Sparkwise

By now it is clear that AI transformation is not merely--or even mostly--about adopting AI tools. In the AI economy, the ultimate source of competitive advantage comes from proprietary organizational intelligence: robust, evergreen, and distinctive organizational knowledge powered by artificial and human intelligence working in tandem. The human side of the equation requires employees to go far beyond using a new tool to do old work. It requires a whole set of new Frontier Behaviors that are genuinely difficult to perform: 👉 think on top of AI 👉 correct and redirect it 👉 share precious tacit knowledge 👉 learn deeply (not just endure training) 👉 adopt new ways of working continuously These Frontier Behaviors create what Vince Jeong and I call the The Loop in the book we're writing now with Harvard Business Review. Unfortunately, we argue, the current operating model inside most enterprises today makes it irrational for employees to engage in them at scale. This article is variant of a chapter we are leaving on the cutting room floor. Not bc it isn't important, but bc the analysis is deep, and we have too much other stuff to cover. (An operating model is a BEAR to write about bc there's so much that goes into it!) Sharing it here in case anyone is interested. LMK! P.S. The painting is meant to show the struggle between operating models. After many years spent teaching people how to think by learning to look at art, my mind still reaches for paintings as analogies.

Too many companies are landing on hope as their AI strategy. They launch an AI 101 class and assume people will figure it out. Hope they use the tools, develop skills, and it all somehow adds up to transformation. On the latest episode of 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘌𝘹𝘤𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦, Carlee Wolfe, AVP of Talent and Organizational Effectiveness at Hyatt Hotels, shared how her team starts from the other end. What mindsets, behaviors, and outcomes are you looking to drive? Key insights we covered: ► Hope Is Not an AI Strategy ► Stop Solving One Problem at a Time ► Experiment Before You Scale ► Lead with Curiosity, Community, and Care ► You Can't Win by Cutting Watch the full episode to discover the difference between AI hope and AI strategy: https://lnkd.in/eMWyyRjZ

Thank you so much to everybody who braved the heat and travel disruption yesterday to join us for the @Talent and Leadership Club session at Bayes Business School. We were hosted by Vince Jeong, co-founder of Sparkwise, who flew over from the States specifically to talk to us about the work they are doing with a number of clients and academic institutions around critical thinking, particularly in a world of artificial intelligence. It was a really valuable conversation, with a great audience and some excellent discussion in the room followed by a lovely drink in an air conditioned pub. Lisa Booth, Chartered FCIPD & Laura Raznick

Ask a junior teammate to defend the AI answer they just handed you. Too often, they can't. B/c they never had to build the thinking underneath it. The answer arrived looking polished in 4 seconds, and they shipped it. The reasoning was never theirs to begin with. And they don't have the experience to tell good from mediocre. That's the part that worries me about AI and early-career talent. They're skipping the messy middle where judgment actually gets built: the struggle, the bad first draft, the senior person tearing it apart, the rebuild. On the latest episode of 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘌𝘹𝘤𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦, I spoke with Neil Hunter, CLO at Deloitte Canada, who shared how Deloitte is solving this challenge at scale by reimagining apprenticeship for the AI age. A few ideas from Neil that stuck with me: ► Protect the Struggle ► Remember What It Felt Like Not to Know ► Balance Speed with Development ► Build the Environment, Not the Program ► The Highest Form of Learning Is Unlearning Watch the full episode here: https://lnkd.in/gAM3HCjh

Stop assuming "content = learning." You won’t transform how your people work with AI until you do. Real learning requires effort: deliberate practice/feedback with accountability. Yet too many orgs still push out endless content (now made faster than ever with AI) as if information alone gets people to change. On the latest episode of 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘌𝘹𝘤𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦, Benoit Hardy-Vallée, Director of Human Capital at Deloitte Canada, shared how Deloitte is building true capability. Key insights we covered: ► Learning Requires Practice and Feedback ► Bring Back the Apprenticeship Model ► Manage Learning Like a Product Portfolio ► Create Learning Ecosystems, Not Just Events ► Turn Your Team Into Capability Engineers Watch the full episode: https://lnkd.in/gJ9S5PSU

Too many orgs pour resources into senior leaders while underinvesting in the people who actually shape daily employee experience. Studies show managers impact employees' mental health nearly as much as their spouse. More than doctors, therapists, or family members. Yet most firms wait years to develop them, then wonder why teams aren't performing. On the latest episode of 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘌𝘹𝘤𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦, I spoke to Ryan McCrea, MAIOP, President of the St. Louis Organization Development Network and author of a brand new book for managers called "Quick Bites of Insight," what separates great managers from good ones and how to develop them. Key insights we covered: ► Great Managers Don't Solve Everything ► Nice Doesn't Mean Effective ► Stop Treating One-on-Ones Like Standups ► Develop New Managers from Day One Watch the full episode to discover how to build excellent managers in a changing world: https://lnkd.in/gJSc2usg

Career development programs fail because they ignore the emotional change happening inside people. When facing massive organizational shifts, Laura Bartus SHRM-SCP, Head of L&D at Humana, starts with three questions for employees: - What are you actually afraid of? - What's your plan if the worst happens? - How can you approach this with curiosity instead of fear? Most people haven't named what scares them specifically. Once they do, their brain can move from ruminating to problem-solving. People who navigate change well focus on the value they contribute rather than just their role. On the latest episode of 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘌𝘹𝘤𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦, Laura shared why cohort-based learning with accountability partners drives career development results, how she leads with stakeholder wins instead of program details, and how she builds in application/reinforcements to combat retention drop-off. Key insights we covered: ► Address the Emotional Change First ► Build Accountability Into the Design ► Lead with Stakeholder Wins, Not Your Program ► Reinforce Until It Sticks Watch the full episode to discover how to design career development programs that actually stick: https://lnkd.in/grX89U3s

Too many L&D teams run on validation, which is why they don’t get a seat at the table. The business asks for something, you build it. They say thank you, you feel valued. Michael Trinder calls this the validation trap. As Director of Workforce Solutions & Capability Architecture at AlixPartners, he's seen how it leads to transactional relationships that make L&D expendable when budgets get cut. L&D uses inaccessible jargon to sound intelligent. Stakeholders don't understand it, so they default to ordering solutions. You deliver, get validation, repeat. The relationship becomes "if I stop asking for things, what do you do?" On the latest episode of 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘌𝘹𝘤𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦, Michael shared his S.E.A.T.S. framework for breaking this pattern. He explained why falling in love with the problem matters more than the solution, how to ask stakeholders what they'll see differently instead of chasing ROI, and why prototyping lo-fi first saves you from building the wrong thing at scale. On January 1st, your salary and budget are red on the balance sheet. Your job is moving that to black. When you stop treating requests as instructions and start treating them as hypotheses, you build business solutions instead of training packages. Key insights we covered: ► Stop Seeking Validation from Delivery ► Fall in Love with the Problem, Not the Solution ► Ask What They'll See Differently ► Prototype Everything Lo-Fi First ► You Start the Year as a Cost Watch the full episode to discover how to break the validation trap and build credibility with the business: https://lnkd.in/gRzeSAQc