Who is driving the use of AI?
Employees are most frequently cited as the driving force behind the use of AI. This is said by just under a quarter of employees who use AI tools in their work.
The IU study also reveals a discrepancy in perception between employees surveyed who hold management positions and those who do not. Managers most often see themselves as the driving force behind the use of AI. However, among respondents in non-management positions, managers only come in 4th place.
Question: Who is primarily driving the use of AI tools (e.g. ChatGPT, Copilot, DALL·E) in your company?
Top 5 answers; only respondents who use AI tools in their work
Excerpt from the statements surveyed; only the answers “Completely agree” and “Tend to agree” on a scale of 1 to 4
The results show: AI innovation cannot simply be mandated. Managers should deliberately give employees freedom to experiment, involve them in change processes at an early stage and encourage the exchange of knowledge and experience. This would enable employees to act in an entrepreneurial manner, drive innovation from within the company and contribute to sustainable change.”
Prof. Dr Anne Gfrerer
Professor of Business Informatics at the IU International University of Applied Sciences, entrepreneur and supervisory board member
Focus
Communication gap in AI transformation
Change management is about leadership, participation and communication (see Summary). However, the majority of employees do not see any clear AI strategy in the company. And almost a third even feel abandoned by their manager when it comes to AI. “This clearly shows that companies still have a long way to go when it comes to change management and AI transformation,” says Prof. Dr Anne Gfrerer, Professor of Business Informatics at the IU International University of Applied Sciences. “However, perceptions can vary considerably depending on management level. In particular, it is important to actively engage with and address middle management as part of the change management process.”
A clear AI strategy? Not recognisable for many
Fewer than one in three recognise that their company has a clear AI strategy. Managers surveyed (39.2 per cent) do this more often than employees in a non-managerial position (24.9 per cent).
More than one in five respondents do not feel able to answer the question. Here there is also a discrepancy between the managers (11.6 per cent) and non-managers (24.3 per cent) surveyed.
Question: To what extent do you agree with the following statement? “My company has a clear strategy for the use of AI.”
Excerpt from the statements surveyed
AI in the workplace: often no expectation and hardly any upskilling
Almost two-thirds of employees do not feel expected to use AI tools in their company. At the same time, fewer than a third of the respondents state that they are expected to undertake upskilling in the area of AI on their own initiative, or that their company offers training on how to use AI tools.
Question: To what extent do you agree with the following statements?
Excerpt from the statements surveyed
What skills will be required in the future? Unclear to many
40.8 per cent of employees believe that their company does not clearly communicate what skills will be expected of them in future. Respondents in management positions say this just as often as those in non-management positions.
Question: To what extent do you agree with the following statement? “My company clearly communicates the skills that will be expected of me in the future.”
Excerpt from the statements surveyed
“When it comes to AI, I feel abandoned by my manager.”
Almost a third of employees feel abandoned by their line manager when it comes to AI. Compared with respondents in non-management positions (27.8 per cent), the managers surveyed tend to say this more often (35.1 per cent). This shows that managers also need orientation and support from their own superiors in order to effectively support the AI transformation.
Question: To what extent do you agree with the following statement? “When it comes to AI, I feel abandoned by my manager.”
Excerpt from the statements surveyed
The results paint a picture of an AI transformation in which key elements of change management have not yet taken sufficient hold in many places. Where there is no clear strategy, no suitable upskilling offering and a lack of transparency regarding future skills requirements, it remains unclear to many employees what the changes will actually mean for their day-to-day work. However, it is precisely this orientation that is decisive. For uncertainty often stems not from the technology itself, but from the fact that nobody explains exactly how the employee’s own way of working should change. Therefore, managers are called upon to translate this change into concrete terms, make it more accessible and create opportunities to qualify their employees in a targeted manner.”
Prof. Dr Philipp Diebold
Professor of Business Informatics at the IU International University of Applied Sciences and managing director of a consultancy firm
AI expertise as a leadership issue
Managers are not universally regarded as competent users of AI tools: almost a third of employees rate their line manager’s AI expertise as fairly low. And 5.4 per cent of those surveyed do not see any AI expertise in their manager at all.
It is striking that respondents in non-management positions are less likely to rate their line manager’s AI expertise as fairly high or very high (44.1 per cent) than respondents in management positions (60.4 per cent).
Question: How would you rate your line manager’s expertise in using AI tools (e.g. ChatGPT, Copilot, DALL·E)?
Only respondents who use AI tools in their work and have a line manager
The fact that almost a third of employees rate their line manager’s AI expertise as fairly low should give companies food for thought. Anyone who wishes to lead during the AI transformation must understand AI and set an example. Managers need to be able to assess what AI can and cannot do – and, above all, how it is changing working methods. Therefore, those wishing to successfully embed AI within their company must also invest in their managers’ AI expertise.”
Prof. Dr Philipp Diebold
Professor of Business Informatics at the IU International University of Applied Sciences and managing director of a consultancy firm
