Chapter 4
AI changes work. People make the change work.
Technology alone will never create adaptability. Every AI investment ultimately succeeds or fails through the people expected to work differently.
Change generates anxiety, and trust is what makes adaptation possible. Psychological safety and resilience are becoming operating requirements rather than cultural aspirations.
Organisations are recruiting for potential rather than history, and treating wellbeing as a performance lever rather than a benefit.
No single lever improves productivity on its own
Changes made in the past 24 months to improve productivity
| Item | Share of executives |
|---|---|
| Increased AI and automation | 53% |
| Redesigned workflows | 45% |
| Introduced new performance metrics | 42% |
| Launched new employee wellbeing initiatives | 41% |
| Added new compensation or bonuses | 41% |
| Shifted to outcomes-based KPIs | 40% |
| Reduced management layers | 37% |
Increasing AI and automation is the most common change at 53%. Every other lever sits between 37% and 45%, which suggests organisations are combining multiple initiatives rather than relying on a single one.
What the Workforce Adaptability Leaders do differently
The Leaders are taking a more proactive approach to helping people adapt. They focus more on employees' wellbeing and development.
What the Leaders do differently on people
Workforce Adaptability Leaders compared with everyone else
| Measure | Everyone else | Leaders | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Launched new employee wellbeing initiatives | 39% | 60% | +21 |
| Introduced new performance metrics | 41% | 53% | +12 |
60% of Workforce Adaptability Leaders have launched new employee wellbeing initiatives, against 39% of everyone else — the widest gap in the study. 53% have introduced new performance metrics, against 41%.
Turn adaptability into performance
What needs to change for workforce adaptability to translate into sustainable business performance?
What to do now
- 1
Recruit and promote for potential, learning agility and comfort with complexity, not just past experience.
- 2
Build trust by communicating clearly how roles are changing and how people will be supported to adapt.
- 3
Create career pathways that support lateral movement, reskilling and internal mobility, not only promotion.
- 4
Equip managers to lead through uncertainty, building psychological safety and confidence in change.