How to Use Technology to Boost Team Innovation

How can leaders transform their teams to be AI-first? It starts with mindset. An AI-first mindset means: Seeing AI as an opportunity, not a threat. Viewing AI as a tool to augment teams, not just automate tasks. Using AI to reimagine work, not just optimize work. As leaders, it’s on us to build this mindset within our teams. Here are 5 ways we do this at HubSpot: Use AI daily: Lead by example—trust grows when teams see leaders embrace AI themselves. I use it everyday and share very specific use cases with our company on how I use it. Now every leader is doing the same with their teams. The result is that we will have almost everyone in the company use AI daily by the end of year. Apply constraints: Give clear, focused challenges. We kept headcount flat in Support while growing the customer base by 20%+. Result - the team innovated with AI and over achieved the target. Smart constraints drive innovation. Establish tiger teams: Empower small, agile groups to experiment, innovate, and teach the organization. We have AI Tiger teams in every function - they share progress in Slack channels and there is so much energy with small groups experimenting and learning. Be a learn-it-all: Foster a culture of continuous learning. Share openly about successes and failures alike. We have dedicated 2 full days to learning and scaling with AI this quarter as a company - we have lined up great speakers, ways to experiment and gamified learning. Measure progress and share it: Measure which teams are completing learning modules, using AI everyday and share that openly. A little healthy competition goes a long way in driving AI-fluency. AI isn’t just a technology shift. It’s fundamentally reshaping how work gets done—and that requires shifting our mindset first. Leaders who embrace AI now will unlock creativity, performance, and impact. Are you building an AI-first mindset with your team? #Leadership #AI #Innovation #Mindset #FutureOfWork

Blending IO psychology with digital innovation flipped the results of our last tech rollout. Most teams never connect these dots—here's why it changes everything ↓ Tech implementations often fail not because of the technology, but due to human factors. The deployment to a large international pharma company was heading for disaster until we brought in IO psychologists. They helped us understand: - How different personality types interact with new systems - The impact of change on team dynamics - Ways to reduce resistance and boost adoption We tailored our approach based on these insights: - Customized training for different learning styles - Change champions selected based on influence networks - Communication strategies aligned with team cultures The results were staggering: - 94% adoption rate within 3 months - 40% increase in user satisfaction scores - 25% boost in productivity post-implementation Key takeaway: Technology and human behavior are deeply intertwined. By considering both, we unlocked synergies we never thought possible. Next time you're planning a tech rollout, remember: The most powerful integration isn't between systems, but between tech and human psychology. Embrace this approach to transform your digital initiatives. PS - and if you know this story, you also know how it set me on the path for my PhD in IO Psychology.

When’s the last time you were in a meeting and wanted to speak truth to power…but held back? Maybe you considered solutions for next time like building a coalition ahead of time, or raising the issue in private with your boss. Or did you just fantasize about getting a new job?? But did you think about GenAI? Used right, a “bot” has the power to root out dysfunctional team dynamics – like entrenched patterns of thought and hierarchical deference. Here are 7 ways GenAI can boost team performance (based on our research with innovative companies, ranging from global powerhouses to 10-person start-ups) : 1. Reducing employee silence: GenAI lets teams validate sensitive opinions, helping employees speak up without fear of backlash (or less so, anyway). 2. Increasing acceptance of dissenting opinions: GenAI-backed feedback is seen as neutral and objective, encouraging open dialogue. 3. Breaking down narrow-mindedness: By introducing fresh perspectives, GenAI drives creative solutions and challenges habitual thinking. 4. Overcoming "fake politeness": GenAI gets straight to the point, sparking debates and focusing on real issues fast. 5. Disrupting back channels: By challenging groupthink, GenAI ensures decisions are based on facts, not hidden alliances. 6. Promoting inclusiveness: GenAI values all ideas, regardless of seniority, ensuring diverse perspectives are heard. 7. Reducing intellectual absence: GenAI tracks engagement in real time, making meetings more efficient and ensuring full participation. When used real-time to augment group conversations, GenAI sidesteps human challenges like trust issues and preconceptions, delivering objective, data-driven insights. Its neutrality opens the door for honest contributions and diverse perspectives, which underpin innovation. By accelerating problem-solving, a GenAI bot leads to smarter collaboration and more strategic outcomes. These outcomes hinge on gearing the bot so that team members can interact with it seamlessly before, during, and after a meeting – but especially during. You can even build in some humor value: one program shows each meeting participant’s avatar, which grows with their proportion of airtime. Picture the domineering boss visually towering over everyone else huddled in a corner: even a bully-leader knows that isn’t okay. (Getting them to act on it takes it a step further – more on that soon.) ----- For more on the collaborative outcomes of GenAI – and how and where to achieve them – check out our case study on one team at Heineken using it to great effect (available on our website). 

🤖 AI won’t take your job, but a human who masters AI might. 👊🏻 AI isn’t replacing us, but it can turbocharge what we do best. If you didn’t get on board the AI train in 2024, it’s time to do it in 2025. Here are six ideas to help AI work with your team, not against it. 1️⃣ 𝗙𝗼𝗰𝘂𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝘂𝗴𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻, 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗮𝘂𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻. AI excels at handling repetitive tasks and crunching data, but its real value is freeing your team to innovate, strategize, and solve problems. It’s not a replacement—it’s an amplifier for human creativity and ingenuity. 2️⃣ 𝗜𝗻𝘃𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝘂𝗻𝗶𝗾𝘂𝗲𝗹𝘆 𝗵𝘂𝗺𝗮𝗻 𝘀𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗹𝘀. Empathy, critical thinking, and curiosity remain AI-proof. Strengthen these skills in your team to create value that goes beyond what machines can replicate. While AI drives efficiency, humans provide the emotional intelligence and context that truly connect ideas to action. 3️⃣ 𝗠𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗽𝘂𝘁, 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗲𝗳𝗳𝗼𝗿𝘁. AI saves time, but that can make traditional productivity metrics obsolete. Shift focus to outcomes and celebrate team members who leverage AI effectively to drive results. A culture of results, not busywork, fosters innovation and trust. 4️⃣ 𝗠𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝗿𝗺. AI adoption isn’t about waiting for a perfect tool—it’s about learning what works through trial and error. Give your team space to explore new tools and test creative ways to embed AI into workflows. Think of it as AI R&D. 5️⃣ 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗔𝗜 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗳𝗹𝗼𝘄𝘀 𝗻𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆. The best AI tools don’t feel like extra steps—they’re part of the process. Embed AI where your team already works, from brainstorming to reporting, so it becomes a natural extension of their efforts, not an added burden. 6️⃣ 𝗦𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗮𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝗔𝗜 𝗮𝗱𝗼𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻. The narrative matters. Frame AI as an opportunity, not a threat. Share success stories and celebrate wins to build excitement and reduce fear. When the team sees AI as an enabler of growth, adoption becomes smoother. AI is evolving rapidly. The question isn’t whether to adopt it but how to leverage it effectively. The most successful teams will be those who collaborate seamlessly with AI, blending its strengths with their own. https://lnkd.in/eUqkMYtJ What am I missing? How have you engaged with AI? Comment below! 👇🏻