Microsoft Innovation Podcast

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This episode reframes how leaders should approach generative AI, with insights from Justin Trombold. Instead of chasing use cases or tools, the focus is on fixing processes, incentives, and operating models. The conversation explores why many AI pilots fail, how ROI thinking can mislead, and why AI should be treated as a new way of working rather than a software upgrade. Practical examples show how small, disciplined changes can unlock productivity, innovation, and meaningful business impact without overinvesting or freezing in fear. 
👉 Full Show Notes
https://www.microsoftinnovationpodcast.com/802   
🎙️ What you’ll learn 
How to identify AI opportunities by examining business processes, not tools 
Why most AI pilots stall before delivering real value 
How incentives and operating models determine AI ROI 
When ROI metrics help and when they get in the way 
How productivity gains can unlock business model innovation 
✅ Highlights 
“Let’s not talk about use cases. Let’s talk about your processes.” 
“If you don’t have to mow your lawn, why would you do it?” 
“You’re just going to shift the bottleneck to another place.” 
“There’s a very high level of maturity in the potential.” 
“There’s generally a very low level of maturity in the willingness.” 
“People are talking a lot about the drill.” 
“Generative AI is transformation.” 
“It’s a change in the way that you’re working.” 
“AI gives people permission to innovate.” 
 🧰 Mentioned  
Start your own value-creating GenAI Journey with our "rapid" diagnostic here: 
Survey Page | AnteSyn Advisors - https://www.antesynadvisors.com/blank-3  
"How to Flourish" with guest Daniel Coyle - EconTalk Podcast Archive - Econlib - https://www.econtalk.org/  
Generative AI - https://www.ibm.com/think/topics/generative-ai 
MIT study on AI ROI -  https://www.technologyreview.com/2025/10/28/1126693/finding-return-on-ai-investments-across-industries/  
Proofs of concept (POCs) -  https://www.projectmanager.com/blog/proof-of-concept-definition 
Design thinking viability and feasibility concepts https://www.uxdesigninstitute.com/blog/desirability-viability-and-feasibility/ 
✅Keywords 
generative ai, ai roi, operating model, business processes, productivity, innovation, incentives, ai pilots, digital transformation, leadership, applied ai, enterprise ai 
Microsoft 365 Copilot Adoption is a Microsoft Press book for leaders and consultants. It shows how to identify high-value use cases, set guardrails, enable champions, and measure impact, so Copilot sticks. Practical frameworks, checklists, and metrics you can use this month. Get the book: https://bit.ly/CopilotAdoption
Support the show
If you want to get in touch with me, you can message me here on Linkedin.

Thanks for listening 🚀 - Mark Smith

Get featured on the show by leaving us a Voice Mail: https://bit.ly/MIPVM

AI enablement is a change problem, not a tech problem. In this episode, Molly Rupert-Sullivan breaks down how to support three groups at once: people who do not get AI yet, people who want to opt out, and champions who want more. You will hear practical ways to set expectations, avoid over‑teaching “all AI”, and build momentum by giving champions the right access, platforms, and repeatable wins that can scale across an organisation.

👉️ Full Show Notes
https://www.microsoftinnovationpodcast.com/801  
🎙️ What you’ll learn 
Map AI adoption into segments and tailor support levels to each group. 
Respond to “no thanks” with clear expectations and a path to re-engage.  
Build champions by focusing on domain expertise, not technical depth.  
Scale internal wins by giving champions access to enterprise tools and visibility.  
Decide when to use personal AI tools versus enterprise copilots for data separation.  
 🔴Highlights 
“My entire role is about AI enablement.”  
“There’s such a spectrum of where people are.”  
“I think that there will be a place for some people to opt out.”  
“It will become very difficult for people not to use it because they will fall behind.”  
“We don’t all need to be AI experts.”  
“You’re already an expert in whatever your domain is.”  
“Access is, a big one.”  
“Showcasing those wins and successes, giving them platforms.”  
“I use Pi on my phone a lot.”  
“I don’t want answers tied to my corporate data.”  
🧰 Mentioned 
Pi - https://pi.ai/ 
ChatGPT: https://chatgpt.com/ 
Change management: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Change_management 
MVP Summit:https://mvp.microsoft.com/en-US/Summit [mvp.microsoft.com] 
Microsoft MVP YouTube Series - How to Become a Microsoft MVP - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLzf0yupPbVkqdRJDPVE4PtTlm6quDhiu7 
✅Keywords 
ai enablement, ai adoption, change management, champions, resistance, opt out, productivity, enterprise access, copilot, chatgpt, professional services, agents 
Microsoft 365 Copilot Adoption is a Microsoft Press book for leaders and consultants. It shows how to identify high-value use cases, set guardrails, enable champions, and measure impact, so Copilot sticks. Practical frameworks, checklists, and metrics you can use this month. Get the book: https://bit.ly/CopilotAdoption
Support the show
If you want to get in touch with me, you can message me here on Linkedin.

Thanks for listening 🚀 - Mark Smith

Get featured on the show by leaving us a Voice Mail: https://bit.ly/MIPVM  
This episode tracks how Manbhawan Prasad and the Word team are evolving Copilot from simple prompt-based help to goal-based “agent mode” that can plan and edit documents directly. You will hear practical, enterprise-focused examples: using SharePoint knowledge as authoritative context, reducing blank-page inertia, mirroring customer language from emails and meeting transcripts, and using AI as an always-on reviewer for structure, clarity, and accuracy. 
👉️ Full Show Notes
https://www.microsoftinnovationpodcast.com/800

🎙️ What you’ll learn  
Shift from instruction prompts to goal-based document creation with “agent mode” in Word. 
Build a SharePoint “knowledge vault” so Copilot can draft with authoritative business context.  
Use retrieval (RAG-style grounding) to write specs and proposals from internal files, emails, chats, decks, and meetings.  
Improve proposals by mirroring a customer’s terminology pulled from email threads and meeting transcripts.  
Apply Copilot as a reviewer to spot gaps, inconsistencies, and missed requirements across long documents. 
✅ Highlights 
“Creation and comprehension, that's all.” 
“We are going beyond that and we are making it unable to solve your goal.”  
“We are calling agent mode inside Word.”  
“Most of the customers' data is in either Microsoft files or SharePoint, et cetera.”  
“Use those as RAG in RAG model to kind of generate or even answer accurately.”  
“First of all, inertia is gone because it gives you a starting point right away in seconds.”  
It also sometimes brings information which you and I may not have thought of.”  
“Do you see any gaps in my communication?”  
“It can directly edit the document and it can directly, you know, create a document.”  
“The interface for every app will become natural language.” 
🧰 Mentioned 
Microsoft Copilot: https://copilot.microsoft.com/ 
Microsoft Word: https://www.microsoft.com/microsoft-365/word 
SharePoint: https://www.microsoft.com/microsoft-365/sharepoint/collaboration 
PowerPoint: https://www.microsoft.com/microsoft-365/powerpoint 
Visio: https://www.microsoft.com/microsoft-365/visio 
✅Keywords 
copilot, microsoft word, agent mode, generative ai, sharepoint, rag, chatgpt, proposal, rfp, natural language, microsoft editor, visio 
Microsoft 365 Copilot Adoption is a Microsoft Press book for leaders and consultants. It shows how to identify high-value use cases, set guardrails, enable champions, and measure impact, so Copilot sticks. Practical frameworks, checklists, and metrics you can use this month. Get the book: https://bit.ly/CopilotAdoption
Support the show
If you want to get in touch with me, you can message me here on Linkedin.

Thanks for listening 🚀 - Mark Smith

Get featured on the show by leaving us a Voice Mail: https://bit.ly/MIPVM 
 
This episode challenges goal-driven thinking in an AI-enabled world through a conversation with Radhika Dutt. The discussion explores why OKRs and vanity metrics often fail, especially when AI accelerates optimisation without understanding. The core insight is a shift from goal setting to puzzle setting. By framing problems clearly, staying in the discomfort, and learning through small experiments, teams can build products that create long-term value. Practical examples show how this mindset helped recover stalled growth, improve trust, and reduce churn while keeping humans central to AI-driven decisions. 
👉 Full Show Notes
https://www.microsoftinnovationpodcast.com/799   
🎙️ What you’ll learn  
Why AI makes weak metrics and OKRs more dangerous, not more effective 
How to shift from goal setting to puzzle setting in product and AI work 
A practical framework for defining problems before jumping to solutions 
How to measure learning and narrative, not just numbers 
How puzzle solving supports sustainable innovation and growth 
✅ Highlights 
“We measured success by the logos of companies on our website.” 
“Are we all just doomed to learn from trial and error?” 
“Everything that we humans can do in terms of optimizing numbers, AI can do it even better.” 
“What is the puzzle is the question we should have been asking.” 
“The more intimacy was gamified, the more it created a toxic dating environment.” 
“You kind of need to stay with the discomfort.” 
“Don’t just spit out numbers at me.” 
“They hated magic and they did not trust technology.” 
“This approach was more like putting your ears on the tracks.” 
“It is the biggest illusion that OKRs work.” 
🧰 Mentioned 
Radical Product Thinking
https://www.radicalproduct.com/  
OKRs (Objectives and Key Results)
https://www.atlassian.com/agile/agile-at-scale/okr
Puzzle setting and puzzle solving framework
https://www.radicalproduct.com/toolkit/ 
Design thinking
https://www.interaction-design.org/literature/topics/design-thinking  
Toyota 5 Whys
https://www.learnleansigma.com/guides/5-whys/  
✅Keywords 
artificial intelligence, ai innovation, okrs, product thinking, puzzle setting, metrics, innovation culture, design thinking, product strategy, ai metrics, business transformation, experimentation 
Microsoft 365 Copilot Adoption is a Microsoft Press book for leaders and consultants. It shows how to identify high-value use cases, set guardrails, enable champions, and measure impact, so Copilot sticks. Practical frameworks, checklists, and metrics you can use this month. Get the book: https://bit.ly/CopilotAdoption
Support the show
If you want to get in touch with me, you can message me here on Linkedin.

Thanks for listening 🚀 - Mark Smith

Get featured on the show by leaving us a Voice Mail: https://bit.ly/MIPVM 
 
Amelia Hernandez Osorio explores practical ways organisations can build lasting Copilot habits, strengthen internal communities and drive effective AI adoption. Amelia shares her journey through web technologies, SharePoint, cloud transformation and Microsoft 365 adoption, offering guidance on behaviour change, team enablement and identifying meaningful Copilot use cases that improve daily work. 
👉 Full Show Notes
https://www.microsoftinnovationpodcast.com/798 
🎙️What you’ll learn      
How to help teams build sustainable Copilot habits 
How internal communities strengthen adoption 
How to identify high value Copilot use cases 
How to support behavioural change during AI transformation 
How to structure training and sponsorship for successful rollout 
✅ Highlights   
“Take a step at a time really to use Copilot.” 
“How can I translate this into my daily work.” 
“The idea is really to help people to stick with Copilot.” 
“It is hard to stay on track of all the changes.” 
“This internal community is amazingly important.” 
“Find use cases that can be improved with Copilot.” 
“You have the perfect unit when you work with teams.” 
“Look for executive sponsor, but real executive sponsor.” 
“Try to work not only down to top but also top to down.” 
“Help people really embrace the tools in ways that make sense for them.” 
🧰 Mentioned     
Microsoft 365 - https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365 
Microsoft Teams - https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-teams/download-app 
Copilot - https://copilot.microsoft.com/ 
Copilot Studio - https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365-copilot/microsoft-copilot-studio/ 
Dynamics 365 Customer Service - https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/dynamics-365/products/customer-service 
Microsoft MVP YouTube Series - How to Become a Microsoft MVP - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLzf0yupPbVkqdRJDPVE4PtTlm6quDhiu7 
✅ Keywords      
microsoft 365, copilot, adoption, teams, sharepoint, serviceNow, dynamics 365, training, community, cloud, automation, behaviour change
Microsoft 365 Copilot Adoption is a Microsoft Press book for leaders and consultants. It shows how to identify high-value use cases, set guardrails, enable champions, and measure impact, so Copilot sticks. Practical frameworks, checklists, and metrics you can use this month. Get the book: https://bit.ly/CopilotAdoption
Support the show
If you want to get in touch with me, you can message me here on Linkedin.

Thanks for listening 🚀 - Mark Smith