Business process redesign requiring even more attention for people change (part 4) 

By Tim Beswick

We are often asked whether becoming an AI-driven enterprise requires something different than becoming a data-driven enterprise. In this series of blog posts, Anderson MacGyver shares her point of view on this topic. For those who want to start from the beginning, you can read part 1: How do we become an AI-driven enterprise?, part 2: Data-to-AI-to-Value journey, and part 3: theme 1: The generative / general-purpose AI model buzz. Now, let’s dive into part 4: the second underestimated theme. 

2. Business process redesign requiring even more attention to people change 

Theme two of the four underestimated themes

People change activation is a key success factor in any digital transformation journey. It is always important to understand where and how a more extensive use of data (insights) impacts people, and to put a deliberate effort into guiding the resulting people changes. However, in cases where AI is a major part of the journey, the people impact is typically even bigger. Let us look into why the implementation of AI has such a large people impact. 

Using more Business Intelligence (BI) better is often a part of becoming more data-driven. Data insights created through BI are typically an additional piece of information that people use in an existing business process. The people involved need to learn how to use these insights. Also, it is common that organizations need to step up their efforts in creating the right data as input for BI. This implies that people need to change, better understand, and pay more attention to creating good data as the key ingredient for accurate insights. 

On top of these types of people changes typically required for successful implementation of data analytics, implementation of AI results in a business process redesign. A process redesign that changes the role of the humans involved. In extreme cases, it makes the human redundant. More often, it leads to a shift of the role of the human. The individuals involved need to be supported and coached to make this shift of their role to accommodate the new business process. If the individuals involved do not make this shift, the AI is either redundant, or conflicts arise in the business process at hand, and the AI does not deliver value. 

Besides described people change on an individual level, there is a more group dynamics-related phenomenon that requires attention. It is not uncommon that AI is directly associated with redundancy, which can lead to group resistance to AI-driven change. Overcoming this resistance after it emerges is hard and time-consuming. You are better off avoiding this initial reaction. 

This already starts in the early planning stages. Abstract business strategies that include loose statements on AI result in hard-to-change preconceptions and resistance. Close business involvement in defining and communicating laser-sharp focused Data & AI Value Opportunities creates clarity for the people involved. This is instrumental in making a good start on working the transformation together with the people who will actually ensure the embedment of AI in your business.

We discuss the other 2 themes separately in the next two blog posts. So, stay tuned! 

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