What do you do if AI developers and business stakeholders clash over conflicting interests?

When AI developers and business stakeholders have conflicting interests, it's crucial to address these differences strategically. Here’s a condensed action plan: Open Communication: Establish a transparent communication channel where concerns and goals can be openly discussed. Common Goals: Identify mutual objectives to align both parties towards a shared vision. Compromise and Flexibility: Encourage compromise and be flexible in approach, understanding that both technical and business perspectives are vital. Mediation: If necessary, introduce a neutral mediator to facilitate discussions and help find middle ground. Continuous Feedback: Implement a system for ongoing feedback to adapt strategies and address issues as they arise.

In AI development, bridging the gap between developers and business stakeholders is key for success. Developers prioritize technical excellence and innovation, while stakeholders focus on marketability and ROI. By fostering collaboration, communication, and understanding, organizations can leverage both perspectives to drive innovation and achieve business goals effectively

The first step is acknowledging that there is a conflict. I identify the specific points of contention and the underlying reasons for the clash. It's like diagnosing a problem before you can treat it. Understanding both sides' perspectives is crucial for finding a resolution.

The biggest issues that can arise between businesses and developers fall into two categories: scope (priority) and time (release date). It's unfortunate to say, but developers are individuals who strive for exceptional quality, and we all know that this is not always achievable. Therefore, this leads us to the situation where, in most cases, developers will be dissatisfied if the business is satisfied. However, I want to emphasize - it's manageable. What is not manageable, though, is if the business pressures developers to release features and products solely for marketing noise or if the business overlooks privacy or security concerns. In these cases, we should not heed the business and instead support the developers.

When AI developers and business stakeholders have conflicting interests, it's crucial to foster collaboration. Start by identifying shared goals and encourage open communication to understand each other's perspectives. Educate both sides about the technical and business implications of their decisions. Be willing to compromise and consider involving a neutral mediator if necessary. Always keep the focus on the impact of decisions on users and customers. Adopting an agile approach can also facilitate flexibility and regular adjustments based on mutual feedback.

I facilitate open and constructive dialogue between the developers and stakeholders. This involves setting up meetings or workshops where both parties can express their concerns and viewpoints. It's like creating a bridge for communication, ensuring that everyone's voice is heard and understood.

Foster open and constructive communication between AI developers and business stakeholders to address concerns and find common ground. Provide opportunities for both parties to express their perspectives, listen actively to each other's viewpoints, and engage in meaningful discussions. Facilitating dialogue encourages transparency, builds trust, and promotes a collaborative approach to resolving conflicts. By creating a supportive environment for communication, you can bridge the gap between developers and stakeholders, leading to more effective collaboration and alignment on project goals.

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey explains how synergy epitomizes the power of creative cooperation. Here, open-mindedness leads to new solutions. Synergy is not a mere compromise. It says, "Two heads are better than one." It stresses teamwork and the celebration of diversity as strengths. It's based on the belief that the whole is greater than its parts. It encourages people to combine their talents for the best results. Synergy takes effort and an approach with heart for a new perspective. This leads to outcomes that surpass expectations. This dynamic process is marked by the discovery of the "3rd Alternative." It proves that synergy can yield better results than working alone.

If your project is at a global level, Yuu can imagine setting up a virtual platform that facilitates open dialogue. It would include structured discussions where you prompti both sides to express their concerns, objectives, and constraints in a clear and organized manner (through a pre-defined question sets, prompts based on role (developer/stakeholder) or anonymous idea sharing. It could also include sentiment analysis: Analyze the tone and sentiment of the conversation in real-time. Flag potentially unproductive discussions with high negativity or frustration. The platforme could summarize with LLMs each side's viewpoints, ensuring all viewpoints are understood . Eventually, contributions could be represented with idea mapping tools.

Initiate open and constructive dialogue between AI developers and business stakeholders to facilitate mutual understanding and communication. Create opportunities for both parties to express their concerns, expectations, and viewpoints in a collaborative environment. Encourage active listening and empathy to foster constructive discussions.

AI projects are like any other technology projects. We need to follow established Project Management practices from ideation to operationalization to make sure the common objectives are identified and roles and responsibilities are clearly defined.

A key way to resolve or avoid conflicts between Stakeholders is to align their goals. Sometimes finding a common ground means changing the perspective of some of them. It's often in the case of AI projects that they introduce risk, uncertainty, and anxiety in some employees while bringing benefits to others. As an example, product managers may be afraid of losing their jobs when introducing GenAI to create product pages automatically while the revenue team will be thrilled. Aligning both teams around improving conversion rates and showing that introducing GenAI will not cut the jobs but introduce many more, much personalized product pages instead can help them find common ground.

Often, conflicts arise from misaligned objectives. I work to find common ground and align the goals of the developers and stakeholders. This might involve revisiting the project's overall objectives and finding ways to integrate both parties' interests. It's like aligning two gears so they can work smoothly together.

I would start for the basics! Neither AI nor any technology is for tech team o developers. AI 🤖 must be connected with the business strategy and must help us to reach business objectives. Then, we are all in the same boat! Sth else that may help: AI is not only for developers in an organization is for everyone

Focus all teams on the customer and end user. Organizations exist to serve them, and that is the key objective for all to align on. That's the best way to settle any misalignment.

Thorough documentation is the backbone of any successful AI project. It ensures that every team member (both technical and line of business members) understands the project's scope, objectives, and project flow. Frameworks also foster a culture of collaboration, innovation, and shared understanding. Everyone is on the same page of how the project will flow and what step comes next for project success. AI projects are inherently complex and can be daunting to approach without a clear roadmap. Frameworks like CPMAI break down this complexity into a step by step approach, guiding teams through the project lifecycle from conception to deployment. Think Big, Start Small, and Iterate Often is the recipe for AI project success.

1. Adopt conflict resolution frameworks like Agile or Scrum 2. Emphasize iterative development, flexibility, and collaboration 3.Break the project into manageable pieces 4.Allow for regular reassessment of goals and progress

Implement frameworks or methodologies that promote collaboration, transparency, and accountability between AI developers and business stakeholders. Utilize agile development methodologies, design thinking approaches, or project management frameworks to facilitate joint decision-making, iterative feedback loops, and adaptive planning.

Establish frameworks or guidelines to guide decision-making and prioritize conflicting interests. This could involve defining decision-making criteria, establishing escalation procedures, or creating governance structures to resolve disputes.

Select the Right Framework: Choose a framework that suits the project’s needs, considering factors like scalability, ease of use, and compatibility with existing systems. Define Roles and Responsibilities: Clearly outline who is responsible for each aspect of the framework to avoid confusion and overlap. Establish Clear Communication Channels: Ensure that there are designated channels for communication between developers and stakeholders. Set Milestones and Metrics: Define clear milestones and metrics for success to measure progress and align efforts. Foster Cross-Functional Collaboration: Encourage collaboration between teams to ensure that AI solutions align with business objectives and deliver meaningful outcomes1.

When conflicts arise between AI developers and business stakeholders, external mediators can offer invaluable insight. Their understanding of both technical and business aspects helps clarify misunderstandings, identify common ground, and suggest compromises. Embrace their impartial perspective for smoother collaboration and enhanced project outcomes.

Facilitate Communication: They can guide discussions to ensure that all parties are heard and understood. Identify Common Interests: Mediators can help parties find common ground and shared goals. Propose Solutions: They can suggest creative solutions that might not be apparent to those involved in the conflict. Maintain Neutrality: As neutral parties, mediators can provide an unbiased perspective on the situation. Assist in Negotiation: Mediators can help negotiate agreements that satisfy all parties’ needs. Provide Expertise: They can bring in specialized knowledge about AI and business to inform the discussion. Ensure Follow-Through: Mediators can help implement agreements and ensure that parties adhere to them.

External mediators or consultants can bridge conflicts between AI developers and stakeholders. They offer neutral ground for discussion, clarifying misunderstandings and suggesting compromises. Understanding both technical and business aspects, they identify common interests to honor core concerns.

In such conflicts, technical details often clash with business goals. Mediators with expertise in both domains facilitate dialogue, ensuring technical feasibility aligns with strategic objectives. Their role extends beyond conflict resolution to fostering synergy between technology and business.

If conflicts persist or escalate, consider involving neutral mediators or facilitators to help resolve disagreements impartially. Mediators can provide a fresh perspective, facilitate constructive dialogue, and guide both parties towards finding mutually acceptable solutions. Their role is to foster understanding, encourage compromise, and facilitate agreement between AI developers and business stakeholders. By leveraging mediators, you can address conflicts in a fair and objective manner, promoting harmony and cooperation within the team.

In AI, change is constant. Prepare developers and stakeholders for shifts in technology, market demands, and project scopes. Foster adaptability and continuous learning to tackle conflicts with resilience, turning change into opportunity.

From the very first idea of an AI project, defining KPIs and expectations is crucial - for the final result (when AI will be introduced and used productively), for further scaling (e.g. additional improvements, scaling on other business units, new customer segments), and also for the process itself (governance, steering, tools used etc).

Indeed, by involving both AI developers and business stakeholders in the change planning process, addressing their concerns, providing necessary support, and ensuring effective communication, the change plan facilitates collaboration and helps in achieving favorable outcomes for all parties involved.

To prepare for changes in their AI product, AI engineers and business folks should talk often, stay flexible with their plans, check how changes might affect the product, make decisions together, manage risks, test changes well, keep good records, and keep improving the product over time. This way, they can handle any updates or shifts in the market smoothly and keep their AI product up-to-date and successful.

Anticipate that conflicts may arise as projects evolve and circumstances change. Develop proactive strategies to manage and adapt to these changes effectively. This may involve regularly reviewing project objectives, assessing stakeholder feedback, and adjusting plans or priorities as needed. By planning for change, AI developers and business stakeholders can remain agile and responsive, minimizing the impact of conflicts and maintaining alignment towards shared goals. Additionally, fostering a culture of flexibility and resilience helps the team navigate challenges with confidence and adaptability.

When AI developers and business stakeholders clash over conflicting interests, it’s essential to facilitate open communication. Encourage both parties to express their concerns, find common ground, and work collaboratively to reach a mutually beneficial solution. Regular meetings, clear project goals, and a shared understanding of priorities can help navigate these conflicts effectively.

Conflict is an opportunity to connect. When teams sincerely desire to seek first to understand and then to be understood, conflict becomes a conversation.

When AI developers and business stakeholders clash over conflicting interests, it's crucial to recognize the issues at hand. Facilitating dialogue between the parties involved allows for a better understanding of each other's perspectives. Aligning objectives ensures that both sides are working towards a common goal. Implementing frameworks for decision-making and conflict resolution can provide structure to the process. Leveraging mediators who understand both the technical and business aspects can help bridge the gap. It's also important to plan for change and adapt strategies as necessary to foster collaboration and innovation within the organization.

In my consulting career, I've often resolved clashes between AI developers and business stakeholders by: 1. Organising sessions for both parties to openly discuss their views. 2. Aligning both groups around shared goals & OKR's to foster cooperation and joint outcomes. 3. Making decision-making and project progress clear to all. 4. Create cross functional teams with mixed skills from the business and the AI community to promote understanding. I have found that this approach breaks down silos, aligns teams towards shared aims, and boosts innovation and productivity. Though, it can be hard and you need a lot of patience and empathy for both sides. Which means playing therapist when people don't get their way. Make sure value stands true!

When AI developers and business stakeholders clash over interests, acknowledging the issues is vital. By recognizing each other's perspectives, fostering open communication, and finding common ground through negotiation or mediation, conflicts can be effectively resolved. Additionally, establishing clear guidelines and protocols for decision-making and collaboration can prevent future clashes.