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Research Report
The ROI of Employee Experience
When I worked with Steve Jobs at Apple, one of his favorite questions to ask employees was, “What do you do for us?” It’s a great question — as long as you’re prepared with an answer.
But people aren’t the only ones doing the work these days. As companies prepare for a future of mixed teams of humans and AI agents, there is (understandably) some confusion about what people actually do, where AI belongs in workflows and how — and if — AI agents fit within a traditional organizational chart. It’s our job, as leaders, to design structures that feel both efficient and humane.
Recognize How AI Affects Your Employees
Businesses are already seeing tangible returns from AI. “Every dollar invested in generative AI now yields an average return of $3.70,” noted Qualtrics, which added that 99% of Fortune 500 companies are using GenAI in their hiring processes.
Companies aren’t quite as far along with adopting autonomous AI agents, but agents will undoubtedly become more ingrained in workflows in the coming year. In sales, for example, AI agents are expected to “outnumber human sellers by tenfold,” in just a few years, according to Gartner.
While the potential gains from AI agents should excite you, you should also be concerned about swapping talent for AI. Here are a few of the issues on my radar:
- Scope and responsibility creep: As organizations expand the number of operational AI agents, all of the additional work still goes somewhere, but where exactly? Who is taking on these additional tasks, including managing the AI agents?
- Job threat: While leaders may approach AI with optimism and positivity, employees often see it as an active, pervasive threat to their employment and future advancement opportunities. Employees can’t give 100% of their energy at work when they’re worried about being replaced by an unpaid AI agent that works 24/7.
- Drag on organizational speed: Any doubt in employees’ minds reduces organizational speed and negatively impacts the digital employee experience (DEX). If an employee is trying to figure out how they’re supposed to integrate AI agents into their job, it slows everything down and can end up negating many of the promised efficiency-related benefits of AI.
A Solution: Adding AI to the Org Chart
When you add AI to the org chart, it forces you to name the thing that’s clogging up everyone’s brain and taking attention away from the tasks at hand. It’s a visual approach that takes a familiar structure and adapts it for an evolving workplace. While putting AI in the org chart might seem a bit radical at first, it’s really just adapting to what Microsoft called “a new organizational blueprint … that blends machine intelligence with human judgment.”
Of course, it’s not quite as simple as just adding a few boxes and lines to the org chart. Here are a few things to keep in mind as you update your org chart.
Strive for Transparency
If AI is confusing and worrying people, it’s our job to clarify it. I skew toward transparency because it eliminates many issues down the road, even if it causes some hand-wringing up front.
Adding AI agents to your org chart lets you talk openly about how, when and where they’re used. Rather than having constant side conversations about AI, you put your effort into publishing an org chart that provides transparency for all. By adding the functional elements of AI to an org chart, organizations are simply naming (and showing, visually) where the work lives, and how it should be divided among humans and AI throughout the organization.
Write Job Descriptions for AI Agents
Clear, accessible job descriptions reduce structural intimidation by clearly defining what each AI agent is responsible for, the specific behaviors AI would take on, and how these bodies of work relate to other job descriptions.
Whenever possible, these descriptions should use common, accessible language rather than jargon and acronyms. You can even use AI to help with the first draft of these job descriptions (I recommend setting up a framework with context and using consistent prompts).
Revise Employee Job Descriptions to Focus on Behaviors and Obstacles
For example, instead of saying someone manages a dozen AI bots, talk about the employee’s expected behavior and the impacts of their work. For example, explain what the employee does with the information and insights they have, how they clear the path for others to do their work, and what it means when they’re doing their job well.
With more and more people now in discernment-oriented roles, words like “assess” and “review” may be more appropriate than traditional terms like “provide” and “deliver.” The right language shows employees that you trust in their ability to make decisions — and to seek out help when needed.
Start With a Pilot Project
Adding AI to the org chart is a bold step, and should be approached cautiously as you determine the exact role for AI agents. Maybe each agent is a separate box on the org chart, or perhaps each one is attached to a “human” box. Experiment with different ways to connect people and agents, then ask employees for feedback.
As employees become more comfortable with agents, they’ll have a better understanding of how their work overlaps and why agents belong on the org chart. In the meantime, remember that this approach may raise some eyebrows at first, but it will ultimately help everyone gain clarity.
What to Expect Next
The speed of change means you might need to revise the org chart next quarter — or even next week — but that’s OK. Just stay focused on providing clarity and promoting productive conversations about the role of AI (including the importance of employee upskilling).
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Adding AI agents to your org chart won’t magically answer every question. But it’s one of the fastest, most concrete ways to address employees’ fears, remove doubt and encourage productive conversations about the evolving role of AI in your organization.
Editor's Note: Catch up on more ways companies are rethinking their workplaces with AI agents in mind:
- AI Agents Are Creating a Two-Tier Workforce — As AI agents make their way into the workplace, open questions remain around how their presence is reshaping power, labor and responsibility.
- The Teammate With No Manager: Who's Accountable for AI? — Why cross-functional leadership, accountability and employee experience design are central to AI’s success at work.
- Rethink Your HR Strategy to Include AI Agents — HR has to adapt its workforce strategy to acknowledge the introduction of AI agents into workflows.