Adapting Company Values in an AI-Driven World

Last week, Anthropic’s CEO predicted that AI could eliminate 50% of white-collar jobs in five years. It sparked the usual panic, but here’s the deeper truth that’s being missed: This isn’t just about job loss. It’s about organizational redesign at a fundamental level. The corporate pyramid is crumbling. What’s emerging? → Flat or even inverted structures → Senior leaders guiding AI strategy → Experts orchestrating human and AI workflows → Entry-level tasks handled by intelligent systems → Middle management layers reduced or eliminated We’ll soon see: • Billion-dollar companies run by 10 people • Solo entrepreneurs scaling to $100M and beyond with AI • AI fluency outpacing traditional experience in value But here’s where it gets real: You can implement AI to cut costs, or you can use it to multiply capacity and dominate markets. That choice reveals everything about your culture. Are you a CFO-led company chasing savings? Or a visionary-led organization building exponential advantage? AI is not the savior. People and culture always have been. Most companies aren’t ready for AI, not because of the tech, but because they haven’t empowered their people. They’re still operating from command and control playbooks that stifle adaptability and kill innovation. They haven’t transitioned to decentralized, autonomous models. And without that shift, AI won't scale. Here is a prediction for you: Without companies adopting self-management and autonomous operating principles, AI won't scale. Ironically, companies that already empower their people are seeing a lift in productivity, retention, and sales, even before AI is in the room. Emotional intelligence is the true gatekeeper of AI success. You have to build trust, autonomy, and shared purpose first. Otherwise, AI just accelerates dysfunction. So the real question isn’t whether AI will change work. It’s whether leadership is evolved enough to harness it. What do you think? Are companies really ready to operate in an AI-first world?

Over time, AI is going to change nearly every job. For teams and businesses to be successful in an AI-driven world, employees need to be ready. The central question business leaders should be asking is: how can I prepare myself and my workforce for AI? The answer to how humans can stay relevant in an AI-driven world is both simple and profound: we need to become more human. But how do we do that? I see 3 key steps. First, we need to identify the things that are quintessentially human. Things like vision, wisdom, empathy, integrity, and courage. These qualities are not only unlikely to be mastered by #AI any time soon, but they will add incredible value to the work that AI will be able to do in the future. But we also need to rethink our approach to these qualities. We often think about what it means to be human in terms of immutable traits. For instance, a person is born curious, or empathetic, or courageous, or they're not. But what if we viewed these attributes not as traits to be inherited, but as skills to be developed?  So second, business leaders need to implement programs that #reskill their employees in these core human qualities, teaching them how to become even more visionary, wise, empathetic, honorable, and courageous. For instance, at Mineral, part of Mitratech, we implemented a Futures Team to develop our visionary skills, and a training program to develop our individual and collective emotional intelligence. Each of these attributes can be developed in people and organizations, and will make what we can do with AI that much more impactful. And third, businesses need to reward these qualities, through professional recognition, advancement, etc. That way their leaders and teams are incentivized to invest in them. I see companies spending a lot of time right now trying to increase their #artificialintelligence. That’s important, but let’s work just as hard to increase our human intelligence. It’s the combination of both that will create long-term competitive advantages, both for our businesses and our people.

Despite leaders' excitement about the prospective benefits of AI, the outcomes often fall short of expectations. Why? My latest Gallup story explores the role of trust. It's easy to see the rapid adoption of AI across organizations, but where are the results? A large body of empirical economics research emphasizes that technology performs best when it complements, rather than replaces, human effort. Productivity gains from innovation depend on people-first strategies, e.g. reskilling workers, reorganizing workflows, and fostering trust. As Erik Brynjolfsson put it, “Awesome technology alone is not enough.” True gains come when companies evolve their business models and empower their people alongside the tools - not just procuring the tools. Whereas automation was fundamentally about displacing human effort, AI allows for the possibility of augmentation. And yet, many firms are missing the mark. While 93% of CHROs say their company is exploring AI, only 15% of employees report receiving clear communication about how it fits into their roles. What if the gap wasn't technological, but rather organizational? One of my papers from several years ago using Gallup data with Joo Hun Han - link in comments - showed that technological change has a positive effect on worker well-being, but particularly when employees believe their managers create trust in the workplace. Put simply, there's less scope for creativity and experimentation when there's a lack of trust. As a result, here are some practical recommendations: 1) Invest in cognitive resilience: Equip teams not just with technical know-how, but with the adaptability and mindset to grow with the tools. 2) Redesign work: AI needs more than plug-and-play. Rethink jobs to offload repetitive tasks and let people focus on complex, human-centric work. 3) Build trust and curiosity: Involve employees early. Show that AI is an enhancer, not a threat. When people feel ownership, adoption follows. The message can sound simple, but obviously AI integration and implementation is not easy. The organizations that truly unlock the value of AI, however, are likely the ones that use it to augment human potential and create new sources of value creation, rather than just efficiency improvements. So, AI will not determine the future of work - leaders will, based on whether they build cultures where innovation elevates human potential. What do you see as the barriers to effective AI integration in organizations? And where do you think the specific areas for greatest value creation reside with AI in the workplace? #AIProductivity #FutureOfWork #HumanAICollaboration #Leadership #OrganizationalDesign https://lnkd.in/ek74dAFs

Is AI destined to become your new favorite co-worker? Make the four-day workweek a reality? Or automate decisions?    In my favorite chapter of Deloitte’s new 2025 Global Human Capital Trends report, my colleagues Susan Cantrell, Jason Flynn and Nicole Scoble-Williams GAICD explore how AI is revolutionizing work and the worker-employer value proposition. [https://deloi.tt/4iXG9NV]    To help foster a healthy, productive relationship between humans and machines, organizations need to revise their employee value proposition (EVP) to reflect the new reality of AI integration. It should emphasize the mutual benefits for both employees and the business.    Earning the trust and confidence of workers is essential as jobs are redesigned and processes reimagined. Here are three considerations that stood out to me:    🏆 Share the rewards AI creates with workers. Organizations are almost six times as likely to receive significant financial benefits from AI when workers see real value. For example, one waste organization allows drivers to choose their own routes instead of those AI suggests - but rewards them when they follow the recommendations.    🔬 Empower workers to play and experiment with AI. Encourage workers to use AI tools in new ways and share what they learn with others, either through trainings or creating digital playgrounds. This approach has been effective in our own Gen AI integration at Deloitte. We hold regular peer discussions and have a message board for sharing everyday use cases, prompts, and more.    🫶🏾 Cultivate human capabilities, adaptability, and resilience. Develop uniquely human capabilities like collaboration and emotional intelligence. When these capabilities are prioritized, workers are nearly twice as likely to feel their work is meaningful and organizations are twice as likely to have better financial and business results.    Bottom line, reevaluating how AI impacts your people is critical: Over 70% of workers are more likely to join and stay with an organization if its EVP helps them thrive in an AI-driven world. By reimagining the EVP, you not only set your AI investments up for success, but also your people!