Employees adopting AI faster than organisations, says McKinsey survey
New Delhi, July 10
While artificial intelligence has emerged as the top technology spending priority for many organisations, most are still at an early stage of AI deployment, with employees adapting to the technology faster than the organisations they work for, according to a McKinsey survey.
The survey said leaders are introducing AI tools for employees and automating manual processes while encouraging workers to develop new technical skills. However, the outcomes have so far fallen short of expectations.
"Results are still falling short of leaders' ambitions," the report said.
According to McKinsey, organisations are at different stages of AI transformation, with many yet to convert individual AI-driven productivity gains into enterprise-wide impact.
"Given how rapidly AI capabilities are evolving, it is not surprising that organisations are still learning how to translate individual productivity gains into enterprise-level impact," the report said.
The report said AI adoption alone does not create lasting enterprise value. While AI improves individual productivity, organisations need to fundamentally change the way they operate to achieve sustained competitive advantage.
The survey found that 70 per cent of respondents feel personally prepared to adopt and use AI. However, only 27 per cent of leaders believe their organisations are ready for the structural and cultural changes required for an agentic AI future.
According to the report, employees are adapting to AI much faster than the organisations they work for, a trend that is consistent with McKinsey's earlier research.
"The challenge is not AI adoption by employees, but how leaders can drive organisational changes to capture value," the report said.
The survey noted that employees are increasingly using AI for tasks such as drafting emails, summarising meetings, analysing data, creating presentations and preparing for client or leadership interactions. However, these individual productivity gains have not yet translated into organisation-wide transformation, with many companies continuing to operate largely as before.
The report further said most organisations are still developing the capabilities needed to unlock enterprise-wide value from AI. It added that 84 per cent of leaders in the enablement stage and 68 per cent in the automation stage said they were unprepared for the people and cultural changes required for an agentic AI future.
— ANI
Reader Comments
This is exactly what we're seeing in our global team. The gap between individual productivity gains and enterprise transformation is real. Indian companies especially need to invest in change management, not just software licenses.
My colleagues in Bangalore are already using AI for data analysis and meeting summaries, but our leadership still wants manual reports. The 27% stat about leaders being ready doesn't surprise me at all. They need to walk the talk, yaar. 🙏
As someone working in an Indian IT services firm, I feel this pain. We have all the AI tools available, but the processes and culture haven't changed. It's like giving a smartphone to someone who only wants to make calls. The real value comes from reimagining workflows, not just adding AI features.
The 84% figure for leaders in the enablement stage being unprepared for cultural changes is alarming. It's not just about technology – it's about trust, upskilling, and letting go of old hierarchies. Indian companies with traditional structures will struggle the most.
Honestly, I think employees are adopting AI because we have no choice – the workload keeps increasing, and AI helps us survive. But management needs to understand that productivity gains need corresponding process changes. Otherwise, burnout will follow. 😔
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