Promises, promises. Are all the emails and headlines about new AI tools giving your inbox odd vibes where you want to swipe left?
Yes, AI promises to streamline everything, but how do you go from an iffy situationship to a productivity game-changer? Many tools exist, but integrating them effectively and actually boosting collaboration are the tricky bits.
AI Beyond “Efficiency”
Let’s break down the initial hype about AI seamlessly integrating into our work lives. We’ve all used AI-powered features like smart suggestions in emails or chatbots. These tools are handy, but they’re not exactly moving the needle.
The real challenge lies in going beyond plugging AI tools into existing workflows. It’s about thoughtfully integrating them and, more importantly, building the skills needed to use them effectively. Think of it like learning a new language—fluency takes practice, and teaching GenAI to “speak” your organization’s dialect – to reflect the unique cadence of your culture, is a useful analogy. Is your team ready to speak this language?
According to recent data, we’re all feeling more than a bit unprepared. Microsoft’s 2023 Work Trend Index found that 60% of employees feel unprepared to do even their current work due to a lack of necessary skills.
Imagine how AI is impacting employee stress levels if they feel they aren’t in great shape at the starting line?
That stat is likely not news to you, as the same study reported that 82% of leaders say their employees will need new skills to prepare for the coming AI era (which is now).
We don’t want employees to feel like they are (or we are!) thrashing around in the deep end of the AI pool. Instead, how might we equip them with the skills to leverage GenAI?
Fostering a culture of experimentation, encouraging collaboration between humans and AI, and providing training are all part of the journey. By upskilling your team, you turn them from passive users of AI tools into active collaborators, unlocking the true power of GenAI for creative problem-solving and better teamwork.
The Power of Creative Evaluation: The 80/20 Rule of GenAI
Now, let’s talk about GenAI’s secret weapon: the 80/20 rule. Imagine your team is brainstorming ideas for a new L&D approach. GenAI can be your super-powered brainstorming buddy. It can analyze vast amounts of data and generate (too) many concepts. This is the 80% – a solid foundation of ideas generated quickly and efficiently.
But here’s the twist: GenAI’s speed and reach make it seem like magic, but it’s not, as you know. The human brain is still essential for that final 20%. That’s where your team’s creativity and critical thinking come in. They need to evaluate the AI-generated ideas, refine them, and ultimately choose the best ones to move forward leveraging the context of your business and culture.
This collaboration between humans and AI unlocks GenAI’s true potential for fostering creative problem-solving with a wider/deeper analysis as the beginning, and saving your team’s prefrontal cortex for what it does best.
Case Study: Empowering People Leaders with GenAI
Let’s look behind the curtain at the 80/20 rule in action. We helped a client take their team collaboration to the next level with GenAI by providing their people leaders with an AI-powered tool that could build customized learning journeys for their direct reports. This wasn’t just a one-size-fits-all approach – the tool considered individual career goals and aspirations.
The results were impressive. People leaders saw a whopping 60% reduction in the time they spent on career planning, freeing them up for more impactful activities like mentoring.
This, in turn, led to a 35% increase in employee engagement and a 25% jump in how supported team members felt by their leadership. This case study is a perfect example of how GenAI, led by human expertise (the final 20%), can empower leaders and unlock a more collaborative and engaged workforce.
Moving Ideas Into Action
We all know that swiping left on AI is not an option. Think of it this way – AI may seem like a strange new partner – it’s how you use GenAI that will take an awkward situationship to a committed, valuable relationship.
By upskilling your people and leveraging the power of the 80/20 rule, you can unlock a future of work where humans and AI work together seamlessly…back to those goals of innovation and results.
At Forshay, our mission is to modernize ways of working (often in partnership with PeopleOps/HR leaders – but can be in partnership with any leader), enabling people to have more impact in their work, and to flourish at the same time.
