CENTRICA
Lessons in AI adoption For other organisations following their own AI journeys , James says that his team has learned a huge number of lessons during Centrica ’ s transformation so far .
One significant lesson is who should be used to test out technology and new processes .
“ Don ’ t just give it to people in the IT department ,” adds James . “ That ’ s not the best idea . Give it to the right people to test and learn , including those with high and low digital confidence , and make sure that they get the right amount of training and support . This is how you can learn what a scaled rollout might deliver .
“ One of our best investments was time spent on hackathons to help us engage different groups and co-create value opportunities , whilst also getting people excited about AI .”
He is quick to emphasise the adoption of new systems and AI capabilities is not just a technological problem , but a human one .
“ For IT departments , it ’ s important to work hand in hand with HR and Leadership on the culture of the company . It ’ s one thing giving people a tool , but if you don ’ t have a culture that embraces the use of that technology and new ways of working , you ’ re not going to get very far ,” he adds .
Lucy Pringle , Employee Experience Lead at KPMG agrees with this sentiment and adds the importance of change leadership .
“ You cannot reap the benefits of AI without changes from your workforce ”
LUCY PRINGLE EMPLOYEE EXPERIENCE LEAD , KPMG
“ You cannot reap the benefits of AI without changes from your workforce . In many cases , you are looking to break down and reconfigure years , or decades , of ingrained workplace habits to form new behaviours . This makes the success of the AI revolution primarily a behavioural and cultural challenge ,” adds Lucy . “ It requires proper investment , time and resources behind tailored change and adoption .
“ If you don ’ t have your exec bought in and leading from the top , it ’ s not going to flow down to the rest of the company . And if you haven ’ t got your early career employees embracing it from the bottom , it ’ s not going to flow up .
“ An AI roadmap should be built on principles around experimentation and willingness to pivot as you take learnings from what you do ,” she adds . “ You might start something with one product and move to another . You need to be thinking about that cross-vendor strategy and how different platforms and tools work together , and then thinking about the impact of all of those decisions on a connected user experience .”
256 September 2024