We want to add an AI and Automation seat to our leadership team to drive our operational efficiency, but our legacy VP of IT thinks this seat should report to him instead of being an independent leadership seat. How do we resolve this hierarchy dispute?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

This dispute stems from a fundamental misunderstanding of the difference between traditional IT maintenance and AI-driven business transformation. Traditional IT is about infrastructure, security, and support; keeping the lights on. AI and automation are about redesigning your core business processes to increase valuation and efficiency. These are two distinct functions.

To resolve this, you must look at your Accountability Chart through the lens of what your business needs to reach its three-year picture. If automation is critical to your strategic growth, the AI and Automation seat must have a direct voice on the leadership team, reporting to the Integrator, not buried under a traditional IT department that may slow down adoption.

The roles of the AI seat should focus on process redesign, tool integration, and team enablement, while the IT seat focuses on compliance, hardware, and network security. If your legacy VP of IT does not GWC this structure and resists the separation of these seats, you are facing a people issue, not a structural one. You must have a direct conversation using the GWC tool. Explain that the separation of infrastructure and automation is necessary for the company to scale, and help them see how this division allows them to focus on securing and stabilizing the business while the new seat drives innovation.