Are the Assumptions We Have About Work No Longer True?

group of people in the office, some are using generative AI
4-Min Read | October 31, 2026|Scott Hirschfeld|
Do you feel the change over the last few years in the way we work? If not, you may be missing the true nature of the transition happening in our world. The way that many of us work is shifting dramatically.

As you might have guessed, this shift I am highlighting is built on the emergence of generative AI and the automation of work process that comes with it. Now, if you are not an AI user, you may already be turning your head from this article and discounting it as just another AI advocate hyping the technology. Stay with me for a minute.

Without getting into the details of AI, let’s look at the assumptions that may no longer be true for knowledge workers behind the keyboard. We have long lived with the understanding that someone must…

  • read every document
  • determine where it belongs and how it will be filed
  • key information from one source to another, whether from paper to software, web to software, or software to software
  • watch for bottlenecks and backups in our daily flow of work
  • keep track of what is next and remember deadlines
  • search through documents for the right information
  • send emails to alert and move the process along
  • ensure that compliance requirements are being met
  • track and generate statistics in spreadsheets and reports

The list could continue. Work has for very long been people-controlled, people prodded, and people coaxed to move forward. The old rule was: good people + good systems and processes = good outcomes.

Many of us are still operating under processes and rules we built 10-20 years ago, and the rules of the game have shifted significantly. Do we still need good people? Of course. However, maybe they can focus less on tedium and more on relationships as we apply technology to automate good systems and processes. And if we incorporate evolving AI tools to surface even better decision criteria, AI can make mundane decisions and support more critical ones. It can surface key information for a human to make a better-informed decision than ever before.

The paradigm is shifting, and for many of us, the bottleneck is our mindset. We are still a bit stuck in the way we have been doing things. And why not? The way we have been doing things works. The problem is that staying with what works now may put us behind in the future. The efficiency that AI can create is significant and applicable to most businesses.

The issue becomes:

how do we adopt this new technology safely and securely, stay sharp and focused, and keep leading our industry?
  • Start with being curious.
    Explore AI in simple ways. Try out one of the platforms like Copilot, ChatGPT, Claude, or another one that you are drawn to.
  • Make sure you think about guardrails.
    Choose an AI platform with built-in business protections. Make sure your data is segmented and guarded so that it is only accessible as you allow.
  • Start with the work.
    Review key business processes and map them out. How does the flow work? What should we change is old and outdated?
  • Look at even the complex.
    Things that you tabled in the past because they were too complex or too full of exceptions may be much easier now.
  • Experiment in the right area.
    Don’t start in a high-stakes area. Choose a department or function where people are more open to change.
  • People have great value.
    AI can categorize, interpret, recommend, initiate, and process data well. Keep people responsible for decisions that require judgment calls and accountability.
  • Look beyond individual productivity.
    To be fair, this is a great place to start and learn what AI can do. However, while writing a better email is great, redesigning an entire process and applying automation is often where the bigger automation opportunity lies.
  • Learning is a great advantage.
    Gaining experience with AI puts you in a better position as it changes and grows. It helps you recognize which opportunities matter for your business.

If we step back from the AI question, we realize this is about innovation. We have all redesigned our processes over the years. AI is simply an opportunity to think about how we do work with a new tool in the mix. Some of our processes are likely designed around constraints that no longer exist.

As leaders, we don’t necessarily need to become AI experts. However, we do need to question whether yesterday’s assumptions still make sense. Let’s ask ourselves, “What are we still doing today simply because, until recently, there wasn’t another way?” and then follow that thought with some action.

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