This series looks at three realities of the AI journey ahead and why it’s critical that communication and change professionals are part of the conversation. Today, we’re posing a disturbing question. If we’re struggling with the pace of change today, how the hell will we cope with tomorrow?
Wow! Ain’t AI grand.
As most of us know by now, AI is an unbelievable enabler. As the image below shows, it gives all of us capabilities we never thought we’d have, while helping us overcome any skill gaps we have.
Of course, the other great thing about AI is that it’s a complete Geekfest (at least for people like me). I love noodling around and discovering new ways of doing things. And it seems I’m not alone if the data below is correct.
Reality 2: Ow! We’re struggling with the pace of change.
Unfortunately, there’s also a downside to this geekery.
A few years ago, the triple Pulitzer Prize winner Thomas L. Friedman popularised the term ‘The age of acceleration’.
He surmised that technology, globalisation and Mother Nature will bring about an accelerating rate of change that begins to overwhelm we mere mortals.
In case you haven’t noticed, we’re well and truly there, as evidenced by the data below. Our willingness to accept change is way down. The rates of work-induced stress and fatigue are growing. And organisational alignment is fracturing under the weight of constant transformation.
Because it’s relatively new, you could say that AI has only had a small impact on this rate of change. In the years to come, however, it will dramatically accelerate the pace of change, which begs an obvious and disturbing question.
“If we’re struggling with the pace of change today, how the hell will we cope with tomorrow?”
How? Communication and change professionals need to step in.
This is the second article in the three part ‘From Hype to Hope to Reality’ series (you can find the first here… it covers the scale of the transformation ahead of us).
These three articles carry a simple message. To succeed over the next five years, communication and change teams must become part of the AI conversation.
And that definitely is the case here. To help organisations navigate (and maybe even survive) this change, we need to step in to:
Help leaders prioritise changes and, most importantly, say no when a business case for a change doesn’t outweigh its negative impact. I’m sure many of you, like me, have seen organisations burdened by disruptive changes that weren’t really needed.
Help the organisation manage changes as an integrated portfolio rather than disconnected projects.
Help people clearly understand and commit to:
- The full change portfolio and how it works together
- The organisation’s journey and what it means for each employee
- The rationale when shifts are made (which is likely in this environment)
- What they need to do and how to do it
And, on a related note, ensure leaders are aligned, transparent and communicating effectively. This is critical to:
- The clarity and sense of ownership employees need to do their jobs
- The trust leaders need to effectively lead the organisation through change.
Next Week
Next week’s article will discuss what I lovingly call the training trainwreck.
See you then.
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