With every breakthrough innovation, the race to «tool up» all too often eclipses the strategic implications of a more structural transformation of our organizations. Forgetting this is to risk missing the true potential of generative artificial intelligences!
Between promises of performance improvements and fears of being disrupted, it’s understandable why companies are eager to equip themselves with the right AI tools… until they confuse speed with haste.
The risk? Reproducing the mistakes of previous waves of digital transformation, which saw some organizations prioritize tools strategically. The real challenge? Aligning generative AI with your strategy… and not the other way around!
But how do we get started? How do we orchestrate the arrival of AI internally? How do we scale up around a structured strategy? And how do we prioritize the right initiatives and manage the change that AI brings?
On the occasion of our webinar «Aligning the potential of AI with your strategy» in December 2024, we collected the testimonies of Stéphanie Pellin, Head of the Training Department at Laboratoires Pierre Fabre, and Eric Pestel, Responsible for Digital Transformation Training, Change & IT at Safran Group.
Our witnesses' 7 tips on AI strategy:
1. To start deploying AI as soon as possible and to familiarize the teams with it
In the Safran and Laboratoires Pierre Fabre groups, already mature in generative AI, the topic of artificial intelligence has been included in the strategic plans as early as the middle of 2023.
- At Pierre Fabre : At the instigation of the Data teams, the General Directorate decided to set up an internal and secure ChatGPT, to launch a project « Pierre Fabre Generation AI » led by an core team (Data, Digital and HR) before starting experimental phases for the professions, based on the identified priorities.
- In the Safran Group It was the Comex that quickly realized that Generative AI could be a « game changer » important and decided to launch the entire group in this direction, relying on the technical teams and by integrating training services from the outset.
2. Convince through appropriation and example
To be able to convince internally, it is important to rely on simple and quick initial results.
- At Pierre Fabre, the takeover of a secure internal ChatGPT has enabled the operational teams to identify good practices to share with the group's 10,000 employees.
- At Safran, the first generative AI experiments in different departments have been useful to employees for gain in speed and productivity. Before implementing an internal ChatGPT, they were able to refine their technique. prompt* by practicing on non-confidential data.
(*instruction given to the AI assistant)
3. Structuring and supporting the early use of AI
To maintain some consistency in the integration of generative AI, it is essential to establish more or less centralized AI governance while combining « top down and bottom up ».
« We have Capitalizing on our employees by raising their awareness very early on the use of AI (webinars, awareness-raising actions, warnings). We also rely on ‘AI Ambassadors’ as a communication and training relay on the ground. This allows us to track the usage cases of the professions ».
Stéphanie Pellin – Laboratoires Pierre Fabre
At Safran, the implementation of AI-Gen led to a Raising awareness among Top.Exec and to others training for managers. Then, on the occasion of the opening of ChatGPT for free access for employees, two e-learning modules They have enabled users to become aware of the risks and good practices for use.
For Raphaël Kattan, Associate Director at talenco, « Letting AI initiatives flourish is commendable, but if there is no centralized governance, there is a risk of confusion. risk that everyone will choose their own solutions. Leaving too many individual choices could undermine the sharing of good practices and miss out on strategic productivity gains. ».
4. Moving from use cases to a structured AI strategy
Although the number of applications for AI is already significant and has enabled the optimization of certain tasks, their uncontrolled proliferation could ultimately harm the creation of value. That is why it is important to regulate their use. It is important to rationalize and prioritize them so that they remain at the service of the development of the company’s strategic capabilities..
«Safran’s strategy is to observe the various departments, discuss them, and identify good practices that could be replicated in other entities. Projects must be structured and the people who will accompany these projects must be identified before moving on to the scale. ».
Eric Pestel – Safran
On the part of Laboratoires Pierre Fabre, Priority business directions have been brought together, in connection with the company’s strategic roadmap, to have them work on transformative issues.
The goal? Having a more comprehensive and shared vision, In order to identify interesting initiatives and business cases. This has enabled, for example, to evolve the’Oncoguide, a website to support patients with cancer by integrating a chatbot into it.
Cyrille Chaudoit, Co-founder of talenco, recalls that talenco has developed an exclusive method, composed of two tools :
– the RADAR©, to sort out only those cases of use that are truly in service of the company’s vision and strategic capabilities;
– and the matrix MEDIA©, For challengers, taking into account human aspects (see details below).
Cockpit IA® method
Put AI at the service of your strategy
5. Being proactive on human resources issues
Former on generative AI is not just about training in prompt. HR must consider the impact of AI on all professions in order to improve productivity and quality.
There are 5 questions to ask to challenge the priority generative AI approaches while taking human concerns into account. These questions are detailed within the MATRIX MEDIA© Created by talenco:
- Mevaluating the impact of AI in terms of productivity gains for the profession
- Eevaluate the risks of action and inaction
- DSubtracting the added value: if AI does things for you, what to do with the time saved?
- Iidentifying the training needs and new skills for the teams
- AKeep the action plan
Asking all these questions will prevent being caught off guard when the professions are severely impacted. For HR, this strongly encourages working on a new roadmap and a new approach to the workforce. New cycle Strategic workforce planning.
6. Innovating in generative AI training practices
Relying on internal ambassadors It is a good practice to accompany employees on AI.
- At Pierre Fabre, we rely on « AI Ambassadors » who are highly committed business experts and who lead peer-to-peer workshops. Already more than 600 employees have been trained, with an excellent satisfaction rate.
- At Safran, these are « Super Users » who practice AI in their profession and share their knowledge among peers. For Eric Pestel, traditional training is complicated to consider due to rapid developments. Safran therefore operates in the form of «sprints» of training sessions that are kept up to date with new developments by the « Super Users ».
«Feel free to break away from traditional training models. Try to imagine other systems to integrate all these new features. »
Eric Pestel
7. Transform managerial skills to deploy AI
At the heart of the integration of generative AI, managers must be supported first and foremost in order to:
- Developing a critical mind: Knowing how to distinguish the true from the false, not giving in to easy solutions.
- Cultivate curiosity, The desire to try, the culture of learning, the test & learn…
- Developing your strategic vision to know how to extract competitive advantages from AI vs competitors
- Being responsible and enable employees to benefit from AI advancements while being mindful of ethical issues and a responsible carbon footprint.
- Knowing how to accompany change which inevitably entails the progressive integration of AI.
Artificial intelligence is coming «increase» the managers, To enable them to support their decision-making process, to relieve them of some operational or administrative tasks, freeing up time for their team.
« IIt’s amazing that AI frees managers from the task of controlling things This allows them to focus on the essentials: giving meaning, supporting, and developing the talents of their team. That’s where we’ll win! » Raphaël Kattan
Training «Generative AI: identifying the impacts on management and its team»
Generative artificial intelligences are gradually transforming companies, but their adoption requires a structured approach. Between strategic opportunities and organizational challenges, it is crucial to train and support teams to maximize their potential while avoiding pitfalls.
Accompanying generative AI
