The value is real, the hype is louder, but progress has been slower than most admit. Unlike martech tools that enhance a task or function, AI at scale reshapes entire roles. Yes, agents and workflows can make incremental improvements — but true scaling means transforming the organization to cut costs and boost efficiency. The most significant returns come from reinventing how work happens across teams and redefining the roles within them.
Organizations spent an average of $1.9 million in the past year on genAI, yet fewer than 30% of CEOs are satisfied with the ROI, according to Gartner. The problem isn’t the technology — it’s readiness. Too many leaders treat AI as an add-on. It’s useful if designers adopt genAI, but not if agency spending remains untouched. With AI, generalists can take on specialist work, and specialists can handle tasks outside their original scope. Role boundaries blur.
- Product teams, using brand-aligned models, can create marketing assets.
- Designers can bulk-complete production work in minutes.
- Analysts can automate reporting while peers interpret results instantly.
If you plan to scale AI, factor in how roles will expand or collapse — and be honest about it.
Scale curiosity
McKinsey found that organizations with high employee involvement in change efforts are 21% more profitable. That’s not just a stat — it’s a strategy. Before scaling tools, workflows or strategies, you need to scale a curious and open mindset.
Seeing the full workflow
Curiosity isn’t just about individuals trying new tools — it’s about teams stepping back to see the entire workflow, end to end. As organizations adopt agentic workflows, teams must look left to right, understanding how tasks flow not only within their silo but across peers, departments and the entire organization.
Understanding workflow dynamics
When AI agents take on more decision-making and automation, traditional boundaries blur. Work designers hand off to marketers, or analysts pass to product teams, may be transformed or eliminated.
Each team must know its responsibilities and how its outputs become another team’s inputs. Dynamics will change as AI evolves roles, accelerates timelines and introduces new handoff points.
Connecting teams
A left-to-right perspective sparks conversations about overlaps, gaps and opportunities. By mapping workflows collaboratively, teams can anticipate friction, prevent duplication and surface new value — while also building empathy for the shifting responsibilities of their peers.
Ultimately, scaling curiosity and a left-to-right mindset ensures AI isn’t just layered on top of old processes, but that the entire organization adapts together.
Dig deeper: Why mindset, not just tech, defines AI success in marketing
Scale one thing first
Scaling AI isn’t about launching a dozen disconnected pilots and hoping one sticks. It’s about focus, intentionality and building confidence through real progress. The most effective way to start? Choose one process, workflow or strategy — and commit to doing it exceptionally well.
The power of focus
A 2023 McKinsey report found that focus pays off. Organizations concentrating on a handful of high-impact digital initiatives are 1.5 times more likely to achieve successful transformation outcomes than those that scatter their efforts.
Harvard Business Review reinforces this, noting that transformational change often gains traction through a single, visible quick win that demonstrates tangible value and builds momentum for broader adoption.
Starting with discipline
Focus works because it builds trust — and trust fuels momentum. When teams see something succeed, skepticism fades, curiosity rises and change accelerates. But focus also requires discipline.
Instead of modernizing every process at once, start with one. It might be using genAI to streamline creative approvals or deploying an intelligent agent for campaign analytics.
Making progress visible
Set clear KPIs, track progress and share wins. Deloitte found that companies regularly sharing early results and lessons from pilots are 33% more likely to gain executive buy-in — a critical factor in scaling transformation. Celebrating even small wins isn’t just about recognition. It builds the belief that change is possible.
Choosing the right workflow
Pick the workflow that removes the most friction or creates the clearest value for employees and customers. A Gartner survey found that 70% of successful AI deployments began as focused, small-scale pilots before expanding enterprise-wide.
Start small — but think big. Plant the seed with a single, well-executed initiative, then grow it with visibility, measurement and celebration.
Dig deeper: If your teams aren’t ready for AI, then your tools won’t matter
Scaling agentic workflows: Where the real work begins
Scaling agentic workflows is where the transformation happens. These aren’t minor tweaks — they’re bold moves where AI agents take on meaningful roles, like campaign optimization, content generation and customer service triage.
- Collaboration is essential: Transformation can’t happen in a single department. It demands cross-functional alignment, shared goals and open communication to reduce friction and keep momentum high.
- Change management is continuous: Training, coaching and transparent communication build confidence and capability at every level. This isn’t a one-off project — it’s a long-term commitment to evolving how work gets done.
- It’s an organizational shift: Scaling AI reshapes mindsets, reinvents roles and overhauls operations. The most successful organizations empower people and reinforce new working methods until they become second nature.
Be patient. Be persistent. The real work begins after the first win, and it never really stops.
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Author: Talisha Padgett