AI Organizational Task Forces

 In organizations that innovate, technology adopters tend to be concentrated at the functional areas rather than at the very top. It is the knowledge workers that will need artificial intelligence to reach new levels of productivity. Those people are mostly doing self-directed work. Typically, large and medium-size organizations will be infused with AI from the top management. However, individual departments will be tasked with developing new knowledge around the areas impacted by the innovation. Internal or external specialists will be assigned to manage the complicated process design, process change, and all other stages of technology implementation. This happens typically in organizational or departmental task forces: i.e., a team that is focused on an aspect of the implementation plan.

The need for the scope, composition, and leadership authority level will be decided on a case by case basis. It is clear that the intricacy of the technology coupled with the ever-growing business process complexity requires a high degree of organizational discipline and a high level of communication among functional managers, knowledge workers, specialists assigned to specific tasks.

At the time in which AI task forces operate is highly disruptive for organizations. Executives, managers, and knowledge workers need to think through what benefits of AI are delivering ROI for the organization. The question of whether there a set of conditions that have to be met first is essential. Typically, this is a question about the existence or absence of data and data management systems. Organizational units will need to review their plans because most businesses have little in common. Many off the shelf solutions and case studies might not be compatible enough for the quick implementation to be successful.