Subj : Want to implement AI? Focus on organizational culture To : All From : TechnologyDaily Date : Fri Sep 19 2025 15:15:09 Want to implement AI? Focus on organizational culture Date: Fri, 19 Sep 2025 14:03:59 +0000 Description: Whether AI succeeds or stalls inside a business comes down to one thing: culture. FULL STORY ====================================================================== The AI narrative might suggest its your ticket to transformation. But real transformation demands more than buying into that narrative. In my experience, whether AI succeeds or stalls inside a business comes down to one thing: culture. I know, its all about culture can be used to dodge the practical change thats required or as an excuse as to why change didnt stick. This makes it easy to dismiss. But culture, the shared beliefs, norms, behaviors, and expectations that shape how people work, is the silent force behind whether AI becomes business -critical or just another failed initiative collecting dust. Im seeing this play out already failed AI proofs of concept, endless conversations but no action, inertia leading to procrastination. The painful bit? If you dont get this culture thing right, it wont matter how good your AI technology is. AI doesnt work in a vacuum Most AI conversations Im seeing start with tools, models, platforms, maybe even governance frameworks. But those things dont operate in isolation. They live within your organization's existing ecosystem, and that ecosystem is heavily shaped by culture. If your teams are siloed, they wont share the data AI needs to perform. If your decision-making is overly risk-averse, good AI ideas will be endlessly piloted but never scaled. If your people are terrified of job loss, theyll resist adoption every step of the way. You cant drop AI into your business in a culture that isnt fit for purpose and expect it to take off. You have to set yourself up for success and adjust the environment along the way. Cultural foundations youll need The first cultural shift needed is from control to curiosity. AI works best when people are able to experiment, explore, and iterate. But in many organizations, control is the default: tightly governed change, slow approvals, hierarchical or committee-led decision-making. That kills innovation. To get the best from AI, you need to create a culture where people are encouraged to try and ask what if? rather than avoiding innovation and asking, whats the process?. The second shift is from competition to collaboration . AI doesnt belong to one team. It touches operations, marketing, finance, HR , and everything in between. But too often, functions work in silos. Data gets hoarded. Technology, data and business teams dont speak the same language. Priorities clash. People pull in different directions. You need a culture where people genuinely work together, where data is shared, not protected, where business problems lead the conversation, not just the latest algorithm. The final foundational shift is from fear to confidence. Theres a lot of anxiety around AI: fear of the unknown, fear of job loss, fear of getting it wrong. If your culture amplifies fear, adoption will stall. If it builds confidence, people will lean in. That means being transparent about how AI will be used. It means involving people early, not just asking them to embrace the change once its decided. And it means creating safe spaces for learning, testing, and even failing. How do we shift the culture? Cultural change is behavioral, its structural, and its ongoing. I heard a great quote recently by John Edwards, the Information Commissioner, in the context of implementing AI where he said, If it isnt uncomfortable, youre not doing it right, and its so true when it comes to culture change in the wake of AI. A good starting point is to properly diagnose the current state. That means going beyond the surface and understanding the beliefs and behaviors that already exist around data, decision-making, tech, and change. Its about being honest and curious about whats really going on, not what people wish was happening. From there, leaders need to model the right behaviour. Culture change needs top-down and bottom-up change, but there is huge power in the top leading the way, day-to-day. Leaders need to ask better questions, champion collaboration, and be visibly open to new ways of working. But its not just about leadership. You also have to embed change in how people actually work. AI cant be something extra on top of the day job. Youve got to look at incentives, decision rights, performance metrics, the plumbing of the business, and align it all with the behaviors you want to see. Perhaps most importantly, celebrate progress, not just perfection. Becoming an AI-enhanced business doesnt happen overnight. Momentum builds when people see that small wins matter, that experiments are safe, and that their contribution counts. Culture is the strategy If your AI strategy doesnt include cultural change, its not a strategy. Its a wish. Yes, the models matter. The infrastructure matters. The data quality definitely matters. But none of it will land unless the people using it are ready, willing, and supported to change how they work. We've featured the best IT automation software. This article was produced as part of TechRadarPro's Expert Insights channel where we feature the best and brightest minds in the technology industry today. The views expressed here are those of the author and are not necessarily those of TechRadarPro or Future plc. If you are interested in contributing find out more here: https://www.techradar.com/news/submit-your-story-to-techradar-pro ====================================================================== Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/pro/want-to-implement-ai-focus-on-organizational-cul ture --- Mystic BBS v1.12 A49 (Linux/64) * Origin: tqwNet Technology News (1337:1/100) .