在大公司工作过得小伙伴一定了解，当公司规模非常庞大之后，员工之间、部门之间的沟通成本有时候会非常大，从而产生信息孤岛现象。如何克服这一现象呢？有许多公司正在采用AI技术。我们本期阅读斯隆管理评论的一篇文章，也许下次在组织变革方面，你可以给你的老板提出很好的建议呢。

Anyone who has ever worked for a large organization knows that information silos are a challenging fact of life. They’re evident internally: The left hand doesn’t always know what the right hand is doing, and employees who are supposed to be working in concert are out of sync.

Silos exist externally, too. Companies that are in business together often don’t have full information or a clear picture of their partnership. This can sometimes trigger an “us versus them” mentality among colleagues and collaborators. As a result, opportunities are missed and problems don’t get solved.

词汇：

information silos：信息孤岛

out of sync： 不同步

mentality：状况、想法

But as companies start to experiment with new technologies that break down silos, things might begin to look different. When adopted appropriately, new tools — powered by artificial intelligence, machine learning, and advanced analytics — can transform the ways in which employees communicate, collaborate, and coordinate their workflows. The result: greater efficiency, more synchronization, and less tunnel vision.

UPS, the Atlanta-based shipping giant, is a prime example of how companies can embrace new technology for operational efficiency and better outcomes. The company uses a network planning tool (NPT) to integrate its pickup and delivery system. A B2B customer’s package is categorized by a destination ZIP code, weight, and volume; it is then given a bar code label and placed on a conveyer belt, where it is scanned and loaded for delivery. The NPT organizes packages by final destination while also considering the type of parcel and time of year. Pharmaceuticals, for instance, are not routed via the desert, as extreme temperatures can affect the potency of certain medications, and NPT also considers the potential for congestion during peak holiday seasons.

词汇：

transform the ways：改变方式

tunnel vision：狭窄的视野

peak holiday seasons：假日旺季

The beauty of NPT, however, is not just its algorithm; rather, it’s that the app empowers human engineers to make better decisions. When a package reroutes, the app notifies a UPS engineer in the new location city about the revised plan. The engineer then looks at various options, evaluates them, and takes action. The engineer might let the plan remain in place or reroute the package based on new information. This human-driven decision becomes an update in the app, which in turn helps it learn from human oversight and get smarter about routing plans. Just as important, NPT also serves as a check on the engineer’s choice to ensure that it had the desired result. This not only saves UPS time and money, it’s also a boon to customer satisfaction.

Becton, Dickinson and Co. (BD), a global medical technology provider, is also integrating AI-powered solutions into its workflow. The company’sBD HealthSight Diversion Management Analytics applicationis designed to help hospitals and health systems improve their medication management processes at a time when addiction to prescription narcotics in the U.S. has reached epidemic proportions.

词汇：

empowers ：赋能

serve as: 非常powerful 的词组，扮演特定的角色， 可以用它来替换play a role

a boon: 有益的东西

narcotics：致幻药物

reached epidemic proportions：达到十分流行的程度，如果用它来替换become popular，是不是立刻高大上了呢？

By monitoring hospital medication activity, the application allows health care institutions to identify anomalous and at-risk behavior associated with possible drug diversion by health care workers. Using machine learning-based algorithms and multiple dispensing activities — such as overrides and canceled transactions — the application recognizes behaviors that suggest a higher risk for diversion. It then assigns potential diversion cases to investigators. 

“Hospital drug diversion is a complex challenge that can be difficult for hospitals to detect with potentially devastating impacts on both patient and health care worker safety,” says Ranjeet Banerjee, worldwide president of Medication Management Solutions for BD. According to Banerjee, “The BD HealthSight Diversion Management Analytics application is the next step in the company’s efforts to address drug diversion through integrated solutions and analytics.”

词汇：

monitor:检查、检视。 不要用check了哦

assign: 分配

devastating impacts：毁灭性的影响

address drug diversion ： address 此处表示处理、应对的意思，不要再千篇一律使用deal with了。