Chapter 8:
Addressing the AI Implementation Challenge of Employee Buy-in
The decision to implement AI doesn't mark a finish line; the subsequent work requires significant strategic preparation.
A detailed change management strategy is crucial to guide the transition and must be finalized before the implementation process begins.
Central to this strategy is securing widespread employee buy-in and providing comprehensive training on the new digital solutions that employees are expected to leverage. Companies will only realize the full potential and benefits of AI if the entire workforce is prepared and motivated to effectively leverage the new technology.
Why Is Official Change Management Necessary for New AI Initiatives?
It is essential to recognize that employees will likely experience hesitation or reluctance toward significant changes, particularly the introduction of Artificial Intelligence. Management must anticipate this resistance as a normal part of the process and address it through proactive training and communication.
According to a McKinsey study, “73% of change-affected employees report experiencing moderate to high stress levels.”[20] So while leaders may be the decision-makers behind organizational changes, individual contributors are ultimately what determine the success of the implementation.
To ensure this success, an official organizational change management plan is imperative. This detailed strategy is necessary to effectively usher in the successful implementation and continued, ongoing adoption of new technology.
Change management is at the foundation of adequate preparation.
Organizational change management (OCM) is the process of guiding an organization through change to a successful resolution. This process typically involves three major phases: preparation, implementation, and follow-through.[21]
Any time a company pursues an operational or cultural initiative that will have a widespread impact, OCM is a necessary process. And this certainly applies when integrating new major technology platforms into an organization’s digital ecosystem.
Multiple well-established and widely used OCM methodologies (and even certification programs) are available. Regardless of the specifics, a company must follow an effective OCM model when implementing Artificial Intelligence.
Change management models outline workflows for stakeholders, specifying the roles that manage and reinforce new organizational initiatives and processes. They are essentially "how-to" blueprints that direct people to carry out different components of the strategy.
These change management planning models lay the groundwork for success, reducing both stress and uncertainty. Furthermore, these blueprints help organizations stay within budget, meet deadlines, and stay on all tracks to achieve the desired ROI.
According to a major Deloitte report, “organizations that invest in change management are 1.5 times more likely to meet their goals than those that do not.”[22]
Essential Components of AI Change Management
To ensure success during the implementation process and for optimized organizational performance post-implementation, AI change management should involve:
- Fostering feelings of readiness and positivity about AI
- Creating and following a detailed implementation roadmap
- Executing strategies to ensure the continued, consistent organization-wide usage of AI
- Continued review and analysis of progres with AI platforms and applications
1.
Fostering Feelings of Readiness and Positivity About AI
To ensure successful AI adoption, the critical first step is preparation. The workforce must clearly understand what adaptation will look like to proactively address and minimize fear and resistance.
Preparing the organization for change goes beyond simply informing employees about it. Instead, there should be more engagement. Whether through town halls and official training, decision-makers and leaders must drive full understanding among all employees regarding the necessity of AI.
Getting buy-in for AI involves educating everyone how the new technology will enable them to be more efficient at their jobs, even making work more fulfilling by reducing the number of manual, administrative, and repetitive tasks on their plates. It's ideal to generate excitement around the idea that professionals will have the ability to impact their customers more meaningfully.
Understand that AI can be intimidating, especially to generations who didn’t grow up with cloud computing and the ubiquity of digital tools. Guiding them through these organizational changes involves reassuring them that there will be a generous learning curve and adequate training. As leaders provide proper training on new platforms and applications, they should tailor training properly to the right audiences.
All in all, getting company-wide buy-in in advance of implementation will significantly boost your organization toward successful AI change management.
2.
Creating and Following a Detailed Implementation Roadmap
Creating a roadmap that takes all potential scenarios into account requires working with all stakeholders in your organization, as well as any vendors involved.
Designate time and resources to get a plan in place that:
- Sets a realistic timeline and plan for AI adoption across the organization
- Assigns roles with detailed sets of tasks and responsibilities
- Creates an in-depth training plan and schedule for people based on their level of usage
- Establishes key performance indicators (KPIs), or ways to measure the success that the AI platform or application will facilitate for your business by specific dates
- Anticipates roadblocks to implementation goals and define contingency plans for each of these instances
Once this plan is finalized and everyone on board understands the process and the roles they will play at each onboarding stage, your organization is ready to execute an optimized implementation process.
3.
Executing Strategies to Ensure Ongoing, Consistent Organization-wide Usage of AI
You have to expect that it won’t always be smooth sailing. Leaders must anticipate pushback and implement strategies and programs to deter employees from reverting to old practices void of AI.
Organizations must provide ongoing education, motivation, and support for their employees on their AI journey. It is often effective to establish incentive programs for employees to continue AI usage. There are also other ways to set an ongoing precedent among employees so that utilization of AI technology is not an option—but an expectation.
4.
Continued Review and Analysis of Progress With AI Platforms and Applications
The idea is that AI will be a part of your journey indefinitely, playing a key role in operational success.
Leadership must constantly analyze the technology’s business impact to ensure the organization gets the most from its AI investment. The KPIs that an organization sets in its implementation roadmap are critical because they provide objective ways to measure the business's success with AI. These indicators make it possible to calculate ROI.
At regular intervals, it is important to look at metrics to determine trends and to specify where there is room for improvement with your AI technology.
[20] https://patientmetrx.com/2021/06/best-practice-in-change-management/
[21] https://online.hbs.edu/blog/post/organizational-change-management