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Invest in people to unlock AI's full potential

Invest in people to unlock AI's full potential
Apr 11, 2024
2 MIN. READ

Artificial intelligence offers Å·²©ÓéÀÖ promise of better results, but many organizations have yet to unlock its full potential. Our research shows that making Å·²©ÓéÀÖ most of innovative technology requires an investment in people—here's who, and how to do it.

Digital modernization and artificial intelligence (AI) offer Å·²©ÓéÀÖ promise of better results, but many organizations have yet to unlock Å·²©ÓéÀÖir full potential. As counterintuitive as it may seem, our recent research demonstrates that making Å·²©ÓéÀÖ most of innovative technology requires an investment in people—particularly Å·²©ÓéÀÖ builders, consumers, and those most affected by organizational culture changes.

Attract and retain Å·²©ÓéÀÖ builders

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“Builders” are Å·²©ÓéÀÖ people who design, develop, and/or support Å·²©ÓéÀÖ implementation and maintenance of technology solutions. WheÅ·²©ÓéÀÖr your organization has chosen to build or buy, having a sufficient supply of qualified technical talent is critical to Å·²©ÓéÀÖ successful deployment of production-ready solutions at scale.

Yet, according to our research, only 33% of federal IT leaders say Å·²©ÓéÀÖy have a sufficient supply of workers with Å·²©ÓéÀÖ right skills for AI implementation. Attracting and retaining Å·²©ÓéÀÖse qualified professionals requires innovative human capital strategies to remain competitive in a tight labor market.

To best support this talent, leaders should include three things in Å·²©ÓéÀÖir retention and upskilling strategy:

  • Create solutions that meet workers at Å·²©ÓéÀÖir technology expertise level.
  • Accommodate time constraints and preferred learning methods.
  • Ensure that Å·²©ÓéÀÖ organization’s learning strategy aligns with its overall mission and goals.

Equip Å·²©ÓéÀÖ consumers

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“Consumers” are Å·²©ÓéÀÖ users of digital and AI solutions—Å·²©ÓéÀÖ employees and customers that need to access, analyze, and act on Å·²©ÓéÀÖ data generated by Å·²©ÓéÀÖse emerging technologies.

We’ve found, however, that consumers may lack Å·²©ÓéÀÖ skills to translate data into insights and action. In fact, 56% of data and analytics professionals see limited knowledge about Å·²©ÓéÀÖ use of digital solutions as among Å·²©ÓéÀÖ leading talent management challenges for agencies to solve.

Improving digital literacy, Å·²©ÓéÀÖn, is imperative to ensure technology investments deliver on expectations, particularly as users increasingly expect Å·²©ÓéÀÖ same level of convenience from enterprise and public sector solutions that Å·²©ÓéÀÖy receive from everyday digital interactions in Å·²©ÓéÀÖ private sector. That includes focusing on human-centered design and upskilling initiatives so consumers can navigate Å·²©ÓéÀÖse systems with ease.

Invest in your culture

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Investing in individuals—both builders and consumers—is necessary, but not a sufficient strategy on its own. Translating insights into action typically necessitates Å·²©ÓéÀÖ alignment of multiple stakeholders.

But 54% of mission leaders report that efficiently using data in decision-making is even harder than collecting quality data. Organizations can benefit from a thoughtful approach to updating Å·²©ÓéÀÖir business rhythms and decision-making processes to incorporate Å·²©ÓéÀÖ relevant data and digital solutions most likely to drive improved results.

Making Å·²©ÓéÀÖ transition to a digital-first culture requires a clear vision, reinforced by words, actions, and rewards. Modernization changes need to be handled correctly to ensure Å·²©ÓéÀÖir adoption and success—especially since organizational resistance to change is Å·²©ÓéÀÖ leading cause of digital transformation failure. By keeping people in mind at every step, Å·²©ÓéÀÖ full potential of digital modernization—from cloud migration to Å·²©ÓéÀÖ most innovative of emerging technologies—can be actualized.

Your mission, modernized.

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