RELATIONAL INFRASTRUCTURE: THE KEY TO SUCCESSFUL AI ADOPTION

Connection matters —even in a world powered by AI.

AI adoption fueled by strong relationships is key to your success.

We’re here to help you think through what this means —for your organization and your leadership.

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HERE’S THE TRICKY TRUTH

Trust is the cornerstone of any successful transformation, and AI adoption is no exception. The tricky truth? For many, the AI conversation begins from a place of deep mistrust. This isn’t just another tech upgrade. It’s shaking us humans to our core.

Your AI adoption strategies and practices must be designed to build trust with employees, customers, and stakeholders.

In the rush to adopt AI, organizations are breaking trust, causing harm, and wasting resources.

If all your focus is on the technology, you are overlooking the most critical element of success: the human connection that fosters trust, collaboration, and change.

INVEST IN RELATIONAL INFRASTRUCTURE

AI is the future, but people are the foundation. Your tech stack is only half of the equation.

The other half is your people and the strength of their relationships across your organization. They need each other’s insights and collaboration to successfully adopt AI.

You need to strengthen your relational infrastructure — the systems, practices, and connections that support your people to embrace AI with confidence, adaptability, and purpose.

If you don’t, people will face resistance and confusion — putting your organization at risk for inefficient and harmful AI adoption efforts.

You can harm your brand reputation, lose the trust of your customers, stakeholders, and employees, and waste resources.

WHY RELATIONAL INFRASTRUCTURE MATTERS

Relational infrastructure gives people what they need to successfully navigate the complexities of AI adoption by:

  1. Building trust in AI systems through open communication and transparency.

  2. Fostering learning and collaboration across technical and non-technical teams for seamless AI integration.

  3. Navigating change in ways that align with and strengthen culture.

  4. Addressing ethical concerns with diverse perspectives and responsible AI practices.

  5. Fueling employee engagement through opportunities to contribute and learn.

THE ROI

By strengthening your relational infrastructure alongside your technical infrastructure, you build a culture of trust, curiosity, and learning – essential elements for the changes required to integrate AI well. With a stronger relational infrastructure, your organization will be positioned to:

  1. Make values-based decisions to lead ethically and responsibly in the AI age.

  2. Maximize AI’s potential by aligning it with human-centered needs and goals.

  3. Reduce resistance to AI adoption by fostering trust and psychological safety.

  4. Focus your resources on your organization’s most value-creating activities

  5. Build a culture that allows you respond effectively to change and innovate faster.

6 WAYS TO BUILD YOUR RELATIONAL INFRASTRUCTURE

Here are 6 ways you can build relational infrastructure - all of them revolve around creating forums for regular conversation about the many facets of adopting AI in your organization. Creating such forums fosters inclusivity, shared understanding, and insights — which are foundational to aligned, effective, and ethical actions. Relational infrastructure and the kinds of conversations that support it also support your organization’s ability to adapt quickly and thoughtfully to the non-stop changes that comes with today’s world by reducing fear, resistance, and confusion.

We would love to support your leadership in AI adoption. We are ready to collaborate with you on any of the activities we’ve identified above or consult with you on whatever AI adoption efforts you already have underway. It’s never too late to strengthen your relational infrastructure or align with your culture.

CONNECTION WORKS: YOUR PARTNERS IN AI

Shannon Patterson, M.S., M.S.O.D.

Shannon Patterson is the founder and President of Connection Works, a boutique consulting company in Seattle that helps leaders and teams build the mindsets and skill sets they need to succeed. Shannon brings 15+ years of consulting experience in organizational development, leadership training, and change management. She has partnered with diverse organizations, including public sector agencies and private companies, to deliver impactful solutions that foster healthy cultures, employee engagement, learning and change, and equity and social justice.

Get in touch: shannon@connectionworks.com

Michael P. Hemenway, Ph.D.

Dr. Michael P. Hemenway brings 20+ years of experience and specializes in data integration, natural language processing, organizational design, instructional design, and ethical practices around the use and development of artificial intelligence. He is Director of Design and Data Science at the Association of Theological Schools and Adjunct Instructor in Responsible AI at Case Western Reserve University. Michael was co-founder of the Experimental Humanities Lab and the Artificial Intelligence Institute at the Iliff School of Theology.

Get in touch: michael@machinesaspartners.com