Leadership in the AI Era
Leadership in the AI Era
In 2012, a colleague and I put forward the notion of socially-centered leadership, to help leaders create high performance teams to adjust to the increasingly interconnected and technologically-mediated workplace. Interconnection via technology versus face-to-face interaction can be problematic, particularly with the rise of working from home, having fewer moments of real face-to-face connection, the encroachment of algorithms and generative AI on our day-to-day work.
The fundamental question is now even more important than it was 16 years ago. How can we maintain the vital human connections that we all need to work together effectively in a world that is increasingly dominated by technology?
Video mostly solves the human connection challenge for one-on-one conversations. It is less effective in enabling human-to-human connection in group settings. There is less scope for casual one-on-one conversation. That’s an issue for social cohesion. One-on-one is most conducive to building trust, as we intuitively get to know people and learn how much we can and cannot say about how we truly think and feel. How much like us–or not–our interlocutors are.
Group Zoom calls, I will argue, demand a certain amount of formality and circumspection. We can’t do without them. However, they do not allow us to achieve the kinds of bonds of relationship and trust that we need for true high performance. This is more of an issue for more introverted, culturally diverse, or less experienced team members.
The social isolation that happened during the pandemic took a huge toll on certain groups of people, although employees in corporate settings found the new work from home or hybrid models much to their liking. Then it was back to the office, at least part-time. Many companies, foolishly in my opinion, demanded full-on return to the office, despite the evidence that people were happier and more productive being WFH part-time.
After an eventful decade since our original Gartner research was published, we are now in the early stages of a monumental change as AI applications flood the world. Many of us are already using AI tools and accepting non-human colleagues into our work flows. We’ve given our machines the keys to the human kingdom–language. Yuval Harari called language “the operating system of humanity”. Humans have created another form of intelligence, which seems so familiar, as it is us reflected back to ourselves. But it isn’t us. It has all or is developing way more powerful analogs to our linguistic and numeric capabilities. It is better at remembering, organizing, and presenting work products including music, visual arts, and all forms of the written word. At the end of this post, you will find a poem that my AI just wrote for me. In about 10 seconds.
Redefining Nonroutine Knowledge Work: From Cognitive Labor to Human Presence
The shift from 2012 to 2026 has moved the focus from surviving computerization, ever more outsourcing, and loss of the physical workplace to working alongside agentic AI that is now encroaching on ever more highly-skilled cognitive and reasoning tasks, such as planning, proposal writing, and coding.
Our original hypothesis was that emotional and social intelligence, an understanding of human motivation, and a focus on people separated the high performers from the less productive ones. While the original hypothesis remains valid, the definition of nonroutine work has evolved. AI now handles complex data synthesis and routine cognitive labor, leaving leadership with one primary role: managing the human resonance that algorithms cannot replicate.
Every major technological adaptation has resulted in a shift in economically viable work as performed by humans or other creatures, such as horses. It’s cheaper, easier and faster to use machines and we’re always looking for new ways to do this. This has generally been a positive and liberating development when it comes to physically demanding, dangerous, repetitive and frankly boring manual tasks. Freed from dark and dangerous mining operations, endless walking behind ploughs, or spending the whole day doing laundry, we are now available to do other things.
What will happen when we reach the stated goal of Artificial General Intelligence? Until yesterday, I didn’t actually worry too much about that. Today I’m worried. Why?
That will be the topic of my next post in which I will discuss Artificial General Intelligence and the implications, including more machine generated poetry. If you like this one, I’ll ask it to do something in Iambic pentameter.
Resonance in the Machine Age
By Debra’s Gemini
Routine work is claimed by modern tools. Leaders cannot hide behind the systems and the rules. Trust in the business has started to decline.
Disengagement breaks the spirit and the line.
Presence requires a bandwidth that is high. To meet with people and to look them in the eye. No rah-rah blogs or scripts to hide the fact. Just personal stories and the way the leaders act.
Admit the errors and permit the test. Reward the trying and the honest quest. A mission that is simply stated and clear. Removes the silence of the quiet fear.
Interpersonal trust is where it must begin. Before the organization starts to win. When leaders care for well-being too. The workers bring their best in all they do.
