On June 25, 2024, an entertaining online session took place with strategy consultant and AI expert Holger Gelhausen. The topic: The challenges of the AI age for managers. In this blog post, we summarize 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 preparing technologies that require explanation in such a way that they generate real customer benefits. He has been working intensively on the topic of artificial intelligence for around two years and has established KI-Insights as a central point of contact for people interested in AI.
The AI Opportunities Compass
A central element of the presentation was the AI Opportunity Compass developed by Gelhausen. This tool is designed to help managers succeed in the digital transformation. It provides a structured overview of the possibilities for using AI in meaningful workflows.
Key messages for managers
- Avoiding actionism: Gelhausen warned against blind actionism when dealing with AI. Instead, he recommended taking a step back and developing a “big picture” first.
- 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.
- 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.
- Enable an experience of competence: It is important 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 personalized 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 age of AI:
- 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 emphasized 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 important to involve employees in the AI transformation process and give them the opportunity to expand their skills.
Practical tips for getting started
Gelhausen made the following recommendations for managers who are just starting out with AI:
- Start by learning basic prompting techniques.
- Understand the basics of Large Language Models.
- Experiment with simple database systems such as Airtable or Excel to create AI workflows.
- First, focus on your own work processes and identify areas that could be optimized using AI.
Summary
The session with Holger Gelhausen offered 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 and at the same time using the potential of AI technologies to optimize 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.