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The challenges of the AI age for managersInsights from Holger Gelhausen

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Holger Gelhausen Mural Board.

An entertaining online session with strategy consultant and AI expert Holger Gelhausen took place on 25 June 2024. The topic: The challenges of the AI age for managers. In this blog post, we summarise the most important insights and recommendations from the event.

About Holger Gelhausen

Holger Gelhausen is an experienced entrepreneur and strategy consultant with over 35 years of experience in IT projects. He specializes in presenting technologies that require explanation in such a way that they generate real customer benefits. He has been working intensively regarding artificial intelligence for around two years and has set up AI Insights, a central contact point for people interested in AI.

The AI opportunities compass

A central element of the presentation was the AI Opportunities Compass developed by Gelhausen. This tool is designed to help managers succeed in the digital transformation. It provides a structured overview of the opportunities to utilise AI in meaningful workflows.

Key messages for managers

  1. Avoid actionism: Gelhausen warned against blind actionism when dealing with AI. Instead, he recommended taking a step back and developing a "big picture" first.
  2. Define problems and set the agenda: Managers should clearly define the problems and set the agenda. This helps to maintain a sense of competence and prevents being overwhelmed by the rapid pace of technological development.
  3. Customer focus: An important aspect is the consistent focus on customer needs. Gelhausen recommended starting with a list of customer needs and developing strategies based on this.
  4. Enable a sense of competence: It is essential that managers enable an experience of competence in dealing with AI - both for themselves and for their employees.

Practical AI applications

Gelhausen demonstrated various AI-based tools and workflows that he has developed himself:

  • Change Story Generator: a tool that automatically generates stories for different target groups and project stages.
  • Learn Anything database: A system that creates personalised learning paths on any topic.
  • Ad-hoc prompt database: A collection of AI prompts for various use cases that can be used quickly and flexibly.
  • Knowledge database: A system that can query and compare content from different books and sources.Challenges and solutions

Gelhausen identified several challenges for managers in the AI age:

  • Information overload: to counter this problem, he recommended focusing on basic techniques such as prompting and understanding Large Language Models (LLMs).
  • Feeling incompetent: Many managers feel incompetent in the face of rapid AI development. Gelhausen emphasised that it is important to redefine one's own role - away from detailed knowledge and towards problem definition and goal setting.
  • Employee management: It is significant to involve employees in the AI transformation process and give them the opportunity to expand their skills.

Practical tips for getting started

For managers who are just starting out with AI, Gelhausen gave the following recommendations:

  • Start by learning basic prompting techniques.
  • Understand the basics of large language models.
  • Experiment with simple database systems like Airtable or Excel to create AI workflows.
  • Focus on your own work processes first and identify areas that could be optimised through AI.

Conclusion

The session with Holger Gelhausen provided deep insights into the challenges and opportunities that AI offers for managers. The key to success lies in maintaining a strategic overview, focusing on defining problems and goals while leveraging the potential of AI technologies to optimise processes and drive innovation.

Managers should not be put off by the complexity of AI technologies, but rather embrace their role as pioneers and shapers of digital change. With the right mindset and the right tools, they can successfully navigate their company through the AI age.

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