Artificial intelligence (AI) is no longer a distant concept—it's already here, shaping how your firm operates, often without you even realizing it. If you're leveraging AI in some way, you're already ahead of the curve.
AI capabilities are maturing rapidly—and it couldn’t happen at a better time. Firms of all sizes are wrestling with how to meet steady client demand and keep growing profitably while also encountering persistent staffing shortages. However, using AI to deliver more value to clients at scale will require your people to learn new moves and break from old ones. That can be difficult when any new technology is first adopted. Just think about the last time you introduced a new system into your firm’s workflow. To harness these new opportunities without falling into common pitfalls, you'll need a robust approach to change management.
Structured change management strategies help alleviate anxiety about rapid changes in technologies—and the processes required to support them—while assisting to create a culture of support and readiness that reduces organizational resistance. To ease and accelerate the successful transition to AI tools, plan on including these three core change management elements.
"If your organization doesn't have a technology-focused change management strategy in place, that's ok—you are not alone! There are many resources to help get you started and by focusing on the people part of change, you can't go wrong." - Lindsay Stevenson, Chief Transformation Officer, BPM
Empowered AI committee: Leading the charge: AI is unlikely to gain the momentum and focus it needs to be successful in your firm without a core group of advocates and leaders driving progress. Don’t expect this to happen organically—these AI champions need to be organized and delegated the authority for setting the firm’s AI strategy. Identify professionals representing all the key areas of your business. Some should be influencers and early adopters, and others should be leaders who may not be as technologically savvy as their peers, but who have a solid grasp on firm strategies and goals.
Communicating is critical: Understanding the impact of AI on your employees and clients is crucial. It's essential to define the strategic purpose AI serves, anticipate the specific impacts it will have on your teams and clients, establish a timeline for adoption and determine how to measure success. These are the considerations you'll need to proactively address and set very clear expectations around with all your key stakeholders.
A comprehensive communications plan is key to ensuring everyone stays informed and aligned. From the moment the AI committee is created, clear and consistent updates will help maintain trust, prevent uncertainty, and foster an environment that embraces the changes that AI will bring. This responsibility should be led by the AI committee, with active engagement from the executive team to reinforce the broader strategy’s importance and drive.
Focusing on outcomes and setting clear, achievable goals: While the possibilities of AI are vast, not every opportunity should be pursued. It's easy to fall into the trap of treating AI as the latest shiny new toy, where everyone wants to experiment without clear direction. This can lead to wasted resources on projects that aren't mission critical.
To avoid this, firms should focus on defining clear outcomes and setting goals that achieve those outcomes. Setting goals without alignment to a greater outcome often leads to low-impact results and a decline in team engagement. Starting with modest objectives allows teams to build proficiency and confidence, gradually expanding their ambitions as milestones are reached. This disciplined approach requires both flexibility and oversight, roles that a well-supported AI committee is perfectly positioned to fulfill.
Keeping your AI strategy on track.
AI is a powerful tool that, when guided by clear goals and effective strategies, can transform your organization. CPA.com’s comprehensive AI initiative offers over a year’s worth of research, strategies and practical tools designed to help you harness AI effectively to transform your practice for success now and into the future.
About the authors:
As CPA.com’s vice president of Strategy & Innovation, Kacee Johnson manages the technology ecosystem to identify emerging trends that are driving change in the profession and works collaboratively with the vendor and thought-leader community to develop thought leadership content and events for C-suite leaders.
As BPM’s Chief Transformation Officer, Lindsay Stevenson drives innovation at the firm. A Certified Public Accountant, she has spent the last 15+ years serving as a change agent in the accounting profession. As a consultant, she has overseen diversity equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, cultural alignment frameworks, coaching programs and organizational alignment plans.
