Four Ways AI Helps Leaders Navigate Uncertainty

Four Ways AI Helps Leaders Navigate Uncertainty

Perhaps the most obvious benefit of AI is that it enables leaders to make better, more informed decisions. We’ve discussed how, in a time when the proliferation of data could easily be overwhelming and even paralyzing, AI can help leaders turn chaotic data into actionable insights. Raw data forms the foundation of business intelligence, but the real value lies in insights that illuminate the path forward instead of solely a clear picture of past performance. Of course, any tool that promises to free up time is a welcome one—especially when it allows a leader to focus on more strategic initiatives. Even basic AI capabilities can automate more routine functions and workflows, leading to greater productivity and removing some of the burdens on overloaded decision-makers.[1]In a more abstract sense, AI can also facilitate a mindset shift that helps leaders steer their organization through uncertainty. Deploying AI requires a mindset that is open to whatever insights and information may be uncovered. It’s a leap of faith that can help leaders find “genuinely novel, disruptive insights in surprising and unexpected places”[2] and enables leadership with “clarity, specificity, and creativity”[3]—powerful antidotes to the chaos and disruption of today’s business environment. It can empower what McKinsey calls a leader’s “inner agility”—essentially, the ability to be comfortable with uncertainty and creatively navigate threats and opportunities.[4]Finally, AI’s empirical feedback loop enables leaders to test ideas often, using “safe to fail” experiments. McKinsey reminds us that testing small and fast is a hallmark of agile companies because it ensures an organization can respond quickly to disruption such as new technologies or changing market conditions—akin to thinking of a company as an “experimental science lab for transformation and performance improvement.”[5]Dialed-in leaders recognize that business today calls for a different approach. Though admittedly intimidating, AI can be an incredibly useful tool for leading your organization through murky waters of constant change. We can help you chart a course—let’s talk.