Workplace culture matters. In healthy workplaces, employees are invested in their work. They experiment with ideas. They are motivated by challenge. They see possibilities, tackle problems willingly and take innovation seriously.
This SmartBrief on Workforce Special Report explores what organizations are doing to develop positive work cultures. Read on to see how they are redesigning work structures and boosting productivity, overhauling recruitment and retention strategies, and supporting employee creativity and growth.
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AI's potential is best realized when it complements human skills rather than replacing them, according to research, which shows that when AI supports employee creativity and judgment, organizations can see significant productivity gains. AI excels at data-heavy tasks, allowing humans to apply context and creativity, which is why employers should invest in continuous learning, ask employees how AI can improve their work and design the workflow to support collaboration between humans and AI, writes Gallup's Christos Makridis.
Organizations must redesign traditional work structures, with fixed roles and rigid processes, to fully harness the potential of AI. A "work-backward" approach -- deconstructing, redeploying and reconstructing tasks -- can unlock new efficiencies.
The modern talent system of 2025 should prioritize digital solutions, moving away from outdated analog processes that fail to capture the full range of skills and experiences. This would also improve talent assessment, hiring and career development to match the ever-changing needs of the workforce, writes Haley Glover, senior director of UpSkill America at the Aspen Institute, and Sean Murphy of Walmart.org.
Cultural lag is a major factor in the slow adoption of AI technology within established organizations, Megan McArdle writes, comparing the current state of AI to the "phony war" period of 1939—when meaningful change seemed imminent but was not yet visible. The phenomenon where cultural norms and practices lag behind technological advancements has been observed before, with the adoption of computers, which are now ubiquitous, McArdle writes.
