By Naureen Aziz, M.S. in Information and Knowledge Strategy (IKNS) Alum (’21SPS) and Associate Director of Data & AI at Accenture
Let me just say this plainly: In the GenAI era, waiting isn’t being thoughtful—it’s putting your organization at risk. Every week someone waits for “clarity,” someone else is already testing, learning, and moving ahead. The advantage goes to the doers, not the planners.
As a data and AI leader shaping GenAI skilling strategy and leading the end-to-end design and delivery of training programs for clients across industries, I’ve seen this pattern over and over. Whether I’m supporting a large retail or resources organization as they experiment with agentic workflows, guiding business function leaders as they reimagine processes using new GenAI tools, delivering hands-on, keyboard-in, industry-specific workshops, or helping executives define where their skilling and learning strategy should even begin, the organizations that move early build momentum. The ones that hesitate fall behind.
Start Before You Feel Ready: The New Marathon Mindset
You don’t prepare for GenAI adoption by crafting a flawless master plan. You prepare by stepping into the journey early and refining in motion. Think of it as training for a marathon: The people who start jogging today will outrun the people still shopping for the right running shoes.
Stop Overthinking. Start Building.
So many organizations freeze because they think they need a 10/10 plan before they act. Meanwhile, their competitors are already building.
This is a lesson reinforced during my time in the Information & Knowledge Strategy (IKNS) program at Columbia University School of Professional Studies, where we learned that culture, people, and ways of working are at the core of every transformation. GenAI adoption isn’t primarily a technology exercise. It’s a culture-shaping one. Courses like Leading Collaboration and Foundations for the Knowledge-Driven Organization emphasized starting small, learning fast, and empowering people to co-create new behaviors. At Accenture, I use those principles daily.
Here’s what I’ve seen work:
- Pick high-impact teams where GenAI can make a visible difference.
- Put real tools in real hands. Capability comes from doing, not discussing.
- Celebrate quick wins. They matter more than people admit.
- Tell people why it matters before telling them how to do it.
Clarity and hands-on experience beat the most beautiful 40-slide strategy deck every single time.
Level Up with GenAI Agents: Don’t Just Teach—Reimagine and Reinvent
Training alone isn’t enough anymore. To compete, teams need to build with agents, not just use them. Agents multiply capacity, eliminate repetitive work, and empower people to solve problems instantly.
The breakthrough moment isn’t when someone understands GenAI—it’s when they build an automated workflow in minutes and realize, “I can make the impossible … routine.” I absolutely love seeing these aha moments in training sessions. The energy and excitement participants walk out with is contagious!
Give your teams that moment.
Yes, Risks Are Real. No, Waiting Won’t Fix Them.
I hear concerns about data, oversight, hallucinations, and regulation constantly. They’re valid, but waiting does nothing to reduce them. What works is:
- Introducing structure early
- Designing guardrails with IT, Legal, and Risk
- Starting small and scaling deliberately
- Learning failure modes in controlled environments
Transformation Is a Team Sport
GenAI adoption succeeds when it’s a shared journey. Leaders set the vision, but teams create the momentum. Some of the most powerful moments I’ve seen in the trainings we conduct are when people compare prompts, challenge each other, and see firsthand why one approach outperforms another. That’s when it truly clicks.
The Price of Waiting: Falling Behind Is a Choice
Here’s the harsh truth: Inaction widens the capability gap every single day. Teams that start early build intuition, confidence, and muscle memory. Teams that wait scramble later—at twice the cost and half the speed.
Delaying GenAI training isn’t neutral. It’s a strategic decision with a predictable outcome: loss of momentum, loss of capability, and loss of competitive advantage.
Don’t Wait for Perfect. It Doesn’t Exist. Start Now.
Lead decisively. Train boldly. Let your teams be the ones others study and chase.
Views and opinions expressed here are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official position of Columbia School of Professional Studies or Columbia University.
About Columbia's IKNS Degree
Columbia University’s M.S. in Information & Knowledge Strategy (IKNS) degree integrates data, people, and strategy skills for the A.I. age. The flexible and interdisciplinary curriculum trains leaders across the entire value chain of data-driven management: Getting the data and analytics right (e.g., A.I. adoption, business analytics), creating a high performing, people-centric culture (collaboration, team/project management, organizational psychology), and finally the right change management to turn your strategy into reality.
IKNS is available full-time or part-time, online or in-person on Columbia’s landmarked campus right here in New York City. To maximize opportunities for networking and community building, our online students join our New York-based students on Columbia’s campus for three in-person Residencies during their studies. The STEM-designated Master of Science degree offers International Students (F-1/J-1 visa) an opportunity for Curricular Practical Training during their studies (CPT) and 3 years of work authorization in the US upon completing their studies (OPT).
Students train under world-class faculty, including former and current executives from Google, IBM, NASA, and Oliver Wyman, and join a powerful global alumni network in coveted positions, including at Alphabet, Goldman Sachs, Nike, Pfizer, and the World Bank.
For more IKNS insights, news, and events, please go to our website, connect with us on LinkedIn, or attend one of our online info sessions. Visit the School of Professional Studies website to learn more about the SPS Student Experience.
