If one universal law regarding the adoption of new technologies existed, it would be this: People will use digital tools in ways you can’t fully anticipate or control. The arrival of generative-AI-based technologies using large language models (LLMs) such as ChatGPT and Bard raises a critical question for leaders in all types of organizations: How can you manage employees when the capabilities at their fingertips are constantly changing and the effects of those changes are unpredictable?
Helping Employees Succeed with Generative AI
How to manage performance when new technology brings constant and unpredictable change
From the Magazine (November–December 2023)
· Long read
Michael Brandon Myers
Summary.
How can you manage employees when the capabilities at their fingertips are constantly changing, and the effects of those changes are unpredictable? Users have less and less time to learn from one another. And unlike virtually any other technology we’ve known, AI-enabled digital tools are designed to change by themselves—continuously. To help, the author has devised a framework—STEP—that consists of four interrelated activities: (1) segmenting tasks for either AI automation or AI augmentation; (2) transitioning tasks across work roles; (3) educating workers to take advantage of AI’s evolving capabilities; and (4) evaluating performance to reflect employees’ learning and the help they give others.
A version of this article appeared in the November–December 2023 issue of Harvard Business Review.