It’s easy to think of AI as a time-saver that streamlines workflows and accelerates output. But the deeper opportunity lies in how it’s reshaping the nature of work itself. A new study from Harvard Business School’s Manuel Hoffmann followed more than 50,000 developers over two years, with half using GitHub Copilot. The results were striking: developers shifted away from project management and toward the core work of coding. Not because someone told them to, but because AI made it possible. With less need for coordination, people worked more autonomously. And with time saved, they reinvested in exploration—learning, experimenting, trying new things. What we’re seeing here isn’t just productivity. It’s a shift in how work gets done and who does what. Managers may spend less time supervising and more time contributing directly. Teams become flatter. Hierarchies adapt. This is just one signal of how generative AI is changing our org charts and challenging us to rethink how we structure, support, and lead our teams. The future of work isn’t just faster. It’s more fluid. And if we get this right, it’s a whole lot more human. https://lnkd.in/gaUgXnRY
Dmitry Bergelson
7mo
yeah, most people focus on speed, but this is a playbook change. I keep seeing the same thing with sales teams using AI - reporting and coordination headaches down, actual customer work up. It's weird at first, but once you experience it, hard to go back
Jason Parkes
8mo
Thanks for sharing Jared. Fully agree that the direction is for flatter organisational structures. I also think some specialist skills will move from specialist roles to the roles that have the domain knowledge. This will change the way we think about organisational design. For me, the key phrase in the article is "Society is shifting to a skills-based workforce. We are beginning to define someone’s contribution by their skill set, by the value they create, and less so by their role." Transitioning towards this may well be a challenge though
Graham Hogg
8mo
Less overhead means people get to spend more time in flow. That has ripple effects: managers become mentors or contributors again, teams self-organize, and exploration isn’t a luxury...it’s part of the process Jared Spataro
This study is such a powerful signal — AI isn’t just changing tasks, it’s reshaping roles. It’s fascinating to see how autonomy, creativity, and deep work are becoming the new focus. We’re not just optimizing workflows, we’re reimagining the workplace.
James Savage
8mo
This certainly gets right to the heart of how AI is changing the way we work, not just making us faster. That Harvard Business School study you mentioned was spot on: when AI handles the routine project management tasks, teams have more freedom to focus on what really matters and get creative. It’s interesting to see how this shift is turning managers into more of a support system, helping teams experiment and grow instead of just overseeing everything. I completely agree that as AI takes over the busywork, work itself can become more flexible and, honestly, more human. Now is definitely the time for organizations to help everyone build those core leadership skills, not just the folks with “manager” in their title. I’m excited to see how these changes will shape the future of work!
Anam .
8mo
Insightful perspective, Jared Spataro. This shift toward more autonomous, purpose-driven work truly highlights AI’s potential beyond productivity gains. It’s exciting to see how tools like GitHub Copilot are not just saving time but transforming how teams operate and how value is created.
Toufiq T. A.
7mo
AI isn't just speeding up work, it’s redistributing it. The real shift is structural, not just operational Jared Spataro
AI isn't just productivity; it's an ORG CHART redesign. 🤯 The HBS study proves a crucial point: AI is driving an organic shift. Developers didn't have to change; the tool allowed them to focus on their core value: deep engineering and exploration. This has massive implications: - Less Oversight: Managers shift from 'supervisors' to 'context strategists'. - Flatter Teams: Increased autonomy means less coordination friction. - More Human: We free up time from management tasks to invest in creativity and complexity. I wholeheartedly agree: the future of work is more fluid and more focused on human-centric value. As AI frees up time from management and coordination, what metrics do you think we should use to measure the true value of a team's work?