AI transformation is the CEO’s job

The useful part

Most conversations about AI -ready leadership focus on the technology— which workflows to rebuild, which tools to buy. In the AI era, their role is one of people transformation and the readiness that matters most is their own willingness to lead it first. At Star, we call this "organizational recomposition," and it is by far a harder job than many realize.

How it works

• This is achieved by upskilling, laterally moving people into work that didn't exist a year ago, or simply through new ways of working that AI has only just made possible.
• However, in all honesty, organizational recomposition is also about understanding how to remove those employees who are not ready to get on board with AI transformation.
• It means taking the talent, skills, and capabilities of the people you have today, decomposing them, and reassembling the organization into something that isn't much bigger but is different.
• It means a more capable one, built substantially with the people you already have on your roster.
• Two forces that fight against change Change is never easy and there are two factors—the culture of the business and the pace of change—that must be handled correctly for transformation to be a genuine success.

Details worth keeping

True, the CEO must endorse these decisions but that isn't their role. Recomposition does not mean a smaller company. It's a people's decision, and it sits with the CEO.