Should You Bet on Gen AI for Business Success?
After a full day immersed in AI conversations at a recent conference, I stopped by Whole Foods to pick up some groceries. As I was checking out, the Sept-Oct 2024 edition of Harvard Business Review caught my eye. In bold, black text, it read, "Embracing Gen AI at Work."
Given how much generative artificial intelligence (Gen AI) has been the topic of conversation with my clients recently, I couldn't help but grab a copy.
Interestingly, a Gallup/Bentley University survey revealed that 79% of respondents don’t trust businesses to use AI responsibly. That statistic, shared in the article “Anxiety About AI Is Pervasive,” reminded me of the skepticism and fear that often accompany technological change. This is where leaders need to step up—clear communication and transparency are key as AI continues to evolve.
This issue covers several aspects of AI, and here are a few key articles that caught my attention:
AI Won’t Give You a New Sustainability Advantage
How AI Can Power Brand Management
Embracing Gen AI at Work
Anxiety About AI Is Pervasive
Letter from the Editor
Bonus: the issue also includes multiple articles and research on team dynamics—a whole other blog post to come.
The article that grabbed my attention the most was the one titled "AI Won’t Give You a New Sustainable Advantage: But Using It May Amplify the Ones You Already Have." Here's what stood out to me:
The article challenges the idea that early adopters of AI will gain a lasting competitive edge. In fact, using Gen AI could erode that advantage because of its ability to make new insights and data patterns accessible to everyone. The authors recommend incorporating AI into your decision-making processes as a way to temporarily enhance your advantage over and over again over time—sound familiar? It reminds me of a sprint cycle: Ask, clarify, take action, repeat.
For me, this article was a reminder of something essential: success in business doesn’t just come from having cutting-edge tools. It comes from having the right people, processes, and the ability to stay nimble. Your ability to make clear decisions, communicate effectively, and reflect and pivot when needed is what will really set you apart.
So, a few questions for reflection:
Do you have an operating playbook?
Does it clearly define your organization’s priorities and processes?
Are you holding yourselves accountable to take action?
Are you following a framework like the PDCA (Plan-Do-Check-Act) model to continuously improve?
The takeaway? Let your competitive advantage include the Peopleside™. Build accountability and agility into your organization—what I like to call “Nimbling Up.”
For more on fostering accountability and building agile teams, check out our 14-week Accountability Program and Agile Certifications. Plus, if you're looking for help writing better user stories, we’ve got a guide here that you’ll love.
And just a heads-up: there’s a special Harvard Business Review fall edition coming out called How to Thrive in a Gen AI World. I can’t wait to dive into it.
As leaders, our role is to ensure that we’re building what HBR refers to as “fusion skills”—skills that combine human expertise with AI’s power. That includes:
Intelligent Interrogation: Probing with better AI prompts.
Judgment Interrogation: Using ethics and discernment to guide decisions.
Reciprocal Apprenticing: Teaching AI to “think” the way we do.
AI is changing the game, but with the right approach, you can stay ahead. Now, let’s get to work!
Links to explore:
We have tailored many of our services to include information on harnessing the power of Gen AI while building critical fusion skills.