bcg -人工智能时代领导力的三个维度 The Three Dimensions of Leadership for the AI Era

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ARTIFICIALINTELLIGENCE

TheThreeDimensionsofLeadershipfortheAIEra

ByBrittanyHeflin,

GabriellaKellerman

,

RobertWerner

,

DavidMartin

,

JuliaDhar

,and

VladimirLukic

ARTICLESEPTEMBER29,202612MINREAD

TheScoutingmotto—beprepared—hasnewmeaningintheAIera.

Today,organizationsaremorelikelytooutperformcompetitorswhentheirtopexecutivesarewellprepared—whentheyarereadytomeettheopportunitiesandchallengesofthedayandhave

whatittakesforlong-termsuccess.Infact,organizationswhoseexecutivesarewellpreparedgainthreetimesthecompetitiveboosttheygetfromhavingamorematureAIdeployment,accordingtonewBCGresearch.(Seethesidebar,“AboutOurResearch.”)

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AboutOurResearch

Tounderstandwhatdistinguisheswell-preparedexecutivesandwhereothersfallshort,wesurveyed563globalexecutives,includingCEOs,C-suiteleaders,vice

presidents,anddirector-levelmanagers.Respondentsrangedinagefromunder35toover65.Therespondents’organizationshaveannualrevenueof$10milliontomorethan$10billion,representavarietyofcountriesandindustries,andhaveAIpracticesthatrangefromstilldevelopingtomature.(Seetheexhibitbelow.)

Wecombinedinsightsfromthesurveywithobservationsfromclient

engagements.

Despitethecriticalrolethatwell-preparedexecutivesplay,

only25%ofemployeesfeelthat

leadersadequatelysupporttheirAIuse

.Thedeficitisonesignthattoofewexecutiveshave

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masteredthenewleadership,technical,andresponsibleAIcapabilitiestheyneedforthefuture.Evenwhentheyhave,ithasoftenoccurredinadisjointedway.

Closingthegapiscrucialbecausethestakesareunusuallyhigh.

AIcapability

iscompounding

fasterthanmostexecutives’comfortwithit,compressingformerlyyears-longdecisioncyclesintomeremonths.Executivesarebeingaskedtocommitrealcapitalandtoreorganizerealteams

aroundatechnologythatcontinuestochangeshape.SeparateBCGresearchfoundthat

acceleratingAIisatop-threepriorityfor65%ofCEOs

seekingtoimprovegrowthandproductivity.

Ourglobalsurveyfoundthatthosewhoaremostreadytoleadintoday’sbreakneckAIeraare

threedimensional:theyassumeconnectedrolesasvisionary,codeveloper,andsteward,

internalizingthecapabilitiesandactivitiesrequiredforeachdimensionandalternatingbetweenthemasthesituationdemands.Byfollowingintheirfootsteps,otherexecutivescanposition

themselvesandtheirorganizationstogaininperformanceandmeasurableimpact.

AIReadinessIsEssential,ButMostExecsAreUnprepared

Oursurveyfoundthatexecutivesarechallengedbytheirorganization’sAItransformations,whichtypicallyoccurinthreeprogressivelymorecomplexphases:

Deploy,Reshape,andInvent

.Whenleadersarechallenged,AImaturitycansuffer,ascantheorganization’sabilitytoscalethe

technologyacrossmultiplefunctionsanduseittogeneratebusinessvalue.

Givenhowmuchisrequired,it’sunderstandablethatexecutivesmaynotfeelaspreparedastheycouldbe.Inoursurvey,only36%ofleaderssaidthattheseniorleadersintheirorganizationarepreparedtomeettoday’schallenges.

Butexecutiveswhoaremorepreparedflexinandoutofthevisionary,codeveloper,andstewarddimensionsacrossAItransformations’threephases,integratingleadership,technical,and

responsibleAIcapabilitiesintoeach.Whenleadershavethesecapabilities,theirorganizationsbenefit.Aspreviouslystated,whenanorganization’sleadersarewellprepared,theircompetitiveoutperformanceisthreefoldcomparedwithwhentheirAIdeploymentishighlymature—66%v.20%.WhenleadersarewellpreparedandhaveverymatureAIpractices,anorganization’s

competitiveperformanceincreasesbyanadditional80%.(SeeExhibit1.)

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TheThreeDimensionsofAI-ReadyLeaders

Whenexecutiveseffectivelyinhabiteachofthethreedimensions,cleargainsinperformancefortheirorganizationsfollow.

THEVISIONARY

Whenoperatinginvisionarymode,executivespaintaclearpictureoftheirorganization’sAIvisionandthegoalsneededtorealizeit.Inthisway,theyhelptheirteamsadoptAIfaster,andtheir

organizationsarelikelytohavemorematureAIpracticesandbemoreadaptable.Inmany

respects,thisisinkeepingwithbehaviorchangeresearchdescribedin

Tomorrowmind

thatfindstheabilitytoplanforthefuturetobeakeydifferentiatorofleaderswhoseteamsthrivein

uncertainty.

ThevisionaryconnectsAItowhatmatters.Well-prepared,visionaryexecutivesincorporateAIintotheiroverallbusinessstrategy.TheyaretechsavvyenoughtounderstandwhatAIcanandcannotdoandtoanchorAIinvestmentsinmeasurablebusinessoutcomes.Wefoundthat

matureAIorganizationsareuptothreetimesmorelikelytohaveleaderswhodeviseandcommunicateaclear,regularlyrefinedAIvision.(SeeExhibit2.)

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Thevisionarybetsonoptimism.ExecutiveswhoareoptimisticaboutwhatAIcando

acknowledgeitsrisksbutleanintotheopportunitiesitrepresents,allowingforabigger,bolderAIvision.Wefoundthatexecutiveswhoarestronglyoptimisticare1.9timesmorelikelytolead

organizationswithmatureAIpractices.

Thevisionaryleadsdifferentlyateveryphase.Highlyeffectiveexecutiveschangetheir

leadershipstyleasanorganization’sAImaturityevolves.Theymayassumeamoredirectstyle

duringtheDeployphase,shifttoenablingpeopleandremovingroadblocksascapabilitybuilds

duringtheReshapephase,andchallengeassumptionsorplaydevil’sadvocateasthe

organizationreachesthenexthorizonduringtheInventphase.OurresearchfoundastatisticallysignificantcorrelationbetweenadaptabilityandAImaturity:52%ofleadersreportthatleadersattheirorganizationcanshifttheirmanagementstyledependingonthesituation.

THECODEVELOPER

AI-readyexecutivesactinginthecodeveloperdimensiontapintotheirtechnicalknow-howtomodelthenewbehaviorsandworkpracticestheywanttoseeintheirteams.Theytreat

employeesascodesigners,areopentoexperimentation,anduseAIintheirownwork.

Thecodeveloperbuildswith,notfor.Treatingemployeesascodesignerswhilereshapingwork

itselfmeansexecutivesmustcreateanenvironmentwhereitfeelssafetoexperimentandto

addressconcernsabouthowAIcouldaffectpeople’sworkandfutures.Treatingemployeesas

codesignersechoesawell-documentedbehaviorpatterninwhichpeopleplacesubstantially

highervalueonthethingstheyhelpcreatethanonidenticalthingshandedtothemfullyformed.

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Accordingto

HowChangeReallyWorks

,abookbythreeBCGpartners,threetypesofcodesigningexperiencesgiveemployeesthatkindofagency:decisionmaking,influence,andrepresentation.Well-preparedleadersmakeroomforallthree,sopeoplefeellikethey’repartofthechange.Wefoundthatorganizationswhoseexecutives

putpeopleatthecenterofAItransformations

are

threetimesmorelikelytobecomeAImature(58%vs.18%),unlockingvaluethatcanbescaled.(SeeExhibit3.)

ThecodeveloperusesAIinthework.UsingAIbuildsintuitionthatleadstosoundjudgment.If

leadersneveruseAIthemselves,theycannotcrediblyassesswhereithelpsorfallsshortor

understandtheguardrailsitrequires.LeaderswhouseAIonaday-to-daybasisintheirownworkaremorelikelytoleadAI-matureorganizations:45%comparedwithonly19%ofthosewhoneverorrarelyuseAI.

Thecodevelopermakesroomtoexperiment.AculturethatsupportsexperimentationpromoteslearningaboutandadoptingAIinthemostinventiveways.ExecutiveswhoencourageAI

experimentationthroughouttheorganizationbuildcapabilityandbuy-in.OurresearchfoundthatleadersatAI-matureorganizationsare75%morelikelytoexperimentwiththetechnology

regularlyandintentionally,toseekfeedback,andtoadapt:40%vs.23%atlessAI-matureorganizations.

THESTEWARD

Whenactinginthestewarddimension,well-preparedexecutivesconcernthemselveswithAI’sboundaries.Theythinkabout

guardrails

thatpreservefairness,privacy,quality,andsafetyandaboutthebestwaytoshepherdtheirorganizationintotheAIera.

Thestewardsetstheguardrails.ExecutivesrecognizetheimportanceofbeingclearaboutwhatAIcanandcannotdoandhowitcreatesbusinessvalue.Whilemostexecutivesunderperform

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whenitcomestocreatingclarityaboutAI,leaderswhoareeffectiveinsettingAIguardrailsmakesophisticatedethicalandstrategicdecisionsaboutwherethetechnologyshouldandshouldnotoperate,andwhy.Leaderswhoinstituteclear,human-centeredguardrailsaretwotothreetimesmorelikelytoleadAI-matureorganizations.

Thestewardmakesrisk-awarebets.HighlyeffectiveAIleadersusethetechnologytosupport

coreexecutivetaskssuchasmakingdecisions,prioritizing,andthinkingstrategically.ExecutiveswhouseAItostress-testamajordecisionarenotoutsourcingjudgment,theyaredeployingit

morerigorously.Theyknowatool’sfailurepoints,weighitsabilitytomakeconsequentialdecisions,andbringtheoutputtotheteamtodiscussinawaythatbuildsconfidence.

Thismirrorsexistingresearchonhowchangereallyworks—specificallyonexecutivedecision

making—thatshowshowcognitivebiasessuchasoverconfidencecandistortforecastsformajorinitiativesandhow,asaresult,executivescanunderestimateriskandoverstatepotential

benefits.AsAIexpandsleaders’decision-makingoptions,explicitguardrailsandstructured

checksmattermore,notless.Wefoundthat38%ofAI-matureorganizationsareledbyexecutiveswhofrequentlyuseAIintheirowndecisionmaking,comparedwithjust16%thatareledby

executiveswhorarelyorneveruseit,astatisticallysignificantrelationship.

Thestewardneverstopslearning.Executiveswhospendthemosttime—morethan10%—

teachingthemselveshowtouseAIintheirownworkare1.7timesmorelikelytoleadAI-matureorganizations.

Andwhatleaderslearnmattersasmuchashowmuchtheylearn.Themosteffectivelearnerscontinuouslyupdatetheirleadershipapproach,technicalknow-how,andunderstandingof

responsibleAI.(SeeExhibit4.)

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HowtoAdoptthePracticesofWell-PreparedLeaders

Executiveswhowanttoemulatethepracticesofwell-preparedleaderscanadopttheirwaysofthinking,leading,andlearning.

Tobegin,assessthestatusoftheorganization’sAItransformationtounderstandwhichdimensiontofocusonfirst.Quantitativeleadershipsurveysassessingthebaselinesofthevisionary,

codeveloper,andstewarddimensionsareagoodplacetostart.Bringinginanexternalexecutive

leadershipcoach

canbeuseful,too;anoutsideperspectivecanoftenuncoverblindspotsthatexecutivesmaynotseeinthemselves.Whateverthestartingpoint,pickafewpracticestofocusoninitially,weavethemintoday-to-daywork,anduselanguageandrepetitiontocreatehabits.

Gettingcoachingsupportcanacceleratethisstage,providingaccountabilityandrepetition.Forthevisionarydimension:

Putvaluebeforevolume.AnchorAIinitiativestomeasurablebusinessoutcomesbeforeapprovingthem.MakesureyouareclearlyimaginingandthenarticulatinghowAIshouldservethebusiness,andthatyourteamisaligningAIinitiativesaccordingly.

Registerbutdon’tavoidrisk.TreatAIrisksasconcernstobemanaged,notreasonsto

pause.Assignownerstoinvestigateconcernsandestablishtimelinesforthework.Donotusecautionasthedefault.

Assessandadjust.UseasimplematurityframeworktoassesswhereateamisinanAI

transformationandmatchyourleadershipstyleaccordingly.Developquestionstoaskfor

eachphase.AttheDeployphase,itcouldbe“Whatarewelearning?”DuringtheReshape

phase,itcouldbe“Whatarewescaling?”IntheInventphase,itcouldbe“Whatdoweneedtorethink?”Whenateamgraduatestothenextphase,makeyourownshiftvisible.Tellthem:Wearemovingfromexploringtobuilding,andhereishowmyrolewillchange.

Forthecodeveloperdimension:

UseAIyourself.CommittousingAItocompleteatleastonemeaningfulworktaskaweek.Talkpubliclyabouthowyouuseittoshowpeoplethatyou’reallinittogether.

Offerprotectedhours.AllocatededicatedtimeweeklythatisprotectedfromotherprioritiesforteamstoexperimentwithAItools.Pairthisofferingwithasimpledebriefritualtocaptureandsharewhatworked.

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Maintainanopen-doorpolicy.Createspaceforemployeestoaskquestionsorvoice

concernsaboutAI.Ifquestionscomeupthatyoudon’tknowhowtoanswer,model

vulnerabilityandagrowthmindsetandcommittofindingasolution.Leaderswhonameandtamefeartakeawayitspower.

Failfastandsharefaster.Createalightweightmechanismsuchasacommunications

channeloramonthlysessiontoshareexperimentresults,includingfailures.Learning,notjustwinning,istheasset.

Forthestewarddimension:

Drawtheline.EstablishexplicitAIdecisionrightsandpublishthemtotheteamor

organizationyoulead.DefinewhereAIcanactautonomously,whereitcanonlyadvise,andwherehumanjudgmentisnon-negotiable.

Bringtheoutsidein.Holdregularsessionswithexternalexperts,includingresearchers,

practitioners,ethicists,andvendors,toexposetheleadershipteamtoemergingAI

developments.Regularlearningcanpushpeopletothinkbeyondthestatusquoandavoidputtingaceilingonambition.

HighlyeffectiveAIleadersseeleadership,technicalprowess,andgovernanceaspartsofthewhole.Beingoptimisticaboutthefuturemeansinspiringpeoplewithapositivevisionbut

accountingforrisk.Doingtheworktakestechnicalengagementandthecredibilityitbuilds.EstablishingsufficientAIguardrailsrequiresethicaljudgmentandcourageousleadership.Theexecutiveswhoarewinningtodaydevelopedthisfluencythroughintegratedpracticeinthe

contextofrealwork.

TheauthorswishtothankTrippTwymanandAdrianaDimitrioufortheircontributionstothisarticle.

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GabriellaKellerman

ExpertPartner&DirectorSanFrancisco-BayArea

DavidMartin

ManagingDirector&Senior

Partner,GlobalLead,People&Organization

Dallas

VladimirLukic

ManagingDirector&SeniorPartner;GlobalLeader,TechandDigitalAdvantage

B