Vision and mission should guide AI adoption – not the other way around

“Why does the dog wag its tail?” asks the famous idiom. “Because a dog is smarter than its tail. If the tail were smarter, it would wag the dog.”

Coined by English playwright Tom Taylor in 1858, "wagging the dog" has since become shorthand for a situation in which someone important or powerful falls under the control of something considerably less so. With AI adoption accelerating apace, in multiple workplaces across multiple sectors, it is perhaps worth pausing, at least on occasion, to remember that AI is the tail, not the dog.

Or at least it should be. Often, though, in a rush to be first, to outflank one’s competitors and lead the way, buoyed by a heady sense of tech-utopianism or else childlike like glee in the face of the new, some organisations can allow new technologies – to allow their tools – to become ends in and of themselves. This is no better, and no less commercially risky, than sticking one’s head, ostrich-like, in the sand, embracing neo-luddism. When technology is allowed to drive organisational strategy, it has the potential to overshadow core business principles and human expertise.

This reversal of roles raises important questions about the balance between technological integration and strategic business objectives. To ensure that AI remains an enabler rather than a driver of their business agendas, companies must align their adoption of AI with their overall strategic goals, ensuring that technology serves as a tool for enhancement rather than an autonomous force dictating the direction of organisational progress.

Over the past few months, Nous has engaged with a range of leaders across the private, not-for-profit, and public sectors, discussing the ins and outs of Generative AI adoption. Each of these discussions—all very engaging and thought-provoking—have reinforced our belief that organisations don't need GenAI strategies so much as they need to fully consider the implications of GenAI for their business strategies and operating models.

We have long used Nous’ Organisation Architecture Framework to visualise the standard components of an organisation’s operating model. Developed by a number of our principals in the early days of Nous, and subject to ongoing evolution and refinement, the standard NOAF sets out the key elements that make up all organisations and can be used to work through the hierarchy of design decisions from purpose down to enablers and supports. The AI-centric version of the NOAF below has been designed to spark discussion about how it might be leveraged to improve performance. It encourages organisations to approach implementation holistically, ensuring alignment with their overall goals at every level.

The framework asks a number of questions that can be used to guide your thinking on AI adoption.

• Strategy – How can GenAI enable new products and services that deliver on our vision and mission? What do we currently do that may no longer be valuable in a GenAI-enabled world? 🎯
• Service Delivery – Can GenAI improve customer satisfaction? Can we now offer personalised services at a previously impossible scale? Consider the way governments are now using GenAI-powered translation to translate and simplify documents. 🚀
• Financial Performance – How do we accurately measure the return on investment from GenAI initiatives across different business functions? 💼
• Business Processes and Governance – How can GenAI transform our processes to enhance operational efficiency and long-term value generation? What governance framework ensures rapid GenAI innovation while maintaining ethical, secure, and compliant AI deployment? ⚖️
• Capability and Culture – How might roles in our organisation be redesigned to leverage GenAI capabilities? What cultural shifts are needed to foster responsible and sustained GenAI adoption? Our evaluation of the Commonwealth Government's trial of Microsoft 365 Copilot found that a barrier to adoption was "perceived stigma in using generative AI". 🔧
• Data and Technology – How do we refine our data strategy to take advantage of insights from unstructured data enabled by GenAI? What capabilities are needed in a GenAI platform, and should we build, buy, or borrow these capabilities? 💻
• We should note that the emojis in this section were suggested by claude.ai. We think you’ll agree that they add a bit of charm.

While it's exciting to see enthusiasm for AI encouraging organisations to explore improvements in efficiency and effectiveness, some of this energy might be more effectively channelled towards broader initiatives like automation, forecasting, and better decision-making. The important thing is to ensure that AI remains a tool that supports the organisation, rather than letting it take the lead. The AI-centric NOAF can serve as a useful guide to ensure that AI initiatives are in line with your vision and mission.

The key question for leaders is: will your organisation use AI as a well-integrated tool, or will you allow technology to dictate your direction? With AI as with any other development, the most meaningful progress will ultimately come from mission-driven innovation.

Get in touch to discuss how your organisation can embrace the potential of AI.

Connect with David Diviny on LinkedIn.

Prepared with input from Tony Fiddes and Simon Guttmann.