People and ITIL (Version 5): Adoption and Adaptation in an AI-Native World
As humans, change is hard. We don’t like it, and we resist it. With today’s world being fast-paced, constantly changing, and evolving, we find that we are suffering from change fatigue. Couple this with the fact that in Industry 5.0, Artificial Intelligence (AI) has become not only the buzzword on everyone’s lips but also the “new path forward” – everything is AI! And this right here is where a fair bit of that fatigue comes into place. We were already tired before AI made its grand entrance… and now we’re EXHAUSTED. But let’s see if we can’t look at this in another way – instead of being tired of all these changes, let’s look at how we can harness them.
AI isn’t here to solve all our problems. It’s here to smooth out the wrinkles in how we work. It can be used to help brainstorm, edit, and yes, even create in some cases – but being Artificial Intelligence, it’s not perfect. It lacks the nuance, the wisdom, and the understanding. Unfortunately, because it is currently one of the next new shiny things, people are expecting it to be this silver bullet where it will solve all our issues, and we’ll be able to move forward into some sort of AI-enabled utopia. People are using it as a shortcut in their work and in their patterns, but they’re missing the most important part of what is needed to effectively utilize AI – and that’s People.
ITIL (Version 5) is coming. And one of the things about it is that it’s now an AI Native framework – which means that the AI itself is part and parcel of the framework, not just another add-on or treated as an afterthought. One of the things that we need to be able to do with this evolution of ITIL is adopt and adapt it.If we just bring ITIL (Version 5) into our environment without any understanding, we’re pasting a framework over our processes and practices, which may not be ready for it. And if we just expect it to work for us, we’re already behind the ball. Being AI Native doesn’t mean that it’s just tacked on – it’s embedded into the framework… but there’s still the need for someone to be able to work within that embedding – and that’s us. People.
When we start to look at bringing in any framework, but specifically ITIL (Version 5), we need to understand where we stand in terms of adopting it and adapting it to our environments. When we adopt it, we are bringing it in and ensuring that we understand where it will fit in and what the intent is of bringing it in. And when we adapt it to our processes, practices, products, and services, we also need to make sure that we are understanding where it fits in and what it can help augment. Just dropping in ITIL (Version 5) and expecting it to work will not work. Despite all the wonderful changes and the AI-native nature of the evolution of ITIL, we still need to make sure that we are there to help guide and understand the adoption and adaptation of the framework into our environments. After all, without us, there’s no context, there’s no understanding, and there will be a failure in the framework to be adopted and adapted appropriately in our working environments.
At the end of the day, ITIL (Version 5) is still at its core about these things: the Value System, the Guiding Principles, the Value Chain and Value Streams, and the Four Dimensions. Every single one of these systems has something in common – they require people to be there. People are still going to be the ones who are required to have oversight over these systems. We need to apply our judgment and understanding to things like the Guiding Principles and the Four Dimensions. We are the ones who will be designing using the Value System, Value Chain, and Value Streams. We are a crucial part of this framework – despite (or even because of) the AI-nativity of it. At its core, ITIL (Version 5) is a framework, yes – but people are a requirement in making this framework function.
In saying all this, we can’t (and really shouldn’t) expect ITIL (Version 5) to just fix everything. People are tired, and we need to bring this evolution forward in a way that it’s not just being seen as ‘yet another thing’ that we need to know to do our jobs. We also can’t rely on the myriad of tools that are out there in order to help bed this down – sure, tools are great, but they’re not the key to ensuring that ITIL (Version 5) will be effective – again, that’s down to us, the people who are working with and within that framework.
We can’t expect People to just adapt to this if we don’t address that elephant in the room being change. Again, people tend to resist change because, at our core, we don’t like it. So instead, let’s meet people where they are. Let’s look at ITIL (Version 5) as a guide to bringing in a framework evolution, and yes, even where necessary use the AI parts of it to help smooth that path. Focusing on clarity, trust, and capability will be a key part to ensuring that ITIL (Version 5) is adapted and adopted in a consistent manner inside of our environments. As long as we keep this all in mind, and allow space for learning, adjustment, and even experimentation, we’ll find that adoption and adaptation will flow better, and people will be more likely to work within the frameworks – and with AI as well.
ITIL (Version 5) is not meant to be a silver bullet, as previously stated. It’s here to help support the work that we’re doing in our businesses – and even adopting and adapting it isn’t just a one-and-done. Learning how to work within the framework and with the AI native components of it is going to take time, and there will be resistance. But if we meet people where they are – tired, overwhelmed, and unsure – and take the time to educate, discuss, and bring them along on this journey, we’ll find that the process will go smoother and be more successful. After all, people are still a vital part of this framework – despite (or maybe even because) of AI.
