AI adoption is no longer a speculative endeavor. It’s a strategic imperative deeply rooted in organizational values, human insights, and clear business strategy. Your core values define your business identity and should drive how AI is integrated. Automating routine tasks allows your team more meaningful client interactions, thereby building deeper relationships and significantly enhancing user experiences.
I help advise team leaders seeking state of the art practices to get started with AI. As pointed out in recent research on AI cybernetic teammates from the Wharton School and other institutions, AI cannot fully replicate the richness of human social and emotional interaction, but its power “as a genuine collaborator suggests a marked shift in how knowledge work can be structured and carried out.” AI-augmented teams perform better and create products ranking in the top decile, “underscoring the unique synergy produced by combining human collaboration with AI-based augmentation.” Teams thoughtfully adopting AI will significantly outpace their peers in performance, employability, and economic output.
To successfully integrate AI, organizations must explicitly align AI initiatives with established strategic goals, analyzing how AI can influence seven essential business elements: planning, people, problems, profit, process, peers, and partners.
Here are details on each of the the seven Ps to strategically guide your organization through AI adoption:
1. Planning
Clearly articulate a strategic vision for AI, employing a phased “crawl, walk, run” approach. Begin with manageable projects demonstrating tangible value, then progressively tackle more ambitious initiatives aligned with your long-term business goals. This strategic approach ensures steady progress, effective risk management, and continuous alignment with overarching organizational objectives.
2. People
Bringing out human relationships and culture in an increasingly digital world is key for quality AI readiness and implementation. Foster an environment of continuous learning and open dialogue about AI. Identify and empower early adopters through dedicated affinity groups, collaborative tools, and engaging team-building activities. Clearly communicate the role of AI, emphasizing areas where human interaction remains crucial and irreplaceable.
3. Problems
Quick wins can drive enthusiasm and acceptance. Identify immediate, solvable problems that AI can effectively address. Host sessions to crowdsource effective AI usage strategies, such as optimal prompts or leveraging tools like Microsoft 365’s Copilot or ChatGPT. Celebrating these initial successes generates internal support and builds momentum for larger, more strategic AI projects.
4. Profit
AI investments must balance visionary ambition with financial pragmatism. Evaluate the financial impact carefully, pinpointing areas where AI can streamline operations, safeguard margins, and facilitate scalable growth. Develop realistic, clearly defined implementation roadmaps with measurable milestones, ensuring alignment between short-term outcomes and long-term profitability.
5. Process
Invite teams to propose AI-driven improvements that enhance workflow efficiency and innovation. Provide necessary training, resources, and support for implementing these changes. Utilize insights like the ones in this article from Harvard Business Review to illustrate how incremental AI-driven enhancements yield substantial improvements in productivity, quality, and employee satisfaction.
6. Peers
Accelerate AI integration by leveraging the experiences of peer organizations. Encourage active participation in industry forums, conferences, and collaborative groups to share best practices, lessons learned, and successful strategies. Fast follow use cases that are just beginning to prove repeatability. Utilizing collective intelligence accelerates learning, reduces implementation risks, and fosters a competitive advantage.
7. Partners
Choosing the right partners is critical when deciding whether to try, buy, or build new capabilities. Evaluate advisors and technology providers based on credibility, experience, risk alignment, and investment compatibility. Explore options carefully—pilot new technologies, purchase robust existing solutions, or build custom AI applications tailored specifically to your needs. Strategic partnerships help ensure sustained compatibility and maximize returns on investment.
Next Up? Put the Seven Ps to Work
Thoughtful reflection and ongoing realignment of AI initiatives with organizational values are crucial for sustained success. Continuous engagement and feedback across diverse stakeholders ensure that AI enhances human-centric principles rather than replacing them. Ultimately, the goal is not mere technological advancement, but fostering resilient, AI-enabled human relationships that thrive in a more holistically designed future.
About the Author
Andrew DeBerry is a Knownwell AI Advisory member, cybersecurity expert and co-founder of a Bay Area startup. With a background in engineering, public policy, and ethics from Notre Dame, he served in Air Force intelligence and cybersecurity operations across Korea, Germany, and Afghanistan. Andrew holds a Masters in Arabic and an MBA from Wharton, and has led AI initiatives at Microsoft, AWS, and Meta. He advises on cutting-edge projects at Google X, and US Cyber Command, driven by his mission to innovate for good.
