We’re building a firm that’s remote first and makes the most of AI.
But what does that mean in practice?
Twenty years ago, we hired 30 people to build a team.
Ten years ago, we hired 5.
Now – we don’t need people to fill roles. We need them to bring creativity and knowledge.
The roles we hired for previously – data entry, spreadsheet wrangling, manual checks – they’re starting to disappear.
We’re able to do more and more of that kind of work with technology.
But you can’t just think of AI as a cheap employee – a robot doing exactly what was done before, just for less money.
You have to first change how things are done to generate value.
Take making bread for example. I’ve spent much time over the years kneading together flour, water, salt, sugar and yeast to make a dough.
If I were to design a replacement how would I start? Would I try and create a machine that replicates what I do?
The KitchenAid mixer doesn’t do that. It has a spiral tool that does the job in two minutes.
I haven’t hand-kneaded dough in a couple of years.
In the same way, I think we’ll move to a different, more collaborative approach in the way we work with others, at least in boutique consultancies.
Because in every business, we have to redesign how the work is done – and that starts with recognizing the value that people bring, and how it’s different from the value that AI brings.
Handcrafted insight 