Introduction
AI readiness can often be intricate and nuanced. Every organization has its unique cultural dynamics that can either accelerate or hinder this integration. Are you curious to uncover how prepared your company is to embrace AI?
Our tailored checklist, inspired by Schein’s renowned organizational culture model, is designed to offer insights into whether your organization’s culture is a catalyst or an obstacle to the seamless incorporation of AI.
The checklist is a joint effort between the Tesseract Academy and Dr Clif Lewis from the LBVC.
You can find the checklist here.
The rest of the article explains some of the core methodology behind the checklist.
Core Elements of Schein’s Framework
Schein’s model is made up of three key parts:
- Artifacts and Behaviors: The visible and touchable aspects of a culture, like the workplace setup and how people act.
- Espoused Beliefs and Values: The stated norms and rules that people in the organization follow and talk about.
- Basic Underlying Assumptions: The deep, often unspoken beliefs that guide how people think and behave in the organization.
Integrating AI Readiness
Artifacts and Behaviors
This involves making AI a visible part of the workplace. It means using AI tools daily, offering regular AI training, and celebrating AI achievements. The goal is to make the company’s commitment to AI clear and visible to everyone.
Espoused Beliefs and Values
Here, the aim is to make AI part of the organization’s stated values. This can be achieved by leadership endorsing AI, setting clear ethical standards for its use, and promoting ongoing learning and collaboration around AI projects.
Basic Underlying Assumptions
At this level, the focus is on changing deep-rooted beliefs to embrace AI. It’s about making decisions based on data, viewing failures as learning opportunities, and seeing AI as a helper, not a threat. AI and data science should be accessible and useful to everyone in the organization, not just tech experts.
Assessing AI Integration
A checklist aligned with Schein’s levels can help organizations measure their progress in integrating AI into their culture. It provides a clear way to see how well AI is being adopted and offers direction for improvement.
You can find the checklist here.
Conclusion: AI Readiness
Adapting Schein’s framework to integrate AI into organizational culture is about combining visible actions, stated values, and deep-rooted beliefs to fully embrace AI. By aligning AI initiatives with these three levels, companies can make AI a natural part of their identity, enhancing innovation and efficiency in today’s data-driven world.
