“Redesigning Work for the AI Era,” a new playbook from Charter and Council Advisors, gives leaders a plan for reshaping jobs, teams, and organizations around AI. More than half of employees say their roles have already changed because of AI, and 66% of executives expect their organization’s structure to change significantly or completely by 2030. The playbook draws on interviews with executives at Cisco, Microsoft, and Atlassian and researchers at Harvard Business School and Stanford Graduate School of Business.
The playbook starts by highlighting what to do first. Before changing any reporting lines, leaders should get comfortable with AI themselves, map how work actually gets done, and make sure each change supports the company’s strategy.
The three rules for redesign
Rework jobs based on skills
About a third of the skills in the average role have changed since 2022, according to Lightcast. That puts pressure on how companies hire and develop people. With AI now handling much of the work interns used to do, for example, a short internship tells employers less about who will succeed. Harvard Business School’s Joseph Fuller recommends longer on-ramps for entry-level talent. “Give up the notion that you’re going to hire on the basis of a junior-year college internship,” he says. For people already in their jobs, there are examples to highlight: Cisco sets aside a monthly four-hour block for skill building. In a six-month pilot with 30,000 participants, 80% said the time was valuable.
Build teams around outcomes
AI helps people work faster, but it also creates more work reviewing output and coordinating with colleagues. In a report from Asana, 65% of workers said AI has increased coordination work on their teams. Among the most productive workers, that number was 90%. Companies need to assign people to manage that extra work. If they don’t, the time individuals save won’t improve how the team performs.
Reshape the organization
Some companies are using AI as a reason to cut layers of management. The playbook urges caution. Managers are already overseeing more people, and many are also doing hands-on work themselves. Gallup found that when managers spend more than 40% of their time on that kind of work, they become less engaged. Stanford’s Nir Halevy says hierarchy itself isn’t the problem; poorly run hierarchy is. “Flat organizations are inconsistent with scaling,” he says. Before eliminating layers, companies should keep managers engaged, get leaders from different departments working together, and start preparing employees for change early before plans are final.
Build your blueprint for change
The playbook ends with a checklist that shows leaders how ready their company is to redesign work. It covers the basics and each of the three rules: jobs, teams, and the organization. For each item, leaders note whether it’s done, partly done, or not started. The area with the most gaps is the place to begin.
Frequently asked questions
Does a company need to redesign jobs, teams, and the organization all at once?
The playbook recommends getting the basics in place first: leaders who understand AI, a clear picture of how work gets done, and a link between each change and the company’s strategy. From there, companies should start wherever their gaps are largest.
How should executives be thinking about job redesign?
Start with skills versus titles. About a third of the skills in the average role have shifted since 2022; the playbook recommends revisiting every stage of the employee lifecycle, from interviews to offboarding.
What should CEOs consider before redesigning their organization?
Build your own AI fluency, map how work actually gets done, and tie each change to strategy. BCG’s Julie Bedard asks one question first: “To what end, to what outcome?”
“Redesigning Work for the AI Era” is a playbook from Charter and Council Advisors.