AI Adoption and the Octopus Organization

Have you ever sat through a presentation where questions are saved for the end? Then someone asks what feels like a planted question, and the presenter responds, "That's such an insightful question..."

This rigid, performative dance is a symptom of a deeper design flaw == organizations built for stability in a world that now rewards adaptability.

In fact, AWS strategists Jana Werner and Phil Le-Brun argue that most companies fall into one of two archetypes. And knowing which one you are has BIG implications for how you adopt AI.

1/ 𝗧𝗶𝗻 𝗠𝗮𝗻 𝗢𝗿𝗴𝗮𝗻𝗶𝘇𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝘁 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀. Rigid hierarchies. Standardized processes. Top-down control. Optimized for an era of mass production and predictability. These organizations treat humans as resources to be managed, not talent to be unleashed.

2/ 𝗢𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗽𝘂𝘀 𝗢𝗿𝗴𝗮𝗻𝗶𝘇𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗱𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁. Like the remarkably adaptive sea creature, they're designed for complexity and continuous change. Their "arms" (teams) can think and act independently while working in perfect concert. They tap into collective intelligence, sense subtle signals, learn at speed.

Here's WHY this matters in the context of AI adoption.

𝗔𝗜 𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗮𝗻𝗶𝘇𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗺𝗼𝗱𝗲𝗹 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝗹𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘆 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲. In a Tin Man Org, AI becomes another tool that needs permission to use. In an Octopus Org, it becomes an extension of human intelligence solving real problems.

Winning with AI requires fundamentally redesigning how you work. Trust your people. Embrace curiosity over compliance. Obsess over customer value, NOT just process.

As HubSpot CEO Yamini Rangan says leaders need to "get close to work". You must see where friction slows people down and where curiosity gets stifled. You can then make the small changes that unleash big impact.

Look at your current team structure: Are you building a machine, or an organism? — Ram Srinivasan MIT Alum | Author, The Conscious Machine | Global AI Adoption Leader.

Published in Business Insider, Fortune, Harvard Business Review, MIT Executive Viewpoints and more.

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Disclaimer:

Ram Srinivasan currently serves as an Innovation Strategist and Transformation Leader, authoring groundbreaking works including "The Conscious Machine" and the upcoming "The Exponential Human."

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