Finding the diamonds

“I am always doing that which I cannot do,
in order that I may learn how to do it.”
– Pablo Picasso

For decades, L&D has helped organizations spread proven practices, but AI demands something different. Before we can scale new best practices, we have to find them.

Most organizations are treating AI as a deployment challenge. The leading organizations are treating it as a discovery challenge.

The Flywheels & Diamonds model from our colleagues at BTS offers a useful lens.

Flywheels are the organization’s engine for discovery—a robust system that encourages experimentation, captures learning, and accelerates the spread of successful practices. Employees test prompts, redesign workflows, share results, and build on one another’s ideas. With every experiment, the organization becomes smarter about where AI creates value.

Most experiments won’t transform the business. A few will. Those are the diamonds, repeatable applications that create measurable value and deserve to become the new way of working.

The emerging role of L&D isn’t simply teaching people how to use AI. It’s helping build robust flywheels of experimentation—creating the conditions for exploration, knowledge sharing, and continuous learning across the organization.

The goal isn’t just to uncover a few diamonds. It’s to create a system that keeps producing them.

The organizations that win with AI will be the ones that build the most robust engines for discovery—and consistently turn those discoveries into diamonds.

One great thing for 06.09.26 – One Useful Thing – Ethan Mollick – If you’re looking for practical guidance on AI adoption, experimentation, and the future of work, Ethan Mollick’s One Useful Thing is one of the best places to start. Start with his most popular posts, where you’ll find thoughtful insights on working with AI, building new habits, and discovering where AI creates the most value.