The Real AI Bottleneck Is Organizational Reinvention, Not Computing Power
In my many lectures, trainings, and workshops on AI strategy & transformation, I repeatedly return to a topic that is not on the agenda: design thinking for a human-centric transformation of organizations. Although technological innovation is advancing at an ever-increasing pace, our organizational structures largely resemble those of the last millennium. This cannot work, and we can see that it does not work.
It was no different during industrialization at the beginning of the last century: previously, many people worked from home from sunrise to sunset. The technological invention of machines and factories required and enabled a transformation of organization: work was centralized and there were fixed working hours. A radical change in the organization of work. It is precisely this change that we need again today.
Because: “Your ROI from AI depends almost entirely on something you’re not investing in: your organization’s capacity to reinvent itself.“
In the 21st century, transformation is not a one-time process, but rather a permanent state and mission. Technology is constantly changing, and organizations must continuously adapt.
Artificial intelligence is both a driver and a distraction here: “[The AGI story] suggests your employees are the problem to be automated away, when in fact they are the only solution you have. […] The AI industry narrative doesn’t just inflate valuations. It distracts, devalues, and distorts the human-centred transformation work enterprises actually need to do.“
Transformation is often understood as being solely technology-driven, and companies jump from one technology hype to the next. The necessary groundwork remains undone, often with the excuse that more changes are sure to come in the future anyway:
“The noise around AI creates an excuse for inaction. “Let’s wait and see what’s possible” becomes the enemy of “Let’s transform what we have right now.” […] You don’t need to wait for some future version of AI to transform. You need courage, focus, and people willing to reinvent how work gets done.“
I can only emphasize two recommendations for concrete steps that the author Frederic Giron recommends:
❗ “Build authority structures that enable experimentation.”
❗ “Build organizational muscle for continuous reinvention. This is Digital Transformation 2.0.”
Follow this link for a good read:
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