Chapter 8:
Addressing the AI Implementation Challenge of Employee Buy-in
Before a company starts the AI implementation process, it must have an official, detailed strategy to guide its transition. In other words, a company must implement the specific change management processes needed to help usher in Artificial Intelligence.
Regardless of the type of AI solution, training and widespread employee buy-in is essential. Companies will only realize the full benefits of AI if everyone in the workforce is leveraging the technology as planned.
Why Is Official Change Management Necessary for New AI Initiatives?
Most people don’t like change. At best, they are hesitant about it—and you should expect this to be the case when embracing innovation like Artificial Intelligence. Then, if employees don’t like the idea of change, they are more likely to resist it.
According to a McKinsey study, “73% of change-affected employees report experiencing moderate to high stress levels.”[20]
This is problematic because, while leaders may be the decision-makers behind organizational changes, it is mostly individual contributors that determine how successful the change will be.
It is crucial to have an official change management strategy to usher in the successful implementation and continued, ongoing adoption of new technology. Property insurance and restoration contractor businesses must have an organizational change management plan for AI implementation and onboarding processes.
Organizational change management (OCM) is “the process of guiding organizational change to a successful resolution, and it typically includes 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 certifications are available for companies to follow and pursue. Regardless of the specifics, a company must follow an effective OCM model when implementing Artificial Intelligence.
Change management models work by outlining workflows for stakeholders who champion specific changes who then manage and reinforce new organizational initiatives and processes.
Carried out properly, these change management planning models will lay the groundwork for success and can reduce both stress and uncertainty among employees experiencing change.
Equally important is that following a modern change management model makes organizations more likely to stay within budget, meet deadlines, and achieve a favorable ROI.
According to Deloitte’s “State of the AI in the Enterprise” report, “organizations that invest in change management are 1.5 times more likely to meet their goals than those that do not.” It is also important to establish an “acceptance of AI through change management, [which] often requires making the goals of AI transformation clear, relevant, and achievable to everyone in the organization.”[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
As we stated earlier, it is natural for people to be uncomfortable with change. That is why, for AI adoption to succeed, your workforce must know what adaptation will look like. Preparation is key.
Preparing the organization for change goes beyond informing employees about the change. Whether through multiple company-wide and/or team-based presentations or town halls, decision-makers and leaders must ensure that employees fully understand the need for AI.
Preparing people for AI involves educating them in understanding how the new technology will make their jobs more accessible and even more fulfilling by reducing the number of manual, administrative, and repetitive tasks on their plates. They must grasp the idea that they will have the ability to impact their customers more significantly.
Also, it is important to 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 adequate training and that the adjustment period will be worth the ultimate results. It is also imperative to provide adequate training on new platforms and applications—and to tailor training properly to the right audiences.
Simply put, 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 requires working with all stakeholders in your organization as well as any vendors involved. This roadmap will:
- Set a realistic timeline and plan for AI adoption across the organization
- Assign roles with detailed sets of tasks and responsibilities
- Create an in-depth training plan and schedule for people based on their level of usage
- Establish key performance indicators (KPIs), or ways to measure the success that the AI platform or application will facilitate for your business by specific dates
- Anticipate 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 the Continued, Consistent Organization-wide Usage of AI
Utilizing new technology to complete the tasks that professionals across the property insurance ecosphere have been doing for years without AI technology won’t always be smooth sailing. Leaders must anticipate pushback and implement strategies and programs to deter employees from reverting to old practices.
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 as they embark on their AI journey. There are also other ways to set a new 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 process isn’t over when the software implementation is finished.
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