I recently sat down with Dr. Kathi Enderes, SVP of Research at The Josh Bersin Company, to talk through what’s really happening as AI reshapes the world of work.
We unpacked new research on Dynamic Work Design, a framework that helps organizations rethink how work gets done as AI capabilities expand. What stood out is that the biggest gap facing organizations right now is understanding how work actually operates, across both business and technology layers. This isn’t just an HR concern. CIOs, IT architects, and tech leaders all have a critical role to play in mapping and re-engineering the systems that shape how work gets done.
Three years ago, the focus was on internal mobility, career growth, and retention. Those ideas are still important, but they’ve been reframed. Today, the questions I hear most are:
For CIOs especially, the pressure is on to support enterprise productivity—not just through automation, but by collaborating with HR to reshape workflows and eliminate structural inefficiencies.
One of the core ideas in this research is the distinction between people and the work they do. People bring skills. Jobs are made up of tasks. When AI enters the picture, it doesn’t just increase efficiency—it changes the composition of work itself. Tasks are removed, new ones are introduced, and entire workflows are restructured.
To manage that shift, we need a connected view of work, down to the task and subtask level. That’s where Work Intelligence Platforms come in. It’s also why we built Reejig’s Work Ontology: to help organizations map how work really happens and link that to the skills needed to perform it.
For technology leaders, this shift opens new opportunities to act as work architects—building AI-enabled systems that reflect how tasks evolve, how capacity can be redirected, and how digital agents augment human talent.
Kathi shared four stages of AI transformation, which I see reflected in our work with customers:
Most organizations are still in the early stages. The leaders are moving further and faster.
CIOs and systems leaders are often the ones enabling movement across these stages, translating strategic intent into scalable infrastructure.
This is no longer a niche HR initiative. It’s a core business strategy that requires cross-functional ownership. HR leaders bring visibility into people and capabilities, but CIOs and IT architects are essential partners in operationalizing change, building the intelligent systems, data flows, and governance frameworks that make redesign scalable.
To do that well, organizations need real visibility into the work being done, where change is happening, and what skills are required to support it.
In our session, I shared Reejig’s seven-step approach to work redesign: a model designed for joint leadership across HR, CIOs, and business owners:
Each step requires both human-centered insight and technical architecture, making it a team effort between people leaders and technology builders.
This isn’t just a one-off initiative. It’s a capability that should be continuously developed and embedded across HR, IT, and business leadership.
Many HR teams are still unsure how to engage with AI strategy. My advice: don’t wait. The opportunity to lead is here.
AI is evolving rapidly, and workforce strategy must evolve with it. If you’re leading transformation in your organization, start by getting closer to the work. Map it, understand it, and make decisions based on what’s actually happening.
We’re ready to help.
Siobhan 💜