Can Artificial Intelligence Lead to Genuine Satisfaction?

Wherever I turn, I am bombarded with news about Artificial Intelligence, or AI. Up until a few months ago, I didn’t know much about AI. I’d put myself on the outer rim. Wanting to learn more, I quickly encountered the terms AI, CX and EX. AI, CX, EX: this was sounding like the lyrics of “Old McDonald Had a Farm”! Dear readers, here is what I learned. 

AI is a tool that trains computer programs to emulate human thought processes and language patterns. Once a computer program has been trained to “think” like a human, it can perform tasks that would normally be completed by a human.   

CX and EX sound like technical jargon. In reality, these terms represent simple concepts that are as old as time. CX is customer experience and EX is employee experience. 

Companies in many industries are using AI to address the diminishment of customer trust in the CX in their businesses. I wondered: what about employee satisfaction? 

We who closely study management know that worker satisfaction has been at an all-time low, be it called disengagement or quiet quitting. Workers do not experience or feel the companies they work for have any concern or care for them. 

Let us consider remarks by the President of the Auto Union during a recent strike. He reminded the public that auto workers gave back their salaries and benefits during the recession.They did not get these reinstated once things had improved. 

Meanwhile, CEOs of the three largest automakers all are making more than $20 million annually. How’s that for a lack of TRUST?

You don’t have to like, socialize, or befriend your coworkers but must trust they will provide you with what you need to complete the tasks at hand and vice versa. Instead of political relationships–I’ll scratch your back and then you owe me–the EX is improved when relationships are spelled out clearly. Who can do what and to whom vertically, horizontally, and diagonally? This structure frees people to apply their full capability to the tasks at hand.

One fascinating example of how AI can help managers? Anonymized email monitoring. Simply put, AI can scan and analyze company email communications, looking for keyword trends. Do the words “quit” “hate”, or “resume” emerge often? Time to find out why, Manager! 

I wonder: What if we had work systems where relationship boundaries and consequences for violating them were spelled out? 

How can AI assist us in developing managerial leadership accountabilities? After all, AI deals with what is invisible and that is exactly what my mentor Dr Elliot Jaques wrote about regarding the structure of large work systems. 

Using machine learning to make the invisible visible is a higher order of complexity. Could it be that AI will add value to these essential articulated principles? 

Does AI have the power to build trust back into our organizations? I look forward to hearing your ideas. 

I wish you and your family a wonderful Thanksgiving.