At our recent Sydney and New York events with Josh Bersin, we gathered top HR and business leaders to tackle one of the most pressing workforce challenges today: Re-engineering Work in the AI Era.
The key message: There is an urgent need to rethink work—not just layer AI onto outdated job structures, but fundamentally redesign how work gets done.
This was the central theme of our discussions with Josh Bersin, Alec Bashinsky, Deb Yates, Reejig’s Siobhan Savage, and Jacinta Newman, as we explored what’s working, what’s not, and where organizations need to focus next.
The first step in AI transformation is understanding the work itself. Work is made up of tasks, not just roles, so AI adoption should start by mapping work at the task level, not just focusing on skills.
Organizations need a common language for work - a Work OntologyTM that includes:
> A harmonized, AI-ready job architecture that integrates work dataMost job architectures are outdated the moment they’re built—designed for old work structures that don’t reflect how work actually happens.
In an AI-driven world, static job architectures fail fast, leading to misaligned workforce planning, AI adoption stalling (because work isn’t structured for it), and outdated roles that don’t match reality.
What organizations need is a dynamic job architecture that continuously evolves, integrating tasks, skills, and work data.
Understanding where your organization stands today is critical—without that, you can’t effectively chart the path forward. Organizations must first assess whether they are in the assistance (efficiency), augmentation (productivity), or full reengineering phase before implementing AI. Using the Josh Bersin Evolving Job Redesign model, companies can determine their readiness and build a roadmap for AI adoption.
The companies leading in AI-driven transformation don’t just adopt technology—they boldly reimagine work while ensuring responsible implementation.
> Bold – AI should be a catalyst for reinvention, not just optimization. The most successful organizations are redesigning work, unlocking human potential, and moving beyond outdated job structures to fully integrate AI as a strategic collaborator.
> Responsible – AI must be governed with transparency and ethics to ensure it benefits both businesses and their people. This means ensuring fairness, accountability, and workforce inclusion, so AI drives opportunity—not displacement.
Companies that embrace AI-driven work design now will be the ones leading the next decade of workforce transformation. Want to dive deeper into these insights? Talk to one of our Work Strategists—they'd love to share real-world examples and explore how this applies to your workforce.