Maximizing the Value of AI With Organizational Change and IT Service Management

Organizations are faced with unprecedented levels of disruption, whether driven by technological advancements, regulatory mandates, market dynamics or competitive pressures. At the heart of transformation lies artificial intelligence (AI), reshaping how organizations operate, innovate, create and realize value. Successful adaptation to change is essential for survival and growth. Having an organization change management (OCM) framework is key to ensuring that success.

OCM is an organization’s strategic approach to managing change and encompasses a business’ people, processes, technology, partners, suppliers, value streams and structures, such as governance. OCM is pivotal in navigating complexity, fostering agility and driving innovation in the face of disruptive technologies and market forces.

It can help facilitate smooth transitions, especially for IT service management (ITSM), an organization’s approach to managing and optimizing its technology and the services around it. For example, ITSM can help optimize incident and service request management by establishing specific processes and tools to use, ensure IT services are delivered well by setting up service-level agreements (SLAs), improve the management of assets by creating a database to track all devices, and more.

One way to think of it is that while both practices focus on change, OCM applies to an entire organization and includes people and a wide range of business workflows, while ITSM narrows in on IT. Having structured processes and good synergy between OCM and ITSM can enable successful digital transformation initiatives, such as adopting AI, to unlock new opportunities and drive sustainable growth.

To maximize the value of digital transformation, organizations should adopt a holistic strategy that seamlessly integrates ITSM, OCM principles and AI.

Here are some helpful strategies to ensure successful adoption of AI and other digital transformation efforts:

Digital transformation and AI implementation is not just about technology; it’s about people, too. Strong leadership and vision are essential. Leaders must articulate a clear vision, set strategic priorities and champion innovation to mobilize support and resources for transformational change. Effective change leadership involves creating a culture of passion, experimentation and continuous improvement. This inspires and motivates the workforce to embrace change, rather than resist it and drives digital transformation.

Effective OCM with ITSM ensures alignment between business goals, digital transformation initiatives and AI strategies. Organizations can steer their efforts toward achieving desired outcomes and maximizing value creation by defining clear objectives, priorities and performance metrics.

Digital transformation and AI require collaboration and alignment across various functions, departments and stakeholders. Cross-functional teams should be empowered to collaborate, experiment, share knowledge and iterate on innovative solutions that drive business value and customer impact.

Effective data governance and ethical AI practices are critical for building trust, ensuring compliance and mitigating risks associated with data privacy, security and bias. Organizations must establish robust data governance frameworks, knowledge management capabilities, ethical guidelines and risk management protocols to safeguard against potential pitfalls and ensure responsible AI deployment. In addition, keeping agility in mind is important, so these frameworks should be flexible enough to balance risk management with innovation and experimentation.

Building a skilled workforce capable of leveraging digital technologies and AI is not just a one-time effort but a continuous journey. OCM is critical in talent development, including recruitment, training, upskilling and fostering a culture of lifelong learning. This helps ensure the workforce is always ready to adapt and grow.

Healthcare
In the healthcare industry, OCM is instrumental in navigating complex regulatory changes, technological innovations and shifts in patient expectations. From implementing electronic healthcare services to adopting value-based care models, healthcare organizations rely on OCM to ensure seamless transitions, mitigate risks, reduce errors and enhance patient care delivery.

Financial Services
Financial services organizations operate in a highly regulated and competitive environment characterized by rapid digitalization and evolving customer preferences. OCM helps financial institutions implement new technologies such as blockchain and AI, and adapt to changing regulatory requirements, ensuring compliance, efficiency and customer satisfaction.

Manufacturing
In the manufacturing sector, OCM is critical for driving process improvements, enhancing operational efficiency and fostering a culture of continuous improvement. From implementing lean manufacturing principles to transitioning to new industry technologies, manufacturers rely on OCM to align people, processes and technology, optimize workflows and drive innovation.

Retail
Retail organizations face constant disruption from e-commerce, changing consumer behaviors and market trends. OCM enables retailers to adapt to omnichannel retailing, personalize customer experiences and optimize supply chain operations. Retailers can stay agile, responsive and competitive in a dynamic market landscape by engaging employees, empowering frontline staff and fostering customer-centric cultures.

Technology
Technology companies leverage OCM to drive user adoption of new products and services, align cross-functional teams, manage product launches, support organizational restructuring and cultivate innovation-driven cultures. By promoting collaboration, creativity and change resilience, technology firms can accelerate time to market and enable sustainable growth.

Public Sector
OCM enhances service delivery, service support, efficiency, effectiveness and innovation. Leveraging these practices, government agencies can improve citizen services, optimize operations, deliver more valued services and achieve their mission of serving the public interest.

Technology changes quickly.  While having set processes and frameworks in place is important, so is maintaining flexibility.

One way to do that is by engaging stakeholders early and often. By including them in every step, from initial planning and design to implementation and evaluation, organizations can gain valuable insight, build consensus and foster collaboration, increasing the likelihood of success with overall adoption and implementations.

Effective communication is also essential for gaining buy-in and support for change initiatives. By clearly communicating the benefits and rationale behind IT services, technology and process changes, organizations can motivate employees, address concerns and build excitement for transformation.

For additional support, working with a trusted advisor, such as CDW, can help you manage projects holistically from end-to-end, leveraging advisory and assessment insights to direct OCM and AI efforts and tasks for overall ITSM value realization for your organization.