In response to the growing buzz around gen AI, many organizations treat it as a technology upgrade that’s delegated to IT, or as a skills gap that’s handed off to HR or L&D. When actually—as with any large-scale business transformation—cross-functional leadership is the answer.

Instead of tossing responsibility for this unwieldy new technology into disconnected departments to flounder, successful leadership teams approach it with a united front. The alignment between CHROs, CLOs and CIOs is especially paramount.

New research from Degreed shows companies with aligned CHROs, CLO and CIOs are three times more likely to succeed with AI. Additionally, when leadership roles align on gen AI:

• Time to productivity drops.
• Ethical and data privacy risks are better managed.
• Change fatigue decreases as people feel supported, not overwhelmed.
• Trust in AI grows as people understand how and why it’s being used.

3 steps to align functions on gen AI

Aligning is easier said than done, but as I’ve worked with hundreds of global clients across various industries, I’ve seen the most success when teams follow a clear three-step process. This ensures departments work together to take gen AI from a low-impact, small-scale pilot stage to an enterprise-wide, value-rich stage.

1. Establish shared business objectives tied to AI adoption.

Gen AI can make a measurable impact on business productivity, but key departments like IT, HR and L&D must reach for the same goals. Together, define how you expect AI to improve customer experiences, streamline operations or enhance decision-making.

As you collaborate and move through this process, ask yourself:

• What business challenges are driving our AI adoption?
• Who can we strategically upskill and reskill to prepare teams for future workforce needs?
• How will we measure the success of our AI initiatives?

Gen AI learning drives performance and resilience when everyone pulls in the same direction, and that begins with leadership. The practices you establish today and in the months ahead will likely make or break your company’s ability to compete in an AI-driven world.

2. Co-own upskilling roadmaps for technical and non-technical talent.

This tech-driven transformation makes upskilling a cross-functional effort. For example:

• CHROs redesign roles, identify skill gaps and prepare the workforce for hybrid human-AI collaboration.
• CLOs translate those needs into scalable learning programs that equip people for new responsibilities.
• CIOs ensure the infrastructure, platforms and tools are in place to support day-to-day gen AI usage at every level of the organization.

Pooling the expertise from HR, IT and L&D will help create a clear outline for the transformation. Build one clear, united plan for who needs to learn what—and when—across the business.

From there, create structured learning experiences that blend hands-on gen AI practice with self-guided resources. Help employees learn on the job and at their own pace—with both independence and ownership of their learning. Those who use gen AI more often are more likely to become confident users.

3. Integrate infrastructure and policy planning for safe, scalable AI use.

No matter how fast you’re moving toward the future, you need to make sure AI adoption coexists and works alongside your company’s foundation. Without a link to the core of your business, initiatives crumble. If you want to drive responsible and sustainable innovation, then company values, regulatory requirements and your tech ecosystem need to ground your efforts.

Your people need encouragement to learn and explore new technologies, but they also need guardrails so that space to explore is safe and low-risk. That means incorporating AI guidelines, governance and oversight—all of which require involvement from HR, IT and learning teams.

To make it scalable, embed AI in day-to-day work. Once regulations are established, encourage employees to work together, learn from each other and continually apply AI in real-world projects. Connect tools, people and context, so gen AI learning happens naturally in the work. You can even embed AI proficiency into performance reviews.

The correlation between great infrastructure and success is clear. Employees with access to advanced gen AI infrastructure are 18 times more likely to become confident users. Furthermore, reported “very confident” AI users are 20 times more likely to report having the best tools, support and adequate infrastructure to build their skills.

Embracing a new way of working with gen AI

With a unified blueprint for tackling the transformation, the otherwise murky and uncertain future for AI becomes clear. That’s because, right now, each function holds a different piece of the puzzle. Alignment and collaboration are what will make the transformation possible.

Gen AI is not just another tool to adopt—it’s the start of a new way of working, and the only way your workforce can seize the opportunity and get ahead in this highly competitive moment is by uniting your greatest forces of transformational leadership.

The only way to win is together.