Work design

What the publications show

1. Several publications describe a shift from automating individual tasks to reorganising work as a whole around AI. At Mercer, 98 per cent of executives plan a different organisation design within the next two years.

   Mercer, 2026 (opens in a new window) · The Josh Bersin Company, 2026 (opens in a new window) · JLL, 2026 (opens in a new window) · World Economic Forum, 2026 (opens in a new window)

2. In practice, things move more slowly. One Morgan State survey of 120 practitioners finds that generative AI is widely used, while its embedding in work processes remains gradual and local, and formal governance is less common.

   Morgan State University, 2026 (opens in a new window)

3. The publications disagree on the effect on jobs. Executives in a JLL study expect their workforce to grow, while the Dutch employee insurance agency (UWV) has seen the number of bank CDD analysts on unemployment benefit more than double in a year.

   JLL, 2026 (opens in a new window) · UWV, 2026 (opens in a new window) · Capgemini Research Institute, 2025 (opens in a new window)

4. Korn Ferry finds that 42 per cent of organisations cut management roles last year, and that 55 per cent of the remaining managers are exhausted. A conceptual article from Aarhus describes how AI is taking over thinking work that used to pass through hierarchical layers.

   Korn Ferry, 2026 (opens in a new window) · Aarhus University, 2026 (opens in a new window) · World Economic Forum, 2026 (opens in a new window)

5. Studies of AI assistants for clinical documentation find less time spent writing, an average of 1.21 minutes per note according to Harvard. A Danish hospital study shows that the checking work shifts from secretaries to doctors in the process.

   Harvard University, 2026 (opens in a new window) · University of California, Los Angeles, 2025 (opens in a new window) · Aarhus University, 2026 (opens in a new window) · IT University of Copenhagen, 2026 (opens in a new window)

Topics within work design

This list shows what the publications on this theme are about, with the number for each topic. Open a topic to see its publications; if a topic has a briefing, the link is underneath.

• Redesigning work around AI5 publications

  • What Is Task or Work Intelligence And Can We Decompose Every Job For AI? · The Josh Bersin Company, 2026
  • Integrating Generative AI Into Organizational Workflows: Evidence From Practitioner Reports · Morgan State University, 2026
  • AI redesigns jobs, not cuts them: JLL study reveals business leaders expect workforce growth ahead · JLL, 2026
  • Mercer's Global Talent Trends 2026 report · Mercer, 2026
  • AI at work: Insights from 20 leading technology companies · World Economic Forum, 2026
  Briefing: Automating tasks versus redesigning work around AI →
• Fewer management layers3 publications

  • Korn Ferry Workforce 2026 Report: Unlocking Growth Requires Rethinking How Work Gets Done · Korn Ferry, 2026
  • AI as a cognitive layer in top-level administrative support · Aarhus University, 2026
  • AI at work: Insights from 20 leading technology companies · World Economic Forum, 2026
  Briefing: Management layers, AI and the strain on the managers who remain →
• AI for record-keeping4 publications

  • Impact of Unrestricted Artificial Intelligence Scribe Deployment in a Single Health System on Clinician Workload and Productivity · Harvard University, 2026
  • Ambient AI Scribes in Clinical Practice: A Randomized Trial · University of California, Los Angeles, 2025
  • AI-Assisted Clinical Documentation in Routine Danish General Practice: Quantitative Pre-Post Study · Aarhus University, 2026
  • When AI enters clinical documentation: informal learning in health-care work · IT University of Copenhagen, 2026
• Administration and side tasks3 publications

  • Waar gaat de tijd naartoe? Niet-kerntaken op het werk: ruimte voor productiviteitswinst? · De Nederlandsche Bank, 2026
  • Uitkomsten 2025. Administratieve tijdsbesteding in de langdurige zorg · Berenschot, 2025
  • Bijna een derde werktijd zorg gaat op aan administratie · CBS, 2025
• AI in banking2 publications

  • Meer ontslagen verwacht bij banken · UWV, 2026
  • Banks and insurers deploy AI agents to fight fraud and process applications, with plans for new roles to supervise the AI (World Cloud Report in Financial Services 2026) · Capgemini Research Institute, 2025
  Briefing: Restructuring at Dutch banks and AI in anti-money laundering and customer service →
• Routine work and expert roles3 publications

  • Task design and job performance in the hybrid workplace: the moderating role of paradox mindset · Aston University, 2026
  • AI adoption in bureaucracies · University of Perugia, 2026
  • Generative Artificial Intelligence in the Big 4: Auditor Adoption and Its Implications for Audit Quality · Skidmore College, 2026

Briefings on this theme

Where several organisations publish roughly the same thing on a topic, we have used AI to compile a briefing. Click a card for the key point, the figures with their sources and what it means for the leadership team.

Briefings on other themes that touch on this one

These briefings belong to another theme but also cover work design.