A Guide for People and Culture in Times of AI

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Last week, I spoke at the ACRIP - Federación Colombiana de Gestión Humana ( ACRIP Colombian Federation of Human Management) in front of 1000 people and culture leaders about AI and Strategic Artificial Intelligence (SAI).

I was surprised by the palpable excitement and concern in the room but, above all, by the uncertainty. The era of artificial intelligence and accelerated change has already begun and is fundamentally changing the structure of our organizations. As a change leader, you should be ready to lead your organization through unprecedented cultural shifts and feel supported in doing so. In this article, I’ll tell you how to master these changes and introduce you to a powerful tool that could revolutionize your approach: Strategic Artificial Intelligence (SAI, Strategic AI ).

Understanding fast-moving markets

Before we look at strategies for cultural change, it is important to understand the context in which we are operating. Exponential markets are characterized by rapid changes in consumer behavior, technological advances and the competitive environment. These changes occur at a pace that can be dizzying for both organizations and individuals.

Let me give you an example. In the past, a company might have had a year to adapt to a new technology or market trend. Today, that window has shrunk to months or even weeks. Think of the rise of TikTok. In just a few years, TikTok went from a niche application to a global phenomenon, forcing companies in every industry to quickly adapt their marketing strategies and even their product offerings.

This acceleration has had a profound impact on people and culture areas. Skills that are valuable today may be obsolete tomorrow. Organizational structures that worked in the past may no longer be effective. As leaders in people management, you must not only accompany change, but also compete with it to stay ahead of it.

The AI revolution in People & Culture?Areas

Artificial intelligence is no longer just a buzzword: it’s a reality that is reshaping every aspect of our organizations, including people and culture. From recruitment to performance management, AI offers new opportunities to optimize processes and gain insights. But it also presents us with new challenges.

One of AI’s most significant impacts on human management is the transformation of work itself. As AI takes over routine tasks, the role of humans in companies is changing. We are seeing a shift towards jobs that require exclusively human skills, such as creativity, emotional intelligence, and complex problem-solving. This shift requires a complete rethink of talent development and workforce planning.

In addition, integrating AI into the workplace creates a new cultural dynamic. Employees may worry about job security or struggle to adapt to AI-powered workflows. As leaders in cultural change, it is our responsibility to guide organizations through these changes and ensure that AI enhances, rather than replaces, human potential.

How Strategic AI (SAI) Comes Into?Play

Let me introduce you to a concept that changes everything: SAI . This is no ordinary AI system. SAI is designed to work at different levels within an organization, learning and adapting to the individual needs of different departments and functions.

What sets SAI apart from others is its multi-level understanding of the company and how it learns. SAI is also anthropomorphic. This means that it is designed to understand and respond to human problems in the context of the organization. This means that it can offer more sophisticated and context-sensitive solutions than traditional AI systems.

Let me give you a concrete example of how AI could change human management practices. Imagine an employee, let’s call her Sarah, who has been with your company for ten years and has decided to leave. Normally, her departure would mean a significant loss of institutional knowledge. But with SAI, we can achieve 100% knowledge retention.

As Sarah prepares to leave, SAI can have natural language conversations with her, capturing not only the facts of her work, but also the nuances of her approach to problems, the unwritten rules she’s learned, and the network of relationships she’s built. This knowledge is then integrated into the SAI system and is available to Sarah’s deputy or other team members.

But SAI can do more than just store knowledge. It can also learn and adapt to your company’s regulations and culture. For example, if your organization values collaborative decision-making, SAI can learn to facilitate group discussions and consensus-building processes. If you foster a culture of continuous learning, SAI can proactively suggest learning opportunities tailored to each employee’s career path and the organization’s strategic needs.

The SAI can also understand the regulations and how alignment works in an organization, helping information flow. This not only magnifies what is really important. It also minimizes what makes people not align with a new strategy.

A SAI also uses a more advanced model to lead in different situations. Instead of using the profit?—?or customer-focused model alone?—?it uses the Trivalue Company Model (TVC) , which balances value to the customer, value to the company and value to the wellbeing of the workforce. This enables SAI to deliver more effective and sustainable outcomes for the organization.

Challenges and Opportunities for People & Culture Departments

Integrating SAI and other technologies presents challenges and opportunities for people and culture areas. One challenge is empowering the workforce to work effectively with AI or UAS systems. Another is managing the cultural change that comes with the increasing prevalence of AI in the workplace.

One of the biggest challenges I have observed is the fear of job displacement. It’s essential to communicate clearly how AI will be used in your organization and emphasize that the goal is to augment human skills, not replace them. Here, I recommend a very effective model for dealing with such situations: the pyramid of the change journey.

On the other hand, this is also about people management: You need to be the bridge between your organization’s technology and the human element.

In terms of opportunities, SAI offers the possibility of drastically improving the strategic role of roles within the organization. Thanks to SAI’s ability to analyze large amounts of data and identify patterns on a personal, team, or company-wide level, you’ll gain unprecedented insights into your workforce. You can predict skills gaps before they become critical, identify high-potential employees who may have been overlooked, and even anticipate cultural challenges before they impact productivity.

In addition, an SAI can help create personalized experiences for employees. Imagine being able to tailor learning and development programs to each employee’s individual needs and learning style. Or you can provide real-time feedback on an employee’s current initiatives and career aspirations.

Dealing with cultural?change

Now, let’s move on to the cultural changes that come with the new era of AI or SAI and accelerated markets. The key is to create a low-stress culture of adaptability and continuous learning for employees.

First, it is important to lead by example. As a manager, you need to embrace change. Be open about your own learning journey with AI, SAI and new technologies. Share both your successes and your difficulties. This vulnerability can go a long way in creating a culture where it is safe to learn and experiment.

Second, focus on developing a growth mindset in your organization. In a world of rapid change, the ability to learn and adapt is more valuable than any specific skill. Encourage curiosity and experimentation. Celebrate failures as learning opportunities. Create spaces for cross-functional collaboration and knowledge sharing.

Third, ensure the AI you deploy can recognize the information flows in the organization (like Hanna Prodigy Enterprise Edition can) so that the right information is routed to the right person.

Fourth, rethink your approach to learning and development. Traditional training programs that teach specific skills are no longer enough. Instead, focus on developing meta-skills such as adaptability, critical thinking, and emotional intelligence. These skills will enable your employees to succeed regardless of the changes that occur.

Remember the importance of goals and values, both personal and corporate. In times of rapid change, a strong sense of purpose can anchor your employees (see here for another useful model, ISKA ). Also, ensure your organization’s purpose and values are clearly communicated and systematically reinforced. If you can, use an SAI to align individual roles and goals with the overarching organizational purpose.

Strategic AI in focus: Beyond?AI

When discussing the integration of AI into people and culture and organizational processes, it is important to distinguish between different types of AI and their applications. Generative AI tools such as ChatGPT have attracted a lot of attention, but they can only partially meet organizations’ complex and context-specific needs.

In my work with several companies, I recommend using an SAI instead of AIs. Hanna Prodigy SAI offers much greater potential to transform an organization and better support alignment and leadership in times of great uncertainty.

As a leader, your role is crucial in driving meaningful and lasting organizational change. By harnessing the power of an SAI and understanding that AI is a cultural change, you’ll be able to make more informed decisions, provide better support to employees, and ultimately create more agile and resilient organizations, prepared for whatever the future may hold.

Click here to learn more about Hanna Prodigy Enterprise Edition (SAI ) and get a free month trial.