Paul Voges reports on why AI is delivering real commercial results for some businesses but not others. Workforce capability stands out as a key driver of success

The conversation around AI has moved on. For mid-sized businesses, the question is no longer whether AI can improve productivity, but why it's delivering real commercial results for some businesses and not others.

For our Autonomous Business study, we canvassed more than 500 decision-makers in mid-sized New Zealand businesses and mapped their progress across five pillars: core processes, data landscape, AI strategy, AI governance and workforce capability.

Three quarters said AI had improved productivity, but the more important finding from the insights is this - businesses making concentrated progress across all five pillars are unlocking meaningfully stronger advantages than those treating AI adoption in isolation.

Amongst these pillars, workforce capability stands out as a key driver of success. It's also the area where most businesses are behind. Structured AI training exists in just 57% of New Zealand's mid-sized businesses, yet nearly 90% of those with training in place report stronger productivity impacts – reiterating that the gap is not simply access to the right technology, but whether people are equipped, supported and confident enough to use it well.

The qualitative research conversations confirmed this. Business leaders described AI as most valuable when it helps lean teams do more, improves collaboration and frees up skilled people to focus on work that requires sound judgement, expertise and relationship management.

Across industries, this is playing out in concrete ways. In HR, top-of-funnel recruitment is increasingly automated so teams can focus on shortlists, interviews and hiring decisions. In professional services, AI is taking on more analytical and administrative work so team members can dedicate more time to deeper client conversations and work that drives revenue growth. In finance, teams are becoming more people-facing as AI handles more of the analysis and groundwork, and in the construction sector, AI is helping assign workers to sites by factoring in location, availability and skills, making labour deployment more efficient.

However, enabling this progress still depends on connected data and processes, strong privacy and financial controls, and human oversight where it matters.

Civil construction and infrastructure firm Camex Group offers a clear example of what combining operational and team readiness looks like in practice. Integrated systems and a customised mobile app have replaced paper-based field processes, with timesheets flowing directly into payroll and accounting. The app was designed for a workforce ranging from labourers in the field through to engineers and executives and a critical part of the rollout was involving the team from day one - understanding concerns, demonstrating how the system would make their jobs easier and incorporating their feedback. With the right foundations in place, the business has nearly doubled its turnover without materially increasing overheads and is now testing an AI agent that can answer complex questions for employees across the organisation.

That's what a deliberate automation strategy produces - not just efficiency, but the confidence and space for people to step into higher-value work.

For mid-sized businesses, that's the real opportunity in front of them. The ones pulling ahead are building on the right foundations and treating workforce capability with the same seriousness as the technology.

The question is no longer whether AI can help businesses move faster, but whether they are prepared to build the conditions for that momentum to last. When the data is trusted, the processes are joined up and teams are properly supported, technology handles more of the heavy lifting. People can then focus on the judgement, quality of service and strategic decisions that help a business grow. That's how productivity compounds into real commercial advantage.

Paul Voges is an executive general manager at MYOB for their mid-market sector.