Eliminate Friction & Achieve Frictionless Momentum©

Unlock Growth and Innovation by Tackling the Bottlenecks Holding Your Business Back

5 min read4 hours ago

The following phrases are Copyright: From Friction to Frictionless Momentum©, Friction-Cost Report©, Momentum Friction AI Deployment Model©. Sydney Australia, December 15, 2024.

When businesses adopt artificial intelligence (AI), the temptation is to jump straight to tools and technologies. However, unlocking AI’s full potential requires a different starting point: identifying the issues hindering progress, increasing costs, and stalling innovation. Issues that cause friction.

I call these issues “momentum friction, " which acts like the speed bumps you must slow down for when driving. They manifest as inefficiencies, bottlenecks, and operational gaps that diminish an organisation’s energy and hinder its growth trajectory.

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From Friction to Frictionless Momentum© article by Greg Twemlow, image by Ideogram

Momentum frictions are not just operational inconveniences — they erode morale, competitiveness, and strategic vision. Addressing these frictions first creates a clear pathway for AI to deliver a transformative impact, accelerating growth and fostering a culture of continuous improvement.

AI isn’t just a tool for automation or cost-cutting. It’s a game-changer with the power to revolutionise workflows, culture, and business potential. By strategically tackling momentum frictions, organisations can unlock AI’s full promise, ushering in a new era of efficiency and innovation.

Why Momentum Friction Matters

Momentum is the lifeblood of any successful organisation. It embodies the energy, focus, and drive that move a business forward. However, friction points can disrupt this flow. These frictions may include:

Operational Bottlenecks: Tasks like manual data entry or slow, repetitive processes.
Customer Service Challenges: Delays in resolving complex issues that frustrate customers and harm loyalty.
Creative Resistance: Rigid organisational structures that stifle innovation.
Financial Inefficiencies: Processes that constrain cash flow or misallocate resources.

Such friction points hinder efficiency, diminish morale, slow decision-making, and reduce competitiveness. Addressing them is about removing obstacles and unlocking an organisation’s potential. By identifying and resolving momentum friction, businesses can achieve frictionless momentum, where growth and innovation flow unimpeded.

The Momentum Friction AI Deployment Model©

Resolving momentum friction requires a structured and actionable approach. This is where the Momentum Friction AI Deployment Model© comes into play. Designed to systematically address friction points, this model aligns AI solutions with organisational needs for maximum impact.

Step 1: Mapping Momentum Friction

The journey begins by identifying friction points. Through staff interviews, workflow analysis, and leadership engagement, we uncover inefficiencies and barriers often hidden from view. This collaborative process ensures a comprehensive understanding of where the organisation is losing speed and energy.

Step 2: Quantifying Friction Costs

Once friction points are identified, the next step is quantifying their impact. For example:

Labour Costs: How much time and money is wasted on repetitive tasks like manual data entry?
Revenue Impact: What’s the financial cost of slow customer response times or missed sales opportunities?
Operational Risks: What risks arise from delays or inefficiencies in key processes?

Quantifying these costs provides a clear picture of the stakes, turning abstract inefficiencies into concrete opportunities for improvement. This step isn’t about assigning blame; it’s about illuminating pathways to better performance.

Step 3: Aligning AI Solutions

With friction points mapped and costs quantified, the next step is to match problems to AI capabilities. For example:

Automation: Streamlining repetitive tasks to free up human resources.
Predictive Analytics: Identifying potential bottlenecks before they occur.
Natural Language Processing: Enhancing customer service interactions with faster, more accurate responses.

Clear success metrics are established at this stage to guide implementation and measure impact.

Step 4: Piloting and Scaling Solutions

Starting small is key. Pilot projects validate AI solutions in controlled settings, allowing organisations to refine their approach before scaling. Iterative testing ensures the deployment aligns with real-world needs, builds confidence, and minimises risks.

Building the Case: The Friction-Cost Report©

A critical outcome of this model is the Friction-Cost Report©. This document serves as both a diagnostic tool and a strategic financial guide. It includes:

A detailed breakdown of identified friction points.
Quantified costs associated with each friction.
AI-driven opportunities for resolution, matched with projected ROI.

The report is dynamic, evolving as new data and insights emerge. It provides organisations with a roadmap for continuous improvement and a benchmark to track progress. The Friction-Cost Report© enables leadership to make informed, confident decisions by presenting actionable insights in clear financial terms.

The CEO’s Role in Driving Change

Resolving momentum friction isn’t just a technical challenge — it’s a leadership opportunity. CEOs play a pivotal role in setting the tone and fostering collaboration across all levels of the organisation. Your active engagement demonstrates commitment, builds trust, and drives momentum. As the CEO, you can turn complexity into clarity and inertia into innovation.

Your active engagement demonstrates commitment, builds trust, and drives momentum. Partnering with AI specialists ensures solutions are tailored to your business’s unique needs, focusing on measurable outcomes rather than abstract possibilities. As the CEO, you can turn complexity into clarity and inertia into innovation.

The rise of Agentic AI represents the next evolution in addressing momentum friction. Unlike traditional AI, Agentic AI operates autonomously to:

Analyse workflows in real-time.
Identify inefficiencies and calculate associated costs.
Propose actionable solutions informed by continuous learning.

Examples of Agentic AI in Action

Imagine deploying AI agents that:

Automatically flag inefficiencies in workflows and recommend interventions.
Comb through vast operational data to uncover friction points invisible to human teams.
Simulate potential solutions and modelling outcomes to accelerate decision-making.

By integrating Agentic AI into the Momentum Friction AI Deployment Model©, organisations gain a self-improving framework that adapts dynamically to changing needs. This transforms AI from a reactive tool to a proactive partner in driving growth.

Momentum friction isn’t a one-time challenge. As businesses grow and evolve, new friction points inevitably arise. That’s why embedding momentum mapping into regular operations is essential. By continually updating the Friction-Cost Report© and integrating Agentic AI, organisations can:

Stay agile and adaptive in the face of change.
Create a mindset of continuous improvement.
Build a foundation for momentum in growth and innovation.

If your organisation is ready to accelerate its journey with AI, start by asking: What’s slowing us down? By proactively addressing momentum friction, you can transform obstacles into opportunities, creating a powerful engine for growth and innovation.

About the author: Greg Twemlow, Founder of XperientialAI©. Read more of my 300+ articles at: https://gregtwemlow.medium.com/

Greg Twemlow, Founder of XperientialAI©.

Greg Twemlow : Sharing what I’ve learned from my career of 35 years as a citizen of the world, parent, corporate executive, entrepreneur, and CEO of XperientialAI, focused on experiential learning for maximum impact with AI. Contact Greg: greg@xperiential.ai