Innovation in action: Generative AI is a game-changer for comms and OCM
Feel like you can’t keep up with the ever-shifting sands of tech innovation?
You are not alone: 85% of CIOs believe they’re viewed as enterprise-wide changemakers (Foundry). Corporate leaders are certainly not strangers to change, but an enthusiastic embrace of transformative tech is more essential than ever.
The key to successful evolution — whether your role is in IT, HR, operations or business development — sits squarely on the shoulders of talented communicators. McKinsey and Company’s research confirms that transformation projects where leaders communicate frequently and clearly are 12.4 times more likely to succeed. And with as many as 80% of companies currently executing one or more significant transformations, it is time to get serious about OCM, communications and the fabulous merger of change comms.
Thankfully, Generative AI (GAI) offers innovative solutions (like OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Google Bard and an ever-expanding list of others) that can help boost efficiency, drive collaboration and engagement, and revolutionize internal comms.
The challenge opportunity of modern internal communications
In this era of staggering tech innovation, remote workforces, global teams and constant change fatigue, many of the traditional internal messaging channels we’ve typically relied on no longer meet evolving needs. From coordinating cross-functional projects to pushing out that constant flow of messaging, the increasing complexity of internal comms requires that we find ways to work smarter, not harder—leveraging all tools available to deliver excellence and better the employee experience.
GAI-powered solutions offer a promising way forward, with instant ability to improve collaboration, customization, clarity and connection:
Bolster real-time collaboration
- Automate decision making: GAI’s real-time interactions facilitate faster decision-making processes by providing immediate responses.
- Collaborate with ease: AI can offer a 24/7 virtual assistant, bridging time zone gaps and ensuring seamless communication across global teams.
Personalized, contextual content
- Customize responses for segmented audiences: GAI’s ability to understand context enables it to generate personalized responses that address segmented stakeholder needs.
- Adopt adaptive learning: GAI learns from (and improves with) each interaction.
Cut through information overload
- Filter data: GAI can sift through mountains of information to extract key insights, ensuring your employees receive only the most relevant and timely details.
- Summarize content: GAI can quickly share concise summaries of lengthy and tedious documents.
Translation ease
- Bridge language divides: GAI’s language capabilities will promote more effective and efficient comms form multilingual organizations.
Don’t panic – but do get real with displacement concerns
Now it’s time to address the elephant, or should we say robot in the room: Any significant change can inspire job-loss angst, and GAI is no different. It’s important to note that this technology, while amazing and full of possibility, is designed to complement, not replace, human brainpower. According to McKinsey & Company’s “Workforce Transitions in a Time of Automation” report, automation like GAI certainly can, and already has, changed how we work.
But these innovations also bring opportunities for new roles — with skilled Prompt Engineers pulling in salaries as high as $300K+ — and more time to focus on strategic planning and other high-value output.
By strategically integrating GAI into a holistic internal communications strategy, leaders can:
- Leverage human creativity. Let GAI handle the more mundane and routine tasks to free up critical time and brainpower for your most valuable asset: strategic communicators.
- Upskill/develop workforce. Invest in training your team to collaborate more effectively through GAI, develop existing and new skill sets and increase adaptability/adoption for the next wave of change.
Innovation in action
Here’s an “IRL” example to help illustrate the transformative potential of GAI-driven internal communications. Overflowing with innovation and life-changing discovery, this multi-national healthcare-related organization struggled to align teams across continents due to time zone differences and language barriers. Internal messaging often fell short, with ineffective translation creating disconnect, delays, confusion and misunderstandings.
Seeking a quick, cost-effective solution, IT leaders partnered with HR to integrate GAI into the org-wide comms strategy. The result?
- Efficient cross-functional projects: GAI facilitated real-time coordination for teams spread across multiple time zones. An AI-fueled assistant organized video conferences, sent reminders and even provided project updates, resulting in a significant drop in project execution time and expenses.
- Multi-lingual harmony: GAI helped ensure that messages were translated accurately, swiftly and in culturally appropriate ways. This improved collaboration, culture and connection among global teams.
Employee engagement and empowerment: With more routine workload managed by GAI, highly skilled human talent had more time to focus on strategic delivery, relationship building and creative problem-solving. This boosted satisfaction, retention, enablement and other key survey metrics. This can add significant value. Case in point: At Best Buy, a 0.1% increase in employee engagement at one single store location was estimated to generate $100,000 in value.
Take the leap: A call to action!
GAI has the potential to revolutionize internal communications. If you’ve not yet dabbled, it’s time to take the leap. Start with a simple three-step plan to harness these benefits for your own organization: Assess, pilot, develop.
- Assess: Identify communication pain points and areas where GAI integration could add value.
- Pilot: Start with small-scale pilots to test capability and effectiveness of GAI-driven solutions. Be sure to involve your team in this pilot process and gather/take action on that valuable feedback.
- Develop: Invest in training and development to ensure smooth and effective integration and a solid understanding of what GAI can and can not deliver.
Sheila Jordan, a 2023 #CIO 100 Hall of Fame Inductee and SVP and Chief Digital Tech Officer at global tech powerhouse Honeywell shared a timely reminder on just how critical GAI’s adoption is for the future of work: “How you handle change management and communications around your company’s evolution into Generative AI will be critical to how successful you are. But there is a learning curve around this. We have to educate on how employees use the insights and understand them for AI results to be believed and used.”
Pivot has a long history supporting global IT transformations and deep respect for the innovators leading this charge. Whether it’s this current push with GAI or whatever disruptive technology is around the next corner, we all know change can be hard, but don’t let that natural resistance stop you. Now is the time to lean in and explore the potential GAI offers — as one of many tools available to empower your workforce and strengthen both efficiency and capabilities.
A sustainable adapt and thrive mentality begins with simple curiosity to learn more about what GAI can (and should not) do. As a leader, ground yourself in empathy to understand concerns your team may have. Change can be hard but you can minimize those pain points with strong communications. Explore GAI’s limitations and compliance implications. And before taking any on-the-job action, confirm your own organization’s policies governing acceptable use of GAI. If that’s still being written, see where you can help inform those critical decisions. The more voices the better as you help define and deliver the future of work.
Pivot can take your internal comms to the next level
The good news is that you’re not alone in embracing the future of work! Complex transformations are more successful with communications, organizational change and training.
Whether you’re ready for a full-scale GAI adoption, a global SAP rollout, or any other change that requires an adopt and adapt mindset, Pivot can help take your internal comms to the next level.
Our award-winning team of Bred Corporate, Gone Agency changemakers and strategic communicators is here to help!
