Humanizing the Machine: How Change Managers Make AI Work for People
Tune in as one Change Management team brainstorms how to leverage AI and use it to quantify the impact of AI on technology initiatives.
Avatars flickered across the virtual town hall, forming a diverse arrangement of faces illuminated by the soft glow of monitors. In the top left, the CTO’s image pulsed with an almost manic energy as he declared, “AI is here! Embrace it, or be left behind!”
The change management team appeared in squares among their technology group peers in the Zoom gallery, feeling the announcement like an earthquake. Excitement sparked in Anya’s eyes, her avatar’s calm smile replaced by a mischievous glint. Beside her virtual window, Maslow leaned forward like a predator scenting opportunity, his steely eyes steady as he stroked a grizzled beard. Even Sam, usually the ever-composed team lead, felt a jittery flutter in her stomach — nervousness overlaying a bedrock of resolve as she captured the edge of her bottom lip with her teeth. The announcement landed on each person differently.
They were the organizational change management team members, guiding many users through disruption inherent in every technology and process change, relying on empathy as a compass in chaos. Here they were, being called upon to experience change themselves.
With AI looming like a techno-tsunami, what they knew for sure was that the company needed their skills more than ever.
“How do we ride this wave, team?” Anya’s calm voice cut through the tension in their post-town hall huddle.
The team felt the swift changes in business and technology coming. Pundits speculate that AI’s rise alters the game — addressing talent shortages, manual processes, and rising work volumes. Their company’s leaders now sought to leverage new technologies for survival and industry advantage.
Sam, the team’s strong leader with many years of experience, said, “The key to staying competitive and profitable in this era is the effective use of AI. While automation promises increased efficiency and productivity, the human factor remains paramount. And the team — ” She paused for effect, then said, “We — know — people.”
Smiles and chuckles circulated on the call.
Having recently read Chief Futurist Mike Bechtel’s piece about Generative Humans, they understood the importance of creative humans in an age of innovative machines. They acknowledged the natural resistance to the human side of change and the challenges highlighted by the Forbes article featuring Marché Pleshette Sam.
Maslow piped in, “There’s a lot we can do immediately. I started looking this up during the town hall. I found this article. It suggests we can use generative AI to find the exact areas of resistance in our projects. This will let us tailor interventions with laser precision.”
“I can see that,” Anya said. “Sam, remember when we launched the Datadrift project? We had all the tech bells and whistles, but some folks felt lost in the fog. I learned then that a little transparency goes a long way. So, what can we do differently using AI to avoid leaving users behind on the new QuantumSync project?”
Sam, contemplating planned tactics and custom change, encouraged Anya and Maslow to collaborate.
She said, “Aim to develop ways to use AI to measure communication effectiveness and capture user sentiment. I want us to demonstrate measurable change management impact that our CFO can use in modeling ROI.”
She wanted to motivate her team.
Sam said, “Remember when the team on one of the projects tried that new?” She made air quotes around her next word, “out-of-the-box software without regression testing it.”
“Yeah, it was not ideal,” Maslow said.
“This time, let’s learn from their faux pas, and for these new AI tactics, let us hypothesize, build, test, and implement — fast! We’ll use AI within a scientific frame and keep tweaking and learning as we go. That way, we can turn it into an ever-improving tool to help us tackle any change and make our process a blueprint for the company.”
“So what I’m hearing —,” Anya said, “ — is that we should start today.”
Sam smiled and said, “Yes, given our insightful discussion, I strongly advocate that you begin now. Maslow, I envision utilizing generative AI to process stakeholder input, dissect communication data interactions, and collaboratively develop interactive data visualizations. Anya, engaging our company’s futurist could add strategic value to this endeavor.”
“Cool, we’ll have an executable plan to review next week,” said Maslow.
The mood on the call became excited, and they left the huddle in a clear and hopeful way. The future was here, and they, the change navigators, were ready to chart its course.
꧁༒☬T͎h͎a͎n͎k͎ ͎y͎o͎u͎ ͎f͎o͎r͎ ͎r͎e͎a͎d͎i͎n͎g͎!͎☬༒꧂
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© 2024 K. Joseph, All Rights Reserved
Who is K. Joseph?
(She is not Joe, she’s K for Karlene.) I write creative non-fiction stories on Medium to share change management insights, learn leadership principles, and grow together in our workspaces. Follow. Comment.
Bonus Content
This is an update to a story by K. Joseph, first published on Medium.com.