AI is changing how we work. Are our organisations keeping up?
Charlotte Perrry and Anna Ruediger spent the morning at SaaSpocalypse Now, part of Auckland Startup Week, hearing from SaaS leaders about how AI is changing their businesses.
From product development and market opportunities to organisational design and the skills people need, there was plenty to think about. But what stood out to us was how much of this comes back to people and how businesses organise themselves to deliver.
A few takeaways that got us thinking.
How we organise teams matters
Businesses spend a lot of time thinking about their product and go-to-market, but often less time thinking about how they organise themselves to deliver.
One idea shared was that smaller, cross-functional teams of around four to six people are being seen as an effective way to move quickly in SaaS. Bringing different capabilities together around a shared outcome can help teams make decisions faster and take greater ownership.
It's worth asking whether the way teams are structured is helping people get things done or getting in their way.
What skills matter as AI changes how we work?
As AI changes how work gets done, the capabilities businesses need are evolving too.
Technical expertise still matters, but what you’re looking for is curiosity, communication, critical thinking and collaboration.
For leaders, it's worth considering how much emphasis we're placing on these qualities when hiring, developing people and thinking about what good performance looks like.
Build the factory that builds the product
Rather than using AI to complete one task, think about building an AI skill that can do that task consistently, again and again.
It's a shift from individual productivity gains to building repeatable capabilities that change how work gets done across a business.
What does AI say about your business?
People are increasingly asking tools like ChatGPT and Claude who they should work with, and the answers prioritise information beyond your own website and in parricular what others are saying about you.
It's worth trying it yourself. Ask your favourite LLM what your business is known for, who the leading providers in your industry are and whether your company would be recommended.
Are the answers accurate? Where is the information coming from? Does it reflect how you want to be known?
Making the most of what's possible
For us, the biggest takeaway was that as AI changes how work gets done, businesses need to give just as much thought to how they organise their people as they do to the technology itself.
From how teams are structured to the skills they develop, there's an opportunity to rethink what helps people do their best work and ultimately, how businesses perform.
