In this episode of Swimming with Sharks, Kevin Dean, CEO of ManoByte, is joined by Rob Ryan, Head of Thought Leadership at WorkGrid Software, for an in-depth discussion on the role of conversational AI in streamlining employee workflows and improving internal communication. Rob shares his insights on organizational change, the evolution of employee experience platforms, and the importance of aligning AI projects with business goals.

Introduction: Kevin introduces Rob Ryan, who has extensive experience in organizational strategy and technology deployment. Rob provides background on WorkGrid Software and its mission to reduce digital friction in the workplace.

Interview Highlights:

• Conversational AI as a Digital Assistant: Rob explains how WorkGrid leverages NLP and machine learning to create digital assistants that streamline employees’ day-to-day tasks. He discusses how conversational AI can reduce digital distractions by integrating with existing tech stacks and bringing actionable insights directly to employees.
• Getting Started with AI Projects: The conversation explores practical steps for organizations to initiate AI projects, emphasizing the importance of quick wins and internal use cases. Rob shares advice on piloting AI initiatives, mitigating risks, and developing a governance strategy to ensure AI aligns with business objectives.
• Transforming Employee Experience with AI: Rob highlights how conversational AI can enhance the employee experience by reducing app hopping and context switching, ultimately fostering a more productive and engaging work environment. He emphasizes that AI should assist, not replace, the human workforce.

Key Takeaways:

• Building an AI Strategy: Rob advises organizations to start with low-risk, high-value AI use cases that support internal goals and gradually expand based on proven results.
• Importance of Governance: A strong governance framework is essential for AI projects to ensure that they are sustainable and that technology is used ethically and effectively.
• Prioritizing Employee Experience: By integrating AI into the flow of daily tasks, companies can improve employee engagement and reduce friction, allowing employees to focus on high-value work.

In this insightful episode of Swimming with Sharks, Kevin Dean, CEO of ManoByte, sits down with Amelia Jones, Principal Customer Success Manager at Mural, to discuss the role of AI in enterprise environments and how visual collaboration can enhance business processes. Amelia shares her experiences from Mural, highlighting the impact of human-centered design and agile methodologies in fostering better decision-making and collaboration.

Introduction: Kevin introduces Amelia, who brings nearly a decade of experience in customer success and a passion for human-centered design. They dive into Mural’s visual collaboration platform and how it reshapes traditional workflows.

Interview Highlights:

• Visual Collaboration for Better Decision-Making: Amelia explains how Mural transforms linear tasks, like spreadsheets and to-do lists, into more engaging and collaborative visual experiences. She emphasizes how visual tools can foster better communication and alignment, especially when mapping out workflows.
• AI in the Enterprise: The conversation explores how AI can assist in ideation and decision-making processes, with Amelia stressing that AI should enhance human creativity, not replace it. She discusses real-world use cases where Mural helps enterprises document, plan, and evaluate AI initiatives.
• Human-Centered Design & Agile in AI Projects: Amelia shares her expertise on how organizations can leverage human-centered design and agile workflows to better implement and scale AI initiatives. She discusses techniques like abstraction laddering and the five whys, which Mural facilitates to help businesses identify and solve the right problems.

Key Takeaways:

• AI as a Collaborative Tool: AI should act as a collaborator, assistant, and coach, helping teams to innovate while keeping creativity and problem-solving at the forefront.
• Documenting AI Processes: Mural plays a vital role in helping organizations document and map out their AI processes, ensuring that initiatives are well-planned and stakeholder engagement is prioritized.
• Balancing AI Excitement with Practicality: While AI can be a powerful tool, Amelia advises businesses to be deliberate in its implementation, ensuring that it adds tangible value to workflows.

In this exciting episode of Swimming with Sharks, Kevin Dean, CEO of ManoByte, welcomes Mike Lyons, founder of KaiRise, to explore the intersection of Agile methodologies and generative AI. Mike shares his unique journey through the IT landscape, from small firms to large consulting agencies, shedding light on how AI is shaping business processes and the power of agility in driving innovation.

Introduction: Kevin introduces Mike Lyons, who has decades of experience in IT, ranging from higher education to government, finance, and non-profits. They dive into Mike’s deep insights on Agile ways of working and how organizations can capitalize on AI technology for better decision-making and enhanced efficiency.

Interview Highlights:

• Agile in the AI Era: Mike explains how Agile is not just about frameworks like Scrum, but about fostering a mindset of adaptability and rapid learning, especially when integrating AI tools.
• Learning Through Failure: Drawing on personal experiences, Mike discusses how businesses can learn more from failures than successes, particularly with emerging technologies like generative AI.
• Experimentation and Innovation: The conversation explores why companies need to allow a "thousand flowers to bloom" and how innovation thrives at the edges—outside traditional boardroom strategies.

Key Takeaways:

• Embrace Agile: Organizations must adopt Agile ways of working to stay competitive, especially in today’s fast-paced AI-driven world.
• Security vs. Innovation: Striking a balance between encouraging experimentation with AI tools and maintaining data security and governance is crucial.
• Future of AI: The episode concludes with a discussion on the global implications of AI, including how it can address accessibility and humanitarian challenges, and what’s next in the rapidly evolving tech landscape.