The Csuite, especially Chief Financial Officers, are under pressure to prove ROI of AI adoptions, pointing to AI projects yielding limited measurable returns. Whether AI adoption is a knee-jerk reaction to “doing something AI”, vanity-led or a well-considered strategic imperative, they are increasingly insisting on financial discipline, cost visibility, and clear performance measures before funding AI transformation. But how can you prove ROI if employee adoption is fragmented and usage is low or inaccurate?

Studies show that about 50% of employees seldom use new AI technology and even fewer use it daily, making ROI calculations a futile exercise.

One needs to take a step back, and question if employee enthusiasm levels are overestimated, and whether thorough AI change management plans are being implemented. Is it a box-tick exercise, or a serious intent to move employees to accepting and embracing transformative technology?

ONENIQ co-founder Gary Hendrickse explains that in designing their change management approach, the focus was on managing, shifting and shaping employee emotions.

“Employee emotions towards AI adoption varies. Within a single department, floor or warehouse, you can find a complex mix of excitement and curiosity, and stretching to fear, anxiety, and distrust”.

These employee emotions are no different to large scale ERP adoptions, but AI has attracted far more hype. Unexpectedly, there seems to more anxiety from Gen Z’s because entry level jobs are obvious AI playgrounds and they haven’t experienced workplace change as senior employees have, whether that’s Excel in the 1980’s or large-scale ERP implementations over the last decade or so. Irrespective, companies need to keep young talent confident about their future roles, even if it is not what they envisaged.

“Change Management as we know it does not meet the challenges of AI employee adoption. There needs to be change-to-change management. It’s called ONENIQ”.

Gary Hendrickse
ONENIQ Co-Founder
Contact abby@oneniq.co.za

ONENIQ is a change management consulting company currently focused on employee adoption of transformative technology and organisational culture change.