With the introduction of AI, a quasi-collaborator, potential competitor, and possible teacher, we find ourselves in uncanny territory: Did we open Pandora’s box? Is this a case where a creation will become more intelligent than its creator? Who knows? Time will tell.

However, we cannot afford to wait for the answer. Or seek to erase all uncertainty before we determine our path forward. Instead, we must fortify the ship in the middle of the storm and build the plane while in flight. – We need to do so in all aspects of our lives, personally and professionally. Here, I will zoom in on a specific aspect that will have a profound impact on the workforce.

Leading in the new era

The AI era will be marked by an evolution in the role of leadership, starting with how we perceive the role of a leader of people. Previously, many of us adopted a subtle yet powerful practice. – For people management, we did away with the manager title and replaced it with People Leader. The intention was clear: Use words that align with the expectations of the role: People leaders guide people. Managers oversee processes. For a while, it appeared we were making progress in shoring up our people leadership capabilities. Albeit, with much room to grow!

Seemingly suddenly, we realized that AI is poised to become a full-fledged member of our teams. In the not-too-distant future, some management roles will likely be responsible for a Human-AI hybrid workforce. Such a position may quickly become the coveted one in an organization, with higher levels, greater compensation, and corresponding positional authority due to its complexity and potential impact. Therefore, we need to reconsider the construct of the People Leader role.

Managing complexity and the critical challenge

All raises a litany of questions about the role of a people leader in a Human-AI hybrid workforce: What is the purpose of the role? What does it comprise? What does it require? How is success determined? Furthermore, is the people leader title appropriate for a role that is also responsible for AI? Undoubtedly, such organizational makeup is complex! Some organizations are attempting to manage this through centralization, such as a less distributed workforce and higher spans of control. Such efforts reduce complexity, but do not address the critical challenge: equipping and readying organizational leadership at all levels for a Human-AI workforce.

In the AI era, leaders will need to be capable of overseeing processes and ensuring employees are engaged, productive, and fulfilled, while driving synergy between both components of the workforce: Humans and AI. It requires developing skills in two distinct areas: emotional intelligence (EI) and artificial intelligence (AI). Beyond surface knowledge, leaders must understand how EI and AI impact each other and how to enable these two forms of intelligence to be complementary. – i.e., Drive cooperation and high performance without sacrificing human well-being.

AI is here to stay. Will it function as a propeller or a virus? Only time will tell.
However, we cannot afford to ignore it or flee from it. Our opportunity is to learn more about the inner workings of the human race and study artificial intelligence to determine how to best harness it for good.

For you and to you,
Aké

Image credit: Pexels | Cottonbro Studio