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Teamwork, Not Individual AI Hacks, Drives ROI
21 Jul
Summary
- Few companies find clear ROI from AI despite widespread adoption.
- Effective AI integration requires focus on team context and workflows.
- Experimentation and clear AI working agreements foster better outcomes.
Most organizations are adopting AI ineffectively by optimizing individual productivity rather than team collaboration, according to Dr. Molly Sands of Atlassian's Teamwork Lab. Despite 89% of executives noting individual speed increases due to AI, a mere 6% can identify specific ROI.
Teams that successfully translate AI usage into value share three characteristics: context, workflows, and culture. These high-performing teams build 'context graphs' by capturing goals and knowledge in shared digital records, connecting work items and people. They also redesign entire end-to-end processes rather than just isolated tasks.
Leaders can foster AI advantage by encouraging experimentation and establishing clear AI working agreements. These agreements define AI usage, boundaries, and shared skills, leading to faster progress, better decisions, and higher-quality work. Ultimately, AI exposes existing team challenges like hidden assumptions and varying mental models, emphasizing the need for shared context and explicit ways of working.
