The same can be said about many unsuccessful transformation initiatives – people ultimately are the enablers – however there is an added complexity here…
AI… seems to be sometimes perceived as a bit of a ‘dark’ world of the unknown…
During a recent interview Databricks CEO Ali Ghodsi recently told Fortune Brainstorm AI that businesses are frustrated with the whole AI evolution.
During the interview Ali Ghodsi covers three of the main barriers, and they are here below with my wider thoughts:
🔄️ Businesses do not have a robust overarching change strategy/ methodology in general:
If a business does not have experienced/ trained transformation experts on board, who are given the right tools to be able to execute (including them having the right positioning within the business), then large scale change is seldom successful.
🏢 On premise technology:
Businesses that haven’t invested in digital technology over the last 10 years, and there are many, are now really feeling the pain. Before AI can even be considered properly, or before even data management can be suitably refined as the precursor, the very basics of getting technology to the cloud has to be the first priority.
👊🏾 People scrambling for ownership:
What I’m seeing is businesses are unsure of where to put ownership for data and AI, and even when a specific AI role is created it’s sitting in a weird place, lacks accountability for deliverables, has really loose role requirements, and/ or isn’t set up for success within the wider organisational structure.
Here’s the irony with this… again, it’s AI itself (or rather how it’s being used)!
Businesses need a belt and braces approach to attracting the right transformation talent, because ‘cultural fit’ and personality absolutely do matter with a role like this. Ultimately, we are looking at a ‘future skillset’ here and the most successful change agents are inherent problem solvers, charming, empathetic, approachable, action orientated, delivery focused – all of the skills that you cannot screen for with AI.
The current hiring processes many businesses are using that are laced with AI, are simply not getting to the right people.
Businesses can’t find the right people. People can’t get in front of decision makers for roles they are very well experienced for. What a conundrum – a system that is meant to be driving efficiencies, is causing one of the biggest barriers for businesses getting recruitment ‘right’ that I’ve seen in my 15 years in executive search. And the mission? It’s to hire people who are equipped to expand a businesses AI strategy! You literally couldn’t make this up.
The people managing the recruitment process need to know where to go to identify the people that have driven relevant change, what may work and what isn’t going to work, and know which indicators to look for. And this needs to be a proactive approach to the hiring process – bearing in mind a Role Profile alone is not likely to be enough to attract the best person. Especially if it has loose role requirements.
Investing in getting the right talent on board for a programme of this magnitude and importance could make the difference to the very future of a business. It almost definitely will make a difference in the timescales to execute AI effectively and appropriately.
Conclusion
Businesses that are successfully moving away from their industry peers and are winning the business optimisation ‘conflict’ are doing just this – investing in people, and using a proven approach to accessing the right talent.
This isn’t something that can be left to chance – the future of your business relies on it!
