The Optimal Flow: How AI Initiatives Should Move Through Tribes

When the Three Tribes work together properly, AI initiatives flow through a continuous cycle that maximizes both innovation and execution.

The Flow Sequence

1. Explore

Explorers surface 10-20 potential use cases. They test boundaries and imagine applications without constraint.

2. Filter

Validators narrow to 3-5 acceptable risk. Not blocking – filtering. Moving from “possible” to “viable.”

3. Build

Automators scale 1-2 to production. They capture value through systematic implementation.

4. Sustain

Validators monitor quality and drift. Production AI requires perpetual vigilance.

5. Learn

Learnings feed next exploration cycle. The cycle compounds over time.

The Cycle in Action

1. Explorers: Surface 10-20 use cases
2. Validators: Filter to 3-5 acceptable
3. Automators: Build 1-2 to production
4. Validators: Monitor quality & drift

The Key Insight

Each tribe has veto power at different stages, but none has permanent control.

The tension between tribes is a feature, not a bug. It’s what prevents both reckless innovation and paralytic caution.

When all three work in harmony, learnings feed the next exploration cycle. This is how organizations build compounding AI capability.

This is part of a comprehensive analysis. Read the full analysis on The Business Engineer.