Frank Wippermann explains digital transformation

AI and digital transformation: How companies are shaping change

  • Is your organisation prepared for the digital challenge?
  • Do you want to take people with you in this change process?
  • Do you want to optimise your processes so that the introduction of AI is successful?

Digital transformation is a challenge – but also an opportunity. We provide expert advice on your change process. With the right support, you can not only introduce AI, but also use it sustainably to make your company fit for the future.

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Our digital transformation consulting services

Graphic: Fields of action in digitalization

Areas of action in digital transformation

  • Strategy development: How can AI support your specific goals? We analyse your company and develop a tailor-made roadmap.
  • Process optimisation: Where can AI make processes more efficient, faster or more cost-effective? We identify potential and implement it.
  • Employee training: From prompting training to change management workshops, we prepare your team for the new world of work.
  • Accompanying cultural change: Digital transformation can only succeed if employees are on board. We help you to create acceptance and establish a culture of learning.
  • Ethics and compliance: AI raises questions – data protection, transparency, responsibility. We support you in finding compliant and ethical solutions.

Understanding AI: More than just ‘intelligent’ technology

Woman wearing VR glasses

The digital world (photo Shutterstock licence)

Artificial intelligence (AI) is on everyone’s lips – but what is it really? AI is not “intelligent” in the human sense, but rather a fast, powerful technology that processes existing information in new ways. There are two main areas of application:

  • Generative AI: Here, existing data – text, images, music – is transformed into new content. Examples include chatbots that write text or tools that generate realistic images from simple descriptions.
  • Analytical AI: This recognises patterns in large data sets and uses them to derive forecasts or recommendations – for example, in financial analysis, medical diagnostics or logistics optimisation.

AI as a driver of digital transformation

Employees involved in the introduction of AI in a manufacturing company with robotics

AI in production (photo Shutterstock licence)

AI is one of the key technologies of the 21st century, with far-reaching implications for almost all areas:

  • Business models: New services are emerging (e.g. platform economy or AI-based consulting), while traditional models are being called into question.
  • Workflows and processes: Automation and real-time analysis are making work processes faster, more precise and more cost-effective.
  • Job requirements: Routine tasks are disappearing, while analytical and creative skills are becoming more important.
  • Collaboration: Teams are increasingly working with AI systems – humans and machines complement each other.
  • Own way of working: Employees must learn to interact with AI, control it and critically question its results.

Digital transformation: More than just technology

Graphic: The MTO-Approach

MTO approach: Man-Technology-Organisation

Many companies make a crucial mistake: they view AI and digital transformation solely as a technical issue. However, success depends on giving equal consideration to three dimensions – like the sides of a triangle. Digital transformation can only succeed if technology, organisation and people are in harmony.

Examples of the relationship between technology and organisation

  • What are the mutual requirements between the integration of new technologies and existing work and production processes as well as overall operational systems?
  • Which decision-making and action functions still exist within the organisation – and which ones have been newly created as a result of AI?

Introduction of AI – Where does that leave humans?

A team introducing artificial intelligence (AI)

A team during the AI implementation

People and technology

  • How are the functions and responsibilities of decision-making and control distributed between machines and humans?
  • What is the degree of automation and decentralised or centralised control, and what consequences does this have for the necessary or superfluous skills of employees?

Organisation and people

  • How must work organisation, activity structures and qualification requirements be continuously reviewed, adapted and renewed?
  • Which management and communication structures are necessary, which need to be redesigned – and where and with whom is there scope for change?

Digital transformation fails with “old” forms of organisation

“Assuming that digital transformation is not primarily about technological challenges, but rather about business model challenges and innovations, the current corporate strategy with regard to digital change needs to be reviewed. In many companies, however, the topic of “digitalisation” is solely the responsibility of IT, but that is not enough. Digitalisation must be a top priority. The question is how companies will earn money in five or ten years’ time. The entire value chain must be kept in mind.”

Quote from Weissman/Wegerer 2019, S. 44

AI as a tool: support for individual tasks

Engineer at Prompt on smartphones and tablets

An engineer utilises AI (photo Shutterstock licence)

Here, AI serves as a tool to make human work more efficient. Examples:

  • Text creation and analysis: AI-generated drafts for emails, reports or marketing texts.
  • Data evaluation: Rapid identification of trends in large data sets, e.g. in market research.
  • Image and video editing: Automated generation of graphics or removal of background noise in audio recordings.

In this mode, humans remain the decision-makers – AI merely provides suggestions or templates that can be adapted and finalised.

AI as an independent actor: delegation of decisions and processes

An AI agent on a laptop

An AI agent in the AI application (photo Shutterstock licence)

Here, AI takes on active control functions – it not only makes recommendations, but also makes decisions, plans processes and coordinates human employees. Examples:

  • Autonomous production control: AI systems in factories that independently retool machines, initiate maintenance work or optimise supply chains.
  • Personalised customer interaction: Chatbots that not only answer questions but also suggest individual solutions – for example, in banks or e-commerce.
  • Strategic planning: AI-supported tools that analyse business models and develop scenarios for the future – for example, in management consulting or risk management.

AI organises and directs human labour

Frank Wippermann, Managing Director of flow consulting.

Frank Wippermann checks the AI application

When a company delegates entire processes to AI, it increasingly becomes an active designer of workflows – from communication to strategy development. Human employees then act as executors or controllers.

This means that humans no longer control AI; instead, AI organises and directs human work. This changes not only individual jobs, but entire organisational structures.

Therefore: Clarify your strategy for introducing and using AI. Manage the digital transformation through professional change management.

AI in business: Why prompting alone is not enough

Many believe that digital competence primarily means writing good prompts for chatbots. But that is only the tip of the iceberg. True AI integration requires more. It requires strategic planning, organisational adjustments and a culture that embraces change. Digital transformation succeeds when the corporate culture already offers these prerequisites. Test your company’s readiness for change with our tool Change Engagement.

Consider organisational changes

  • Redesign processes: When AI takes over tasks, workflows must be adapted or revised.
  • Clarify responsibilities: Who is liable if AI makes a wrong decision?
  • Accompany cultural change: From “We’ve always done it this way” to “How can we not just do it better, but do it differently?”

Redefining requirements for employees

  • Promote critical thinking: AI delivers results – but humans must evaluate and classify them.
  • Strengthen creativity and problem solving: Routine tasks are automated, innovative thinking becomes crucial.
  • Learn to work with AI: How do I give AI the right inputs/data? How do I interpret its outputs?

Actively shaping change processes

AI is not an add-on, but a game changer. It triggers profound changes – and these changes need to be managed:

  • Communication: Why is AI being introduced? What advantages does it offer?
    Training: Not just technical skills, but also an understanding of the new processes.
    Feedback culture: Regularly review what works – and what doesn’t.

AI and leadership – get your managers up to speed

A seminar for executives who not only want to understand AI, but also want to shape it.

Participants receive practical guidelines, trends and individual guidelines for the reflective use of AI.

In this in-house seminar, we examine ethical challenges (bias, data protection, copyright), the EU AI Act and risks such as deepfakes. At the same time, we provide an understanding of how AI works: What are LLMs? Where are the limits? How can AI-generated content be recognised?

Focus: Strategic integration of generative AI into your organisation (e.g. ChatGPT, Midjourney, DALL·E). You will learn to assess maturity levels, plan targeted measures and strengthen key skills for the future. Analyses of decentralisation (Industry 4.0) and tools for measuring progress will help you develop an informed approach.

Book title Future Skills for Leadership and Organisation

Sources and recommended reading

Photos with people: Klaus G. Kohn; stock images: licence used from shutterstock.com; graphics: Ben Kannenberg