Fostering an innovation mindset with an AI-empowered workforce
At a glance
With the pharmaceutical industry at the cusp of a revolution driven by AI, Takeda recognized the strategic advantage of an AI-empowered workforce and partnered with Slalom to jump-start its AI transformation.
Impact
By training and enabling its workforce, Takeda’s team can now more confidently leverage AI to accelerate daily work and drive overall productivity.
Key Services
Industry
Pharmaceutical, biotech & biopharma
Preparing for the GenAI revolution
Takeda Pharmaceuticals is on a mission to bring better health to people worldwide. To stay ahead in an AI-driven future, they partnered with Slalom to empower their Medical Excellence and Scientific Training team. The goal? To embark on a journey into the world of generative AI (GenAI) and cultivate a culture of innovation through AI consulting.
We kicked off this partnership with a vision to design a comprehensive upskilling initiative and workshop that would help Takeda embrace an explorer’s mindset and break down barriers to AI adoption. Here’s how we did it.
Laying the groundwork
We started by conducting an in-depth AI proficiency assessment and adoption interviews with team members. This helped us identify skill gaps and understand the unique needs of Takeda’s workforce. With this insight, we curated tailored AI content, cocreated practice exercises with Takeda’s leaders, and identified use cases that would resonate with their day-to-day operations, ensuring effective organizational change management.
“Our collaboration with Slalom felt like a true partnership. It was evident Slalom matched our level of investment for the success of our AI capability enhancement project,” says Faezah M. Rad, group lead of global learning strategy and operations at Takeda.
Creating a hands-on learning experience
Our team developed a two-day workshop for participants, focusing on practical, hands-on learning. During the workshop, we:
- Conducted proficiency assessments to curate tailored training content.
- Worked closely with Takeda’s leaders to create relevant GenAI practice exercises leveraging Takeda’s AI tools.
- Brainstormed innovative use cases to apply GenAI across the organization.
- Engaged participants in “show, don’t tell” hands-on prompt-writing exercises with AI tools.
The results of our efforts were remarkable. By the end of the workshop, participants achieved a:
“Takeda’s leadership embraced AI as a strategic imperative, which was instrumental to our success. Our partnership created a blueprint for AI excellence that drives innovative, competitive, and impactful medical communications and scientific training, ultimately delivering better outcomes for patients,” says Trupti Sanikop, director of AI and software engineering at Slalom. Takeda’s team is also now better equipped to leverage AI in their daily work, driving productivity and fostering a culture of innovation.
A foundation for the future
This workshop is just the beginning of Takeda’s AI journey. We helped the company establish ongoing assessments to measure AI skill proficiency and set GenAI adoption benchmarks. We also developed GenAI resources and an active knowledge base to encourage continuous learning and experimentation.
By experimenting and engaging with GenAI, Takeda has formed a critical foundation for future productivity gains and innovation. Our business consulting partnership with Takeda demonstrates that with the right approach and mindset, any organization can harness the transformative power of AI.
GenAI is revolutionizing workplaces, fueling creativity and productivity. At Slalom, we're proud to help companies like Takeda navigate this new frontier and achieve true transformation. We’re moving past AI adoption and designing a future where AI influences every corner of work.
