The experts suggest generative AI’s game-changing capabilities mean we won’t have to focus on mundane tasks that limit our productivity. However, while the technology has benefits, generative AI also comes with challenges, such as ethical risks and hallucinations.

Various business leaders have told ZDNET that keeping humans in the loop is the key to the successful deployment of AI. Talented professionals ensure emerging technology behaves as it continues to evolve.

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So, with humans expected to fulfill an important role in a workplace boosted by generative AI, how can managers ensure their staff are eager and productive? Five business leaders gave us their best-practice tips.

1. Make your team feel empowered

Carrie Jordan, global director of proposals at Microsoft, said a solid culture is the key to creating more productive teams.

“I believe that to create the best team in the world, you have to create the best team to work for,” she said.

“In my experience, when your team feels valued, they feel known as a person first, you celebrate their unique characteristics and recognize them, and you encourage collaboration and create a safe psychological space in the team, then they will naturally want to rise and be high performers for you.”

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Jordan told ZDNET managers should see culture as the foundation to build great teamwork.

“As the leader, you must communicate that you are in a safe place and failure is just learning — we either win or we learn. Then the team will be more innovative, more trusting, and they’ll work hard for you because they feel safe and empowered by you,” she said.

“When you hold yourself and your team to high standards, it’s not intimidating. It’s empowering.”

2. Stop having pointless meetings

Madoc Batters, head of cloud and IT security at Warner Leisure Hotels, said he boosts productivity using Agile development techniques.

“We’re big believers in using extreme programming, running sprints, doing Kanban sessions, and applying all the artifacts for Agile workflows,” he said.

Batters told ZDNET he likes to make work processes visible so everybody knows what tasks they should be doing. Once people have direction, you can stop attending pointless get-togethers.

“I sometimes think about the number of meetings I used to go to with a bunch of people — maybe a dozen or more — talking about what they’d done last week or what they’re going to do next week,” he said.

“If you’d ask them an hour later, the other people in the room wouldn’t know what each person was supposed to be doing.”

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Batters said people should be able to see the tickets for everyone else. Update those tickets regularly, and people will know what they’re supposed to achieve, without constantly asking others.

“There’s so much time wasted talking about what people should be doing,” he said. “Save those meetings for when teams need to make important decisions.”

3. Focus on what makes people happy

Bev White, CEO at recruiter Nash Squared, said managers must treat each person in their team individually: “We’re all different and different things make us tick.”

White told ZDNET that employees are more productive when they’re happier. Focus on your staff’s happy places and help them reach those destinations.

“For some people, it may be flexibility in their working pattern so they can manage other responsibilities,” she said.

“For others, it might be development and training, so they continually learn and grow. For someone else, it may be recognition or regular feedback on what they’re doing well and where they can improve.”

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White said another way to make people more productive is to boost their core skills — such as negotiation, communication, and influencing — with micro-refresher or training courses: “This approach ‘sharpens the axe’ and helps staff work more effectively.”

Finally, White advised managers not to leave AI completely out of the mix.

“Let people use and explore AI to see how it can help them,” she said. “It can be a great expert on your shoulder, supporting you to get more done, although there is quite a lot of learning and experimentation to go through first.”

4. Give staff regular feedback

Louisa Latham, senior business advisor at management and technology consulting firm BearingPoint, said improving productivity in team environments is a collective effort.

“Despite advances in AI, the human factor remains crucial,” she said.

“I’ve found that setting short-term goals is very effective at providing an individual and their team with surety and a sense of purpose, even when long-term objectives keep changing. This clarity of purpose can have an impact on productivity.”

Latham told ZDNET that regular team reviews that score professionals against targets can help managers unlock continuous productivity improvements.

“Using a zero-to-ten scoring method can allow a manager to dig into the numbers to identify areas for improvement on an ongoing basis.”

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Latham also said it’s important to find time for personalized feedback sessions.

“At the same time, managers need to give individual attention to team members by ensuring they conduct monthly one-to-ones, an area often overlooked, ironically due to workloads,” she said.

“Using these catch-ups to focus on meaningful actions and personal growth means you can leave team members constantly challenged, motivated, and empowered to contribute to the collective team performance.”

5. Replicate the best techniques

Chris Kronenthal, president and CTO at FreedomPay, said the key to boosting productivity is working out who has the best techniques using quantitative data.

“You can still measure most things,” he said. “And as soon as you start measuring, you’ll be able to discern who in the organization does things well and expeditiously and who doesn’t.”

Kronenthal told ZDNET at Dynatrace Perform in Las Vegas how those measurements can be used to scale the business.

“What that data immediately allows you to do, regardless of AI or not, is say, ‘What are you doing that all of your peers aren’t?'” he said.

“I was looking at data yesterday for a group in our business where an individual in our organization does 10 times the output of their next-best peer with a 97% customer satisfaction rating.”

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Kronenthal said business leaders can make professionals more productive by replicating best practices.

“So, what do you think my first call is when I land tomorrow? It will be, ‘What is this person doing that the rest of their peers are not?'” he said, before advising other managers to take a similar approach.

“Get into your business, find those productive people, and understand what makes them great. Immediately assign a business analyst to what they’re doing, list all their steps, and replicate that approach.”