More and more companies are turning to AI to generate new opportunities and harmonise teams that may be at breaking point.
Whether you are looking to grow your team next year or nurture the one you’ve got, it’s imperative that as your company transitions to AI, your employees are ready and equipped. Competition is tight and the basics are no longer enough to stand out. Here is how you can successfully upskill your team and prepare for a new era in your business.
Re-Define Your Roles
The demand for AI skills has skyrocketed as industries across the board are realising its potential. As a consequence, the market has quickly become saturated. This causes complications for recruiters as they must sift through hundreds if not thousands of applications which look the same. If you are a business leader, you will be more than aware of this debacle. However, this can be settled when you are redefining your own team and setting new expectations. First, you need to compartmentalise the different roles. For instance, in technical roles, like data scientists or software engineers, upskilling might mean enhanced training in AI models, machine learning frameworks, and data analytics tools. For non-technical roles, such as marketing or operations, training might focus more on AI applications, data-driven decision-making, and process automation.
To avoid a one-size-fits-all all approach, you need to assess the relevant skills that will correspond to each role. Doing this saves time and resources as not every department will require the same level of training, and those who want more can be supported with funded courses and coaching. Upskilling talent must involve everyone, but you need to understand everyone’s needs and workload to manage it effectively.
Create a New Work Culture
Not every employee will be enthusiastic about the company integrating AI. Perhaps there are older members who aren’t as familiar with technology or people who have concerns about how it will affect their position. Whatever the worry is, it’s important to empathise with them and come up with strategies to make the culture more inclusive as you transition to AI. Make it clear that you aren’t looking to replace them but use AI as a tool to help their workflow and remove laborious tasks that don’t serve the organisation. As the company adjusts to a new routine with improved productivity, it’s a great opportunity to use that spare time to reconnect with your workforce. Scheduling regular check-ins, offering new work perks, having team leisure time and providing mental health support is key to retaining talent as well as upskilling. Teaching new skills means nothing if you don’t have engaged employees.
Bring in the Experts
Integrating AI fully into your organisation isn’t without its challenges, and while you may feel secure in your knowledge, reaching out for assistance isn’t an unwise move. Particularly for specialist roles, hiring experts in certain fields can help reassure employees and give them a balanced perspective. Those with experience can give practical advice with allocated training sessions and follow-up meetings. This ensures training is robust and employees can have a well-rounded experience. In addition, to encourage people to create an AI C-Suite should be considered to oversee the progress and identify any issues. It may take a few years to reach proficiency, so the more assessments you do, the quicker the process will be.
Prove it’s working
Recruitment and training are costly – we know this. To spur enthusiasm and ensure that integrating AI will be worthwhile, identify key metrics you intend to impact as an organisation such as employee engagement, turnover, performance improvement, productivity, and revenue growth. On an individual level, track KPIs or performance and respond to inconsistencies with actionable feedback. When introducing something new, it’s important to have patience and anticipate mistakes. For the company as a whole, monitor customer satisfaction and new avenues for revenue growth. There is so much potential to tap into so keeping on top of industry changes is crucial for effective implementation.
Provide a Clear Path for Growth
So, you’ve expanded your team, and all departments are now fully versed in the world of AI and are using it on a daily basis. But what’s next? To bolster retention and continue the momentum, leaders must outline clear career development pathways to keep employees curious and satisfied. This entails AI-specific career progression plans, routine reviews, and opportunities for leadership roles in AI projects. Employees who are supported and encouraged to grow with the company not only promote loyalty, but demonstrate your company is built for the future, and creates knowledgeable leaders who will be able to share their expertise with the next generation.
In short, upskilling must be looked at from all angles and not neglect those hesitant to make the move. Competent teams will reduce the skill gap by fostering a culture of continuous learning, and by following these steps your company will be a shining example of what a futuristic business looks like.
About the Author
Adam Herbert is co-founder and CEO of Go Live Data. Go Live Data is the UK’s premier data and engagement business, helping companies manage their outbound engagement and internal data assets using their unique 1.6M corporate data universe. Go Live Data is a disruptor in the data landscape and on a mission to build the best corporate service in the UK with a focus on clean, compliant, reliable data, exceptional customer service, and allowing their customers to access the information that will help them realise their vision for success. To date they have built a database of 1.6 million limited and PLC organisations’ data – making it the most comprehensive one in the UK market.