AI Readiness: Enabling Employees and Leaders to Use AI Effectively

July 11, 2025

Artificial intelligence has made its way into everyday work life – and yet, not quite. Many people feel uncertain about how to use it or don’t know where to begin. In this blog post, you’ll learn how to enable employees and leaders to use AI productively.

Between Potential and Practice: The AI Gap in Everyday Work Life

Artificial intelligence (AI) is no longer a topic of the future. It is already being used by employees in many areas and is transforming the way we work. According to data from LinkedIn and Microsoft, around 75% of employees worldwide are already using AI tools like ChatGPT, Copilot, or similar applications in their day-to-day work. What’s particularly interesting, though: Only about half of them talk about it openly.

AI is being used, but often in secret – this is also referred to as shadow AI. There are many reasons for this – fear of increased workload or redundancy, concerns about data privacy issues, or negative assessment of their competence. This shows that AI has indeed arrived in everyday work, but uncertainty prevails in many areas. There is a lack of guidance, security, and trust. To avoid further slowing down its potential, organizations must become AI ready. The goal is to enable organizations and their people to integrate AI meaningfully and effectively into their daily work.

What Does AI Readiness Actually Mean?

AI readiness refers to an organization’s and its employees’ ability to use AI productively and responsibly. It’s not about developing algorithms themselves, but about using AI technologies competently, understanding how they work, and engaging with their results in a thoughtful and informed way.

Important Distinction:

Unlike purely technical enablement, AI readiness goes beyond tool proficiency. It also includes mindset, ethical awareness, critical thinking, and an understanding of how collaboration, roles, and decision-making processes are evolving.

Specifically, it involves questions like:

Do employees understand the basics and logic behind AI?
Can they use tools competently and with critical awareness?
Do they know how their role is changing through AI?
Are there clear guidelines in place for usage, ethics, and quality?

AI readiness is not a one-time project but a cultural shift that involves new skills, mindsets, and structures.

Why AI Readiness Requires Cultural Change

AI is not just another tool. It fundamentally changes how we think, make decisions, and collaborate. Organizations that approach AI solely from a technical angle are falling short.

Many organizations focus heavily on tools, processes, and KPIs – the visible tip of the iceberg. But beneath the surface lie attitudes, fears, and unspoken expectations. Without cultural change, no AI strategy will be sustainable.

What Employees Really Need

For employees to see AI as an opportunity rather than a threat, several layers need to come together. Here’s an overview of the key factors:

1. Make AI Tangible

Live demos and concrete use cases within your own organizational context
Experiments with generative tools in a safe and structured environment
Everyday scenarios that make the benefits of AI tangible

Example: In a troodi training, teams work with an internal AI assistant that supports project management tasks – low-threshold, practical, and effective.

2. Low-Barrier Learning Opportunities with Everyday Relevance

Introductory trainings that teach foundational skills
Offerings for different needs and experience levels
Focus on self-efficacy: “I can learn this”

3. Exchange Formats and Communities

low-barrier-learning-opportunities-with-everyday-relevance

AI communities or peer groups within the organization
Hackathons, promptathons, or learning circles
Visibility of successes, questions, and learnings

Example: Bayerische Insurance has built an internal AI community – more than 100 employees regularly exchange ideas and drive the transformation forward together.

Strengthening AI Readiness: The Role of Leaders

Leaders are not automatically AI experts – but they play a key role when it comes to driving cultural change. matters. This comes down to two key levels:

1. Being Empowered Yourself

Develop a basic understanding of AI, its opportunities, and risks
Clarify your own questions: What can AI do? What can’t it do?
Make use of support offers – such as coaching or training sessions
Be a role model in dealing with uncertainty and continuous learning.

2. Empower and Support the Team

Provide guidance and create a sense of security
Reflect on possible use cases together
Enable exchange formats and make experiences visible
Set realistic expectations and acknowledge learning progress

Quick Wins for More AI Readiness in Your Organization

Building AI readiness is not a sprint, but a marathon.. What matters most is getting started. Even small, targeted actions can have a big impact when they’re well planned and made visible. Here are four concrete quick wins to help enable employees and leaders to use AI effectively:

1. Target Group–Specific Learning Opportunities

Provide different formats for different needs – for example, basic AI courses for everyone, training on process facilitation for leaders, and specific focus-sessions for tech-savvy employees. This ensures that relevant content is available for everyone.

2. Practical Relevance Through Use Cases

Enable hands-on experimentation in the work context: Small challenges, promptathons, or internal AI labs make the topic tangible. Encourage employees to try using AI for a specific task—such as preparing their next presentation more efficiently.

3. Communication Measures That Make an Impact

Share success stories from within the organization: Who tried what – and how did it help? Use internal newsletters, team updates, or intranet posts to build confidence and spread inspiration.

What’s important here: The goal isn’t to turn everyone into data scientists. The goal is to foster a sense of self-efficacy – “I know what I can do, and where to find support.”

Conclusion

Artificial intelligence is already part of everyday work, but many employees still feel uncertain in using it. To unlock its full potential, more than just technology is needed:

What’s needed is guidance, trust, and the targeted development of skills. That’s why AI readiness is not just about knowing the tools – it’s also about having an open mindset, critical thinking, and confidence in everyday application.

Leaders play a central role in this—not as experts, but as role models and learning partners. What matters is that learning doesn’t happen in isolated moments, but is designed as a continuous process. Those who combine clear communication with practical learning formats and opportunities for exchange lay the foundation for confident and future-ready use of AI within their organization.

Would you like to launch an AI readiness initiative in your organization? Feel free to reach out to us. , to receive a trial access to our AI learning programs. We’d be happy to explore together how to best implement them in your organization.

AI Readiness – Identifying and Leveraging Support Potential

For anyone who wants to use AI meaningfully in their daily work. This program offers practical guidance on identifying opportunities, understanding legal basics, and reflecting on how to work with AI-generated results.

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AI Readiness – Strategies for Leaders

For decision-makers who want to actively shape cultural and strategic transformation. With a focus on leadership, targeted involvement, and enabling conditions for responsible AI integration.

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Jacqueline Soldan

As Marketing Manager at troodi, Jacqueline is involved in all marketing activities across various channels. Her professional background is in Event Management with a Bachelor's degree in International Business Communication, majoring in Marketing and People Management.

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