Accelerating Microsoft’s AI Transformation: An org design and development systems approach
Amy Kates
Advisor to business leaders
and
Ewa Kacewicz
Organizational development and operating model strategist at Microsoft,
--- 4th Dec. 2025, Thursday at 9am EST/3pm CET ---
Ewa Kacewicz, Microsoft’s head of organization design, will share how the company is accelerating its own internal adoption of AI tools. As “customer zero” in AI transformation Microsoft is testing and refining AI-powered ways of working internally before scaling them externally. You will see what the company is calling “The AI-Powered Operating Model,” which builds on the work of Jay Galbraith, Amy Kates, and Greg Kesler to create a systems view of where AI can transform strategy setting, workflows, management processes, and organizational health monitoring. We’ll share an AI Maturity Diagnostic that is helping Microsoft units move from experimentation to measurable productivity gains, while fostering trust, autonomy, and continuous learning. A case study of Microsoft’s Data Centers organization will illustrate the practical application of these frameworks. Finally, you’ll also see how the HR team is using AI to augment their organization design and development work.
About the Speakers:
Amy Kates is an advisor to business leaders, helping them design and activate modern operating models. She has co-authored six foundational books in the field with Greg Kesler and Jay Galbraith, and her methodology is now a global standard. LinkedIn tapped her to create their organization design video series. Amy co-founded Kates Kesler Organization Consulting, which was acquired by Accenture in 2020. After building a 150-person global practice there, she shifted focus in 2024 to advisory work, speaking, teaching, and writing.
She’s taught executive and MBA courses at the Danish Technical University, New York University, and Cornell. Amy has served on advisory boards for the Organization Design Forum and Organization Design Community, was a Visiting Fellow to Singapore’s government, and sits on the board of Educate!, a nonprofit in East Africa. She began her career as a New York City Urban Fellow and holds a master’s in City and Regional Planning from Cornell. She lives in New York City.
Ewa Kacewicz is an organizational development and operating model strategist at Microsoft, with a PhD in social and organizational psychology and a background in consulting at Bain and the broader tech industry (Oracle, Dell). She brings a systems-thinking lens to her work – bridging strategy, ways of working, and culture to enable sustainable growth. Ewa has recently led initiatives focused on AI operating model maturity, enterprise transformation, and workforce design in Microsoft.
Ewa is known for her ability to distill complex, ambiguous problems into clear, actionable insights and to foster strong partnerships across HR, business, and technical teams. A divergent thinker and synthesizer by nature, Ewa thrives at the intersection of innovation, organizational design, and human behavior.
Last date to Register is 3rd December 2025, 9 am EST
Organization Design Community (ODC)
