Artificial Intelligence is reshaping how organizations operate, communicate, and adapt—often faster than traditional change management frameworks can handle.
In our June 2024 conversation, Shaun McMillan, an independent consultant who has spearheaded change initiatives at several global pharmaceutical companies, described the key ingredients for successful partnerships between change management and communications professionals. Here, we explore how AI is transforming the work of change management professionals themselves.
OKG: During our last discussion, you said change professionals were starting to embed AI in their work. What’s happened in the past two years?
Shaun: Change management is evolving from a reactive discipline using standard templates and processes to one that’s forward-looking, customized, and context-specific. Instead of internet searches and manual data analysis, we now use AI to synthesize internal knowledge, answer complex questions in real time, and support decision-making.
OKG: What are these AI applications and how are people using them?
Shaun: Globally distributed project teams are using AI assistants to create meeting summaries, draft follow-up messages, update project dashboards, and recommend next steps—information quickly shared across functions and time zones. This reduces administrative work for project teams, though it’s critical to review and validate AI’s output.
Change professionals are using Kaiya, an AI change management assistant with years of specialized research trained on a company’s strategy and intellectual property. Practitioners can now receive organization-specific guidance that’s accurate, consistent, and actionable.
Some organizations have built proprietary large language models (LLMs) and trained employees to use them; others have purchased systems such as Claude for Enterprise, which can be faster and less expensive than building an in-house language model.
I’ve created a custom GPT, populated with information about past projects, that I use to suggest improvements, analyze risks, identify gaps, and propose refinements. This enables faster, better decisions, and lets me focus on strategy and professional development, while freeing up personal time.
OKG: What’s your advice for creating a successful AI system?
Shaun: Use a proprietary, in-house AI application or a customizable third-party LLM to ensure confidentiality, reduce bias, and deliver responses reflecting your company’s culture, values, and strategic direction. This creates a shared resource where teams can build on each other’s work rather than starting from scratch every time. Train AI on both organization- and project-specific information to get the most useful output.
OKG: Should AI be a “collaborator” or an “assistant”?
Shaun: Assistant, definitely, because of accountability. Change management is fundamentally about human behavior, relationships, and trust. Ceding decision-making entirely to AI risks losing human judgment.
AI powerfully amplifies what skilled practitioners can do but should never replace human insights and reasoning. Treating AI as a collaborator with equal standing can lead to oversight issues and compound risk.
OKG: Speaking of risks: As organizations further embed AI into their operations, what are the governance challenges?
Shaun: Companies need governance frameworks that evolve as fast as the technology, including addressing the environmental impact of data centers powering AI. Principles established by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), which call for AI systems to be trustworthy, transparent, and accountable, are an excellent place to start.
OKG: What do you say to leaders about how to approach AI?
Shaun: AI isn’t optional or distant—it’s already here. The leaders who navigate it best are those who understand its capabilities and limitations, build appropriate governance structures early, and keep the human element at the center.
Change management professionals are particularly well-positioned to help organizations navigate the AI transition because we know how to help people adapt to complex change in ways that stick.
OKG: Finally, what’s the best way for change management and other professionals to get started with AI?
Shaun: Start small, stay curious, and keep innovating. Pick one repetitive task, like summarizing a meeting or creating an FAQ. Then look at developing more customized solutions using internal data, being mindful of any AI-related company policies and guidelines. Professionals who will add the most value are those who understand both business problems and how AI supports better decision-making, improves project dynamics, and identifies risks faster and more effectively.
Need help understanding how to make AI work for you? The O’Keefe Group is working with clients on the complicated journey to AI adoption.
