An office worker reclines in his chair with his eyes close, his hands behind, and his feet on the desk as a generative AI chatbot on the computer in front of him performs tasks that makes his life easier.

Lightening the load: Managers should prioritise using Generative AI to streamline tasks

A survey of 3,000 American managers revealed that 90 per cent already use AI tools and nearly two thirds do so regularly.

That number is only going to grow. In the long run new business models, adopting yet-to-be-invented AI applications, might alter the core fabric of organisations.

However, the more immediate question for managers is how they can use AI efficiently right now. Efficiency is the key word here, as learning to use new tools is always time intensive.

And as well all know, time is a scarce commodity for managers. They are looking for marginal gains that make their job easier straight away rather than possibilities that require substantial training efforts.

With this in mind, here are three suggestions on for quick wins that can help managers harness the power of generative AI.

Use generative AI for simple writing tasks

Few tasks eat up as much time as the daily avalanche of emails. While AI can summarise the lengthier ones at the click of a button, the bigger challenge often is how to draft an effective reply.

The simplest option is to write a rough draft and then ask AI to edit your writing, making it more effective. In most cases a request to shorten your message is a good idea too.

The second option is to copy the incoming message, provide a few points you want to make, and attach a few examples of how you usually write.

The examples are crucial as you don’t want your boss wondering whether AI might be able to replace you altogether.

AI can facilitate similar writing tasks like memos, instruction manuals, or content for presentations.

For more complex writing tasks, e.g. an article, the output tends to be too generic. For example, I asked ChatGPT to draft this section of the article for me, sharing an example of my previous writing. This is what I got:

"Imagine the time saved if managers didn’t have to draft every report, email, or document themselves. AI-powered writing tools can handle these tasks efficiently.

"For instance, tools like ChatGPT can generate well-structured content based on simple prompts. This not only saves time but also ensures consistency and clarity in communication.

"Need to draft a quarterly report? Input key data points and receive a polished document in minutes.

Further context and input might improve this, but the effort quickly outweighs the benefits. It is more efficient and effective to simply write the article yourself.

On top of this there are tools that identify whether a text was generated by AI. While the likelihood that this is an issue when you write an email is low, it certainly is a problem when you write an article for a big audience.

Use AI for ideation

The best ideas often emerge from conversations. In his bestselling book Where Good Ideas Come From, Steven Johnson explains that one of the most important engines of innovation is the clash of ideas that happens when people with different perspectives and expertise interact.

Unfortunately, those people with different perspectives are not always around when a manager needs them. This is where an interaction with generative AI offers a quick alternative.

The key is to briefly specify what type of output - or possibly persona - the AI should generate. That’s less complicated than it sounds. In an excellent new guide book for managers Elisa Farri and Gabriele Rosani provide some examples:

  • Ask generative AI to create a list of 20 potential applications for technology [specify] to address challenge [specify], keeping in mind the constraints of the customer [specify].
     
  • Ask generative AI to analyse the common challenges your customers faced as reported in the last quarter’s feedback [share, link, or upload] and suggest unconventional solutions by drawing parallels with different industries.
     
  • Ask generative AI to rate your team’s ideas [share, link, or upload] based on innovation and feasibility. For each idea, generate a score from 2 to 10 (where 1 represents low innovation, and 10 represents high innovation) and provide a brief rationale for the scores given.

The first output might still be generic but in a back and forth, the emerging ideas can be fine-tuned.

For managers the value is less the idea that AI generates and more the ideas they might come up with themselves because they articulate their thinking and get alternative perspectives.

Use AI to replace contractors

Lawyers typically charge between $200 and $800 to draft simple contracts, such as an independent contract agreement or a standard employment contract.

Simple legal tasks of this kind can easily be conducted by AI, saving both time and money. There are also specialised legal AI tools. LawGeex, Kira Systems, or Luminance AI are great in principle as they provide more accurate output.

But it remains best to hand more complex legal work over to specialists. For them these advanced tools are helpful, making them more efficient.

As far as AI replacing contractors is concerned, managers can use the same rationale: simple, low-risk tasks that you would usually hire someone to do work best.

Obvious candidates are press releases, job ads, or marketing material such as podcasts. Here is an example prompt for how this can be done to promote an idea using Microsoft Co-pilot (script) and Wondercraft (audio) to create a podcast:

"Based on the attached manuscript of my book Open Strategy, can you create a two minute podcast.

I would like the podcast to have two participants. One who has the style and persona of an obnoxious talking head. He is strongly against the idea of open strategy and proposes that we need to have a group of experienced man to run the company without interference and distraction from those who know nothing.

The other guest should be an eloquent female participant who is arguing for open strategy. I want it to be obvious that she is the one winning."

Whenever there is ground-breaking new technology, expectations are overblown. The predictable consequence is frustration.

AI has been no different, with 80 per cent of projects failing. This will change with time, but right now managers are better off integrating AI in simple ways rather than shooting for the moon.

This article was originally published by Forbes.

Further reading:

Working on the jagged frontier: How companies should use generative AI

Business leaders are asking the wrong questions on AI

Beyond the hype: What managers need to ask before adopting AI tools

How to reduce AI bias

 

Christian Stadler is Professor of Strategic Management at Warwick Business School. He teaches Strategic Advantage and Strategy and Practice for the Executive MBA and Global Online MBA. He is a regular contributor for Forbes.

Learn more about strategy on the four-day Executive Education programme The Strategic Management of Leadership at WBS London at The Shard.

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