The advent of robust, scalable AI agents will dramatically reshape organizational structure. I created this framework to distil some of the fundamental patterns that will drive successful transformation as we shift wholesale to Humans + AI work.
I have used this in some board and executive briefings as a discussion starter, and first shared this publicly yesterday at Agentforce World Tour Sydney in the opening keynote Executive Experience panel.
Worker Value Shifts
At the threshold of organizational redesign, we see three primary mechanisms through which AI agents create value:
Automation represents the substitution of specific human functions with digital workers. This direct replacement pattern forms the foundation of many initial AI implementations.
Productivity enhances human effectiveness through strategic task allocation between human and digital workers. This is not merely about speed, but about optimizing who (or what) performs each task based on comparative advantages.
Augmentation provides cognitive support that fundamentally expands human capabilities. Rather than replacing or dividing labor, this pattern creates new possibilities through combined human-AI synergies.
Elemental Humans + AI Workflows
In contrast to traditional sequential workflows—whether performed entirely by humans or through basic process automation—two core collaborative patterns are emerging:
Human-AI Sandwich structures work into three distinct phases: humans frame tasks by providing intent and context; AI performs the execution based on these parameters; and humans review and refine the output, ensuring quality and alignment with objectives.
AI with Humans-in-the-Loop inverts this relationship. Here, the AI system performs the primary task or decision, humans provide approval or feedback at critical junctures, and the AI executes or improves based on this input.
These elemental workflows represent a significant departure from linear processes, creating feedback loops that leverage the strengths of both human and artificial intelligence.
High-Performance Humans + AI Workflows
The essence of truly transformative organizational redesign lies in dynamic work orchestration. This approach moves beyond static, predefined workflows to create adaptable systems where:
- Human and digital workers collaborate in outcome-oriented processes
- Workflows reconfigure in response to changing conditions
- Orchestration agents, under human supervision, continuously optimize these evolving systems
This dynamic orchestration represents the frontier of organizational design—not simply automating existing processes, but fundamentally reimagining how work gets done through fluid human-AI collaboration.
In essence, successful organizational redesign will not be about replacing humans with AI, but about creating sophisticated collaborative frameworks where each contributes their unique strengths. The patterns outlined in this framework provide a starting point for organizations seeking to navigate this transformative threshold.
