Part Three: Build vs. Buy vs. Partner; Strategic Decisions for Agentic AI Capabilities
The most sophisticated organizations recognize that the choice between building, buying, and partnering doesn't have to be binary or permanent. Hybrid approaches that combine different strategies across time or functional areas often provide optimal results by allowing organizations to balance speed, control, cost, and risk according to their specific circumstances and evolving needs.
Common hybrid models demonstrate how organizations can strategically sequence their approaches to maximize learning and minimize risk. The "buy to prototype, build for scale" model allows organizations to rapidly deploy vendor solutions to understand requirements and validate use cases before investing in internal development. This approach enables learning from real-world usage while maintaining the option to develop proprietary capabilities for strategic applications.
Part Two: Build vs. Buy vs. Partner; Strategic Decisions for Agentic AI Capabilities
In Part Two of Build vs. Buy vs. Partner we look at the three approaches in more detail. The criteria for choosing each scenario is very dependent on several factors including organizational capabilities, AI expertise, use cases, specific requirements versus speed of deployment and several other factors. Understanding all the relevant organizational context can lead to much more effective approaches to agentic AI deployment. In Part Three of the article we’ll look at the case for hybrid models and methods for phasing the implementation.
Manufacturing's Digital Workforce: Beyond Automation to Intelligent Production
The factory floor is experiencing a transformation that goes far beyond the mechanical automation we've known for decades. While traditional automation focused on replacing human muscle with machines, today's manufacturing revolution centers on creating intelligent systems that can think, adapt, and collaborate. This shift is the emergence of what we call the "digital workforce”; a sophisticated ecosystem where artificial intelligence agents, smart robots, and connected systems work alongside human workers to create truly intelligent production environments.
Selling Agentic AI Internally: Overcoming Executive and Employee Resistance
The promise of agentic AI is transformative, but internal resistance can stall progress before it begins. While the technology itself may be ready, organizations often find their greatest challenge isn't technical implementation but rather navigating the complex web of stakeholder concerns, cultural inertia, and change resistance that emerges when introducing AI agents into existing workflows.
Success in deploying agentic AI requires more than just selecting the right technology stack or use cases. It demands a sophisticated approach to change management, stakeholder engagement, and organizational psychology. This article explores how to position agentic AI initiatives within an organization, focusing on strategies that address resistance at every level, from the C-suite to the front lines.