Engaging Your Team with AI: Strategies for Excitement

The push/pull challenge of change management is never easy to overcome. After all, it is human nature to resist disruption. But the process of unlearning and relearning is often a powerful path to progress. And with the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) in the workplace, this is an especially important time to help your team get comfortable with AI.

In just a few years, AI has evolved from a futuristic buzzword to a force that is revolutionizing the way businesses operate in an infinite number of ways. Many companies are already relying on AI to increase efficiency, reduce costs, facilitate collaboration, boost creativity, improve decision-making and enhance customer experience. But AI continues to raise legitimate concerns about privacy, ethics, fairness and other serious questions.

The reality of AI in the workplace

With so much at stake, business and HR leaders need to ensure their employees are prepared to successfully use AI. You should stay informed about advances so you can make better decisions about which AI tools and solutions will be most beneficial for your team.

As AI becomes more prevalent in all aspects of business operations, it is also important to consider its impact from a broader HR perspective. If you haven't already, you will soon be asked to contribute in one way or another to integrating AI into your business. As a leader, you play a critical role in identifying and bridging any gaps between people and technology. This is not an easy task. Because even though AI promises enormous benefits, it also brings with it many potential problems.

This raises a crucial question: How can you get your employees excited about AI while addressing their concerns and overcoming any barriers to successful adoption? This short guide provides some suggestions...

5 ways to get your teams on board with AI

1.Explain your reasons for integrating AI

A projected global AI market of over $500 billion may be enough to convince ambitious executives to embrace new AI-powered solutions. However, others are likely to be less enthusiastic if it means they could jeopardize their team's safety. So before you invest, take the time to consider how AI fits into your HR and business technology stack and build a coherent business case for change.

Once you're confident in the benefits, communicate early and often about your plans, no matter how extensive. Consider the change from the employees’ perspective and develop communication accordingly.

In order to win employees over to AI, it is often helpful to proactively clarify the most important questions in advance. For example, focus on the problems your teams are facing and discuss how AI can help your company address those challenges. Emphasize how this approach can improve workflows, streamline daily operations, and add value by supporting your organization's mission.

It's critical to articulate the specific benefits of AI, whether it's to automate repetitive tasks, free up teams for more strategic tasks, or generate more actionable, data-driven insights. Also, make sure you offer feedback loops so everyone has the opportunity to ask questions, suggest ideas, and contribute to ongoing improvement. This way everyone feels part of the process.

By promoting transparency about the role and purpose of AI, you can build a solid foundation of trust among your employees. And when the rollout finally begins, you'll get fewer negative reactions because employees already know what to expect.

2.Emphasize employee value creation

Many people are rightly concerned about the rapid increase in investment and influence related to artificial intelligence. This naturally raises concerns among employees who are directly and indirectly affected by AI-related initiatives.

Therefore, it is advisable to anticipate urgent employee concerns and proactively fill the gap with reliable information. For example, you can offer online forums, live events, and similar content that explain how AI-driven tools work alongside people to improve their tasks rather than replace them.

The truth is that AI cannot replicate the experiences, complexity and nuances of the human brain. Therefore, you should let concerned employees know that you understand and share their perspective.

Experts even advise companies not to fully entrust AI with highly technical services or those that require constant human supervision and skills. For example, relying on an automated bot to replace a human account manager will lead to major gaps and errors in the logic, quality and continuity of the advisory service. The same concerns apply to methodical, strategic cybersecurity services such as red teaming or penetration testing, which require deep human understanding and good execution to achieve the best results.

Addressing these concerns will make the inevitable transition much easier.

3.Put people at the center of AI implementation

Don’t just talk about AI and implement it behind closed doors. Actively involve your workforce in the selection, testing and integration of new AI tools and systems. When you involve employees from all departments, they don't feel threatened but rather invested in the success of the initiative.

Formally ask employees to test new solutions so that they become part of the implementation process. Also inform them about the impact this technology will have on their daily tasks. You should also emphasize why and how this technology aligns with your company's values and culture. Then make sure you can support that agenda with thoughtful implementation and ongoing performance measurement.

Remember, AI initiatives don’t end with the initial implementation and deployment. The best solutions are managed iteratively by people who continue to monitor, test, report, evaluate, and improve each process you want to improve.

Leave it to teams to understand the benefits, risks and outcomes of the new technology. This gives them first-hand experience of how these tools can improve their workflows, which further motivates employees to engage with AI.

4.Upskill employees

Make developing employees’ AI skills a priority from the start. Helping employees expand their skills promotes adoption and reduces anxiety about the role of AI in their daily tasks.

Focus on in-depth training on AI fundamentals as well as role-specific guidance on hands-on use of AI software and tools. Also remember to focus on relevant “human” skills such as adaptability, which allow people to thrive in their respective roles alongside AI. This ensures that both individuals and teams benefit from the training.

For high-quality, accessible learning experiences, invest in interactive content like simulations. This makes the learning process more engaging and immersive. It also facilitates timely feedback so you can easily identify and address specific knowledge gaps on an individual basis.

Also, be sure to align performance metrics with AI-powered work. Establish new, fair criteria that align with the new and changing roles, tasks, and projects augmented by AI.

5.Responsible implementation of AI

AI deserves a well-thought-out implementation strategy. A simple “launch and leave” approach is not enough to ensure success. Here's why: Salesforce recently found that 54% of workers believe generative AI will advance their careers, but 62% need further training to use it effectively.

Instead of a sudden "sweep," you can encourage the gradual adoption of AI so that employees can get used to the new processes over time. This allows them to build competence and confidence naturally. You also need time to communicate and clarify how you will manage the AI-powered activities.

You may want to pilot or beta AI tools before rolling them out across the organization. Encouraging your employees to evaluate these solutions and provide honest feedback will help you determine if important elements are missing so you can consider improvements or alternatives. You might even want to base approval of a proposed AI solution on employee reviews.

Regardless, HR and supervisors should set appropriate performance benchmarks based on the expectations of each new solution. Then continually monitor AI usage across the team, solicit ongoing feedback, and offer support to optimize performance before, during, and after deployment.

A final note on AI adoption

AI has undeniably established itself in companies and can no longer be ignored by business and HR managers. With a well-thought-out strategy, HR and business leaders can chart a path that allows employees to get started with AI smoothly and successfully.

Embracing AI requires transparency, upskilling, and human-centric approaches. Explore IceHrm for seamless integration and empower your workforce.