As artificial intelligence takes the business world by storm, leaders tend to assume that success will go to those who move fastest. But in practice, the companies that benefit most from AI in business operations are not the fastest adopters; they are the most deliberate.

Those are the leaders who take a critical look at their operations to ensure the organization is ready for AI. Why? Because AI won’t fix problems, it will emphasize them. The first step to success: eliminating operational friction.

What Is Operational Friction?

Operational friction refers to the small inefficiencies that slow down work, create confusion, or reduce effectiveness across a business.

It shows up in familiar ways:

AI-native competitors, collapsing software margins, and the rise of autonomous agents have many leaders asking a simple question: Is our entire business model about to be disrupted?

Maybe.

But disruption is only half the story. What we’re really seeing is the rise of agentic AI. Those are systems that do far more than assist users; they execute real work.

To explore what this shift means, our InterimExecs CIO leaders look at how AI is reshaping operating models, workforce strategy, and the future of software.

Here are five key ideas from that series.