writes. “They bridge the gap between our innovators and the majority of our people. They will create energy around AI that will capture the attention of others.”
Early Majority (34% of your workforce): “These people are logical and will adopt once there is clear evidence that AI brings value to their work,” Geoff suggests. “Getting this group on board is important for achieving critical mass and making AI a normal way of work.”
Late Majority (34% of your workforce): These are our skeptics. “They will adopt AI only once it becomes the established way of working,” he notes. “They will want significant evidence that it works and will bring value before they get on board.”
Laggards (16% of your workforce): “This is the last portion of your people. They actively resist change and will only adopt AI if there is no other option,” Geoff explains. Author and thought leader Simon Sinek once said, “The only reason these people buy touch-tone phones is because you can’t buy rotary phones anymore.”
3: So, what is our strategy to capitalize on the power of AI throughout our organization?
We accept that not everyone will adopt AI immediately. And we embrace the fact that big changes start with small actions.
We begin by asking AI: “I want you to help me identify a team member who can help champion AI adoption,” he recommends. “Interview me by asking one question at a time to help me identify someone who is innovative, growth-minded, and influential.”
Once we identify a potential champion, we continue role-playing with AI, presenting our vision and asking for feedback and improvements.
We encourage our champions to use AI in their daily work. We encourage them to see AI as a thought partner. “Collaborate with them by sharing best practices, learning from challenges, and celebrating wins,” Geoff suggests.
We are looking for “lightbulb moments” where AI turns a relatable moment into a remarkable experience.
Then, we move on to the early adopters. Our goal is to create a flywheel. “It starts slow,” Geoff writes, “but the faster it spins, the more energy spreads throughout our organization, inspiring others to embrace this change.”
We are building momentum. We are doing better work in less time. We are experiencing its power and value.
We share the victories of the innovators and early adopters. “This will engage the early majority, and the cycle will continue,” he notes. “Once your early majority is on board, celebrate! Their adoption is a major milestone as you have captured half of your people. Everything is downhill from here.”
More tomorrow.
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Reflection: What steps can I take to identify and empower the early champions who will help my team adapt to and embrace AI-driven change?
Action: Identify an AI champion, then collaborate with them to design and launch a pilot initiative that showcases AI’s value and inspires broader adoption.
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