Back in 1994 Ronald Heifetz published his famous book Leadership Without Easy Answers. It was a landmark text that introduce the crucial distinction between technical and adaptive challenges that leaders face. On the one hand, technical leadership challenges are problems that can clearly be defined and that can be solved by the knowledge of experts. These are problems that have been seen before and there is the know-how to deal with them. On the other hand, adaptive leadership problems have none of that. With this type of problem, the challenge is not clearly defined, the issue itself is evolving and changing, and as a result, solutions to these kinds of issues require an iterative approach as new learning happens.
I explain this concept in my classes with students and in my trainings with governments, companies, and nonprofit organizations. For them it is an epiphany and something that really helps them to determine what is in front of them. In practice, however, adaptive challenges are sometimes hard to really define and harder to manage effectively. One of the more recent adaptive challenges that humanity experienced was Covid. When the outbreak happened experts and others had no idea about the nature of the problem and the challenge it posed because it was a completely new and previously unforeseen virus. So, it was impossible to define any concrete solution despite many imploring leaders to do so. There had to be an iterative approach that was understandably unsatisfying to many as people continued to die (that does not mean things could not have been done more effectively, but the iterative nature of the solution was inevitable). Eventually, humanity got their head around the ever changing problem and came up with a solution that was less than perfect, but did address the heart of the issue. Sadly, these kinds of adaptive problems often create this kind of destruction.
As I look out at the state of the world, I certainly see a new adaptive challenge – maybe the greatest one for humanity to face in a very long time…or ever. Artificial Intelligence (AI). Its impact is clearly revolutionary and also very unclear. As Stephen Hawking has stated about AI: "In short, the rise of powerful AI will be either the best, or the worst thing, ever to happen to humanity. We do not yet know which." Now that is the crux of an adaptive problem with potentially life altering impacts.
So, the next question invariably is what do we do about this? How do we even think about this issue when we only have scratched the surface of what AI is capable of doing? There is little question that with AI’s capability it is virtually impossible to determine where all this is going. Akin to the beginning of the Internet, AI’s ultimate uses are simply beyond our comprehension. Consider these rather amazing statistics already in play from an AI perspective.
According to a Forbes Advisor survey, businesses are using AI in the following ways:
- 56% are using AI to improve and perfect business operations,
- 51% are turning to AI to help with cybersecurity and fraud management,
- 47% harness AI tools in the form of digital personal assistants,
- 46% are using AI for customer relationship management,
- 40% are turning to AI for inventory management,
- 35% are leveraging AI for content production,
- 33% are using AI for product recommendations,
- 30% are turning to AI for accounting assistance and supply chain operations,
- 26% harness AI for recruitment and talent sourcing,
- 24% are using AI for audience segmentation.[i]
In addition,
- , and an additional 42% are exploring AI,
- 97% of mobile users are using AI-powered voice assistants,
- 50% of knowledge workers will use a virtual assistant by 2025,
- 80% of marketers already had chatbots as part of their customer experience strategy.
Add to these statistics these amazing uses of AI:
- There are actually AI-driven self-healing robots, which represent a groundbreaking leap in robotics. These robots combine artificial intelligence and advanced materials to create machines that can autonomously repair and adapt to damage. In fact, the robots are so advanced that they use sophisticated algorithms to enable them to identify and assess malfunctions or physical damage they may incur during operation.[ii]
- Google claimed to have developed AI technology that can . The AI needs less than 6 hours to design the chips, while it takes its human counterparts months to do the same.
- AI is capable of making diagnoses just as accurately as world-leading experts in the medical field. For example, there is one such AI-driven algorithm that can .[iii]
All of this information taken together makes one’s head spin. From a leadership perspective it seems as if an adaptive approach is our only hope. And even with that we very likely have no idea how to manage all of this and to keep up with the warp speed that AI is changing. On a positive note, there are many that believe AI can only take things so far – that humans will always have a critical role in their development and management. As Jensen Huang, the CEO of NVIDIA has stated “The future of computing is not about what computers can do, it's about what humans can do with computers.”[iv] I certainly hope he is correct…and the only way to know is to see what continues to emerge from this realm and adapt to it as best we can.
That stated, here are a few adaptive tips for leaders to manage AI:
First, make certain to align your business objectives with your AI related efforts. While AI is clearly the shiny new toy everyone wants to play with, it should not lead your endeavors, but serve them. As Huang notes, “Innovation is not about grand visions, it is about solving real problems.”[v]
Second, have at least one person in your organization be focused on the latest breakthroughs in AI technology. Every 3 months (yes things are moving that fast) have a meeting with that person and your leadership team to hear about these developments. After the meeting draft a short memo to the entire company about what you learned and what might be applicable to your industry. Invite them into the process and ask for their suggestions on how they can best use AI to do their work.
Finally, think creatively about how AI can serve your purposes. As you can see from the list above, the possibilities, in many ways, seem endless. Use AI to see around the corner and to experiment with things that will make your company stand out.
In the end, we need to hope that humanity is able to manage AI in an effective manner or it will manage us in ways that I am certain we have not even contemplated. The best you can do is adapt, adapt, and then adapt some more.
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Contributed by Dr. Joshua N. Weiss, Assistant Professor and Director of MS in Organizational Leadership and Negotiation Program
