AI adoption: Practical steps for a people-first approach

The C-suite is excited about AI.

Expectations around creating efficiencies, product development and more profitable business models due to generative AI are immense. Not just the anticipated operational speed and processing efficiencies, but the impact on innovation and more freedom for creativity - all the fun stuff.

But there’s a bottleneck in the works.

A recent study from Gallup, revealed how European businesses are struggling to ready their workforces to use AI effectively.

In contrast, another Gallup study released around the same time (last Fall), cited that the 22% of businesses successfully leveraging AI regarding scale and value, “focus their efforts on people and processes over technology and algorithms. Leaders follow the rule of putting 10% of their resources into algorithms, 20% into technology and data, and 70% in people and processes.”

The message is clear: To leverage the promise of AI, organisations need to invest first in preparing their people, and so far, that's not happening on a large scale. 

What does a 70% focus on people and process look like?

It’s a challenge that, in real terms, asks: How can leaders, HR and L&D teams bring their hundreds or thousands of colleagues along on this explorative, unpredictable ride? Especially the ones whose role has little or nothing to do with advanced tech or data management, let alone those who’s roles depend on it?

Depending on their personality types, people have different definitions and understanding of what increased AI might mean to them.

Different personalities will have a different set of questions around it.

Some are comfortable with the idea of AI as an enabler for busy, overwhelmed people, taking progress in their stride. For many, it’s their job to make it happen. Others are keen on the opportunities for positive change, but unlikely to adopt new working ways without proactive support to help them understand the ‘why’, let alone the ‘how’.

Setting clear expectations around AI adoption

It’s a given that to integrate AI successfully, organisations must set clear expectations around managing the tech and managing how employees will approach it.

Alongside the certain need to develop watertight AI usage policies, guidelines to mitigate risk and clear AI integration and training plans, leaders can’t ignore the sensitive issue of how their employees interpret the impact of AI on their roles and careers.

Returning to that worrying disconnect between the rapid adoption of AI and employers’ readiness to implement it effectively and equitably,  a survey of 12,000 workers worldwide by American HR consultancy Randstad showed that even though 75% of companies have adopted AI technology, only one-third of employees got AI training in the last year.

This throws a spotlight on the relationship between what bosses expect long-term from AI usage (for the business and its ability to compete) and how employees are expected to use the tech on a daily basis.

It might be for routine admin, data collection and summarising tasks, for recruitment and onboarding, sales and marketing materials or AI-driven L&D or performance management programmes.

In every organisation, those expectations and realities will look different. But what won’t be different is the range of human emotions involved in navigating this level of change.

Organisations that lean into AI are getting results and employees are happy

Despite obvious concerns at all levels around accuracy, governance, data privacy, security, regulation, ethics, etc., there is plenty of enthusiasm among workers for the adoption of AI and its role in enhancing our productivity.  

As always with significant change, some are more excited than others to explore how they can progress alongside such rapid tech advancements, and will lean into it, curious about what education is on offer.

As per the studies, many people already cite tangible benefits like improved productivity, work quality, job satisfaction and career progression.  Others are more sceptical, hesitant and anxious about the unknown.

Others (writers, PRs, counsellors, teachers, caregivers and many more) are comfortable and confident that humans will always have a role to play by performing the important work that machines cannot.

There will always be a need here for innate human qualities, like personal nuance and tone, relationship-building, charisma, creativity and emotional intelligence.  

We recently wrote an article on leaning into the human advantage, Machine Can’t be Leaders, that goes into this concept more deeply.

Reinforcing the team must come before AI adoption or training

As machine learning seeps into more of our daily reality and begins to transform how we collaborate with colleagues, customers and partners, a useful question might be: are our teams currently collaborating and communicating as well as they could?  

Do we – on the cusp of potentially huge change - properly understand each other’s preferences around working and communicating? 
Is there a healthy respect for difference, and a way of resolving problems in a non-judgmental way?

Before we can expect everyone to jump on the AI train, or any train that involves major change and uncertainty, we must first ‘reinforce’ the team. 
It’s essential to create trust and a safe space for people to question and challenge how AI will affect their role and the best ways to use AI.

To do that, we need to understand people’s values and how those values affect communication styles and response to change.

Knowing how to motivate learners is important. People learn differently. Just as we all have varying reactions to change, we also have different ways of digesting information and processing how we’ll incorporate new ways of working into our trusted working patterns. Some will adapt easily, others may struggle with the ‘why’, let alone the ‘how’.

Psychology-based strategies for communicating about AI to your people

The biggest challenge for many colleagues is the mindset change – being able to view AI as a team-mate and enabler, not just a tool. Team leaders must somehow make the case for new ways of working in a way that speaks to different personality types and different learning styles.

So how can we do this?

The Insights language of colour gives us timeless connectivity in the age of AI. The Insights Discovery methodology uses a simple and memorable four colour model to help people understand their style, their strengths and the value they bring to the team.

Using non-judgmental common language around four main colour energies, we can start to understand and address how certain individuals might respond to the changes expected of them.

Ideas to help you create the business case around training for AI adoption

Emotionally intelligent leaders dedicate time and space to communicating the ‘why’ of AI to the entire organisation, or at least to each affected department. Sharing with employees the vision for how AI will benefit the business and its purpose, and what this will look like in practice and over what timescales, will go a long way to reassuring all types of colleague,, creating the buy in you need to move forward.   

Communications that should already be in place for an AI rollout 

1. Clarity within the C-suite and all functional leaders about anticipated benefits of the investment in AI
2. Clarity of commitment to staff training, not just in the practicalities of new AI systems and tools or prompt engineering, but in the wider ‘what and why’ and implications for this organisation.
3. Basic training in AI-awareness and AI literacy for those who may need it. Not everyone is familiar or comfortable with the terminology and not everyone is already using Copilot or Chat GPT in their personal lives.
4. Assurance that AI is here to complement or improve how people work, not replace their jobs. Yes, roles will need continuous rethinking and reskilling as AI capabilities advance, but this is about a shared opportunity for more creativity and freedom, it’s not about loss.
5. Transparency from leaders that they don’t know everything about AI yet and will continue to learn, review the impact and communicate with the workforce, creating trust and respect for the transition.

In other words, and this is a well-reported topic among AI commentators, employees need to believe that this isn’t just about joining the AI bandwagon because the rest of their sector is. They want to know about benefits they can relate to in a supportive AI training environment, empathy from leaders for how AI will affect everyday working lives and career progression opportunities.

AI still needs humans.

Honing our interpersonal skills as leaders and managers is more important than ever. The rollout of AI training gives us a timely opportunity to review how we interact with our colleagues and to take a closer work at what great teamwork really involves.

At Insights, we champion change by focusing on what matters most: Your people. The success of technological and AI change initiatives relies on your team’s adaptability and how effectively they’re supported through different stages of change like change resistance, acceptance and moving forward. Thriving Through Change teaches organisations how to foster a culture empathy and open communication, so that employees feel ready to embrace change naturally and intuitively...