Artificial Intelligence, From Hype to Reality: How Capable are Your Dynamic Execution Resources?
Everyone, and I mean everyone, is spending huge amounts on implementing AI. But are they getting the best return for this investment? Do they really understand their Dynamic Capacity and are they applying these limited resources on the most fruitful projects?
Companies who follow The CDX Method® are better able to maximize their return. They understand that the shift from hype to actual execution requires building internal dynamic execution strength first—quantifying and expanding your organization's own capacity for change—before turning to external help.
From my book, "Develop Business Execution Superpower with The CDX Method", Principles Two (Expand) and Three (Prioritize) of the Seven Principles for Dynamic Execution are foundational.
Principle Two – Expand: Quantify and Increase Dynamic Capacity People and funding for dynamic improvement are always limited. The first step is quantifying dynamic capacity—total resource availability for innovation, such as people-hours, budget, and infrastructure.
In practice, most managers draw a blank when asked, "What is your dynamic capacity?" or "What are you doing to increase it?" Yet, this measurement is crucial. Early in the their journey with The CDX Method, organizations use basic metrics like hours and spend; as maturity grows, they customize via a CDX Value Specification.
Poor understanding leads to over commitment and investor disappointment—or under-commitment and wasted resources. In AI, where ROI remains elusive for many, maximizing internal dynamic capacity first enables fact-based commitments and prevents spreading resources too thin.
Principle Three – Prioritize: Utilize the Performance CP to Work on the Most Critical Issues Dynamic demand always exceeds dynamic capacity. Leaders must compare demand against internal resources, making tough choices to fully resource high-value initiatives while saying "no" to others. And the Performance CP, part of the foundational Core Work of all leaders, helps set those priorities.
Saying "yes" to everything is easy; resisting and prioritizing strategically is hard—but essential for value creation. A strong Performance CP drives discussions to align on strategic goals
The Consultant Tribe: Augment Internal Capacity Only When Necessary Specialists hired short-term can provide valuable outside expertise to accelerate Dynamic Execution. They excel as journey partners and pathfinders, completing projects new to you but familiar to them, helping avoid mistakes.
However, leaders must maximize internal dynamic capacity first, supplementing with the Consultant Tribe only when necessary. Consultants should augment the desired execution culture—adapting methodologies to reinforce it, not detract.
Execution Frailty: Beware of Over-Reliance Companies with weak execution cultures and poor internal dynamic capacity often hire expensive consultants to compensate for their inability to drive internal change. In these cases, the Consultant Tribe becomes the duct tape of execution—temporarily holding things together but never securely or permanently. Results fade quickly once the engagement ends.
Embedded consultants tend to multiply, increasing dependency. Weak cultures become lucrative for unscrupulous firms.
In practice, pervasive consultants—conference rooms full of them discussing change—may signal frustrated leaders unable to execute internally. Even worse, consultants may deride the existing culture, focus on the hiring executive, and instill fear.
In the current AI landscape, where many struggle with ROI, over-dependence risks temporary patches rather than sustainable internal superpowers.
How are you quantifying and expanding internal dynamic capacity for AI in 2026? What's your experience balancing internal teams and consultants? Let's strengthen our execution superpowers together.
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