With an emerging appreciation for artificial intelligence, executives and staffers agree that AI should be nurtured and not feared.
Company executives increasingly value employee communication, which they view as an exchange of ideas, information, and outlooks between staffers and management.
Data shows that 86% of employees and executives “cite the lack of effective collaboration and communication as the main causes of workplace failures,” says a new study by team communication application developer Pumble. “On the other hand, teams who communicate effectively may increase their productivity by as much as 25%.”
Addressing effective management-employee communications strategies, figuring out which communication method best serves an enterprise is job one. With excellent communication, company executives can more effectively manage their teams and improve performance, productivity, and morale.
AI is a Born Communicator
Consequently, it’s not surprising that artificial intelligence plays a big role in employee communication development, especially in key areas like human resources, employee recruitment and training, and product development.
Generative AI is becoming a technology that employee communicators are leaning on more and more, a new study reports.
“A 2024 survey on Generative AI with employee communications professionals – following up on what was measured in 2023 – shows that AI has grown from its infancy to what clearly is an adolescent stage of development for employee communicators,” says a new study from North Star Communications Consulting.
Here are three big takeaways from the study . . .
A “needed” skill set. Employee communications professionals now view Generative AI “as a new competency,” the report stated. “A whopping 93% said AI is a new skill set needed. Employee communicators also view change management “as a requirement to support the introduction and responsible use of AI, as 73% also believe AI will require that discipline.”
“The connection between Generative AI and change management could not be closer. Their symbiotic relationship underscores the importance of integrating these two disciplines for effective organizational transformation,” said Mark Dollins, president of North Star Communications Consulting. “The growing influence of AI offers two unprecedented opportunities for employee communicators: One is to drive new levels of measurable business performance – and the second is to elevate communicators’ influence, and that of their employee communications function, to unparalleled levels of strategic importance.”
Strategic deployments are needed. Employee communicators are also “experimenting” with Generative AI to address limited bandwidth, save time, and make themselves and their teams more productive. The study cites a 21% increase in the adoption of Generative AI technologies for employee communications, accompanied by a 9% rise in “recognizing its perceived value” for employee communications.
“Despite productivity gains, strategic applications such as analytics remain underdeveloped, suggesting a need for further exploration and investment in this area. Less than 10% of respondents are currently using AI for trend identification or outcome prediction, highlighting a gap in strategic use,” said study contributor Jon Stemmle, professor of Strategic Communications at the University of Missouri School of Journalism.
Additionally, 76% of the employee communications pros taking the survey said their employers were using AI for some business purpose, “but they either were not using AI for communications, or they were unsure as to whether or not they were doing so.”
Abundant time savings. 60% of study respondents reported that using AI saves about two hours a week, while the other 40% say they’re saving up to five hours or more weekly.
Even so, North Star analysts say there’s a long road ahead for employee communicators leaning into AI.
“While the past nine months have marked substantial progress, there’s still much ground to cover in leveraging AI for transformative employee communications,” Dollins noted. “AI invites employee communicators to shape a future where they develop strategies with data and analytics and have deeper, broader engagement with both the internal and external forces influencing AI’s development, regulation, deployment, and responsible, ethical use.”
Brian O’Connell, a former Wall Street bond trader and best-selling author, is a prominent figure in the finance industry. With a substantial background as an ex-Wall Street trader, he has authored two best-selling books: ‘The 401k Millionaire’ and ‘CNBC’s Creating Wealth’, demonstrating his profound knowledge of finance and investing.
Brian is also a finance and business writer for esteemed national platforms and publications, including CNN, TheStreet.com, CBS News, The Wall Street Journal, U.S. News & World Report, Forbes, and Fox News.
