Natural Intelligence - People

I was wondering whether the companies are focusing much of their efforts in this trending (big data + AI), forgetting the core of management - strategy, organisation and leadership. More than that, are they forgetting the need for humans?

Accordingly with Ridderstrale and Birkinshaw in their new book - Fast/Forward, "Many companies are more comfortable analysing and debating than acting decisively and intuitively". Furthermore, "The default assumption that more and better information is always better actually cramps companies’ ability to move fast." 

Imagine that you have a huge data system (big data) with all the information about your customers and potential new customers. What do they like or dislike, where they live, work, have lunch and dinner, what is their favorite team in the NFL, what sort of car they use to drive and better, they wish to drive. In other words, maybe you would know them more than themselves.

Now, imagine that you have an AI system working all this information and giving you a mountain of options to approach your client. We would assume that the presence of people in this process is dispensable, or even not so important. Also, we would think that this is the path to success. 

I agree that all tools are well received helping the management of companies, but I believe that we would never forget that people will be always running them. Once, one of my professors told me - "Competitive differential is something that only you know how to do. Moreover, it is something unique, singular."  When I think about that, I always get the conclusion that people are the only "material" that is singular in this universe. 

From the moment that everybody is doing the same thing, (big data + AI), it is no longer a differential. On the other hand, if you have someone in your company, unique, singular, he/she is your competitive differential. So, take good care of them.

See you all and success!