The AWA Manifesto: The journey to the AI enabled organisation

AI Agents are intelligent AI programmes that are able to manage most mechanistic tasks. Ultimately, they will be written by people who are not trained in programming but have deep process and technical understanding.

AI agents will undertake the mechanistic functions and tasks that have long defined white-collar work. Functions like call center operations, customer service, recruitment, employee onboarding, performance management, finance operations, procurement, workplace management and many others—all are set to be revolutionised by AI Agents.

Many functions that largely consist of mechanistic tasks  undertaken by humans today, will simply disappear and be handled by AI Agents that are able to sound like humans, look like humans, speak and work in multiple languages and dialects, 24 hours a day supporting people in any corner of the globe. They will be able to offer instant, consistent service levels and up to date advice to thousands of concurrent users whilst never tiring.

If organisations don’t have large populations of employees undertaking mechanistic tasks there will be no need for people managers in the middle management strata that act as a translators of vision, co-ordinators and motivators.

Instead highly intelligent, tech savvy, subject matter experts will be needed to monitor the behaviour of clusters of AI Agents, connect with colleagues to create new products, services and understandings, fuse ideas with colleagues and contribute to future direction.

As well as applying AI to roles that are largely mechanistic, AI tools used by the remaining knowledge workers will make them more efficient and effective. The combination will lead to knowledge workers having spare capacity.

The question is how will organisations see that capacity, as an opportunity to free knowledge workers to do more great things that deliver more value, or whether COOs and CFOs will drive for lower headcounts to reduce costs?’ In growing organisations we think it will be the former, in mature organisations competing in competitive markets we think it will be the latter.

Organisations will look fundamentally different. They will be smaller but more capable, populated by individuals who are intellectually agile, technically sophisticated, and more creatively gifted than ever before. These aren’t just workers—they will be elite knowledge workers operating at the highest levels of human potential.

These evolved organisations will operate as collaborative networks managing communities of AI agents. Human professionals will spend their time ensuring AI behaviours align with organisational values, continuously evolving prompts and algorithms, and work with other leaders to identify new business opportunities that only human insight can discover. They’ll be conductors of digital orchestras, combining human creativity with machine precision to achieve outcomes previously impossible. AWA’s Kinetic Organisation research undertaken 20 years ago identified a new network-based model for the future organisation.

Knowledge will become the new currency of competitive advantage. Organisations will transition from labour-intensive operations to brain-intensive enterprises, where the quality of thinking, the speed of learning, and the depth of insight will determine success.

Spans of control will widen dramatically as leaders manage clusters of AI agents rather than teams of people, creating flatter, more networked organisational structures that can pivot and adapt at the speed of thought.

This transformation demands a complete rethink of the physical and digital workplaces. The workplace of the future isn’t about accommodating bodies—it’s about creating the conditions that amplify intelligence, allowing individuals and communities to be on their A game.

Three areas need to be addressed concurrently in order to achieve high performance: the individual brain (lifestyle habits and understandings), the communal brain (leadership, team and individual practices and habits) and the environment (physical, digital, social, emotional) in which work is undertaken.

AWA’s scientific research into these areas provides a unique and valuable asset in guiding organisations in their transition to the future workplace.

Our comprehensive research with the Centre for Evidence-Based Management reveals that knowledge workers are essentially cognitive athletes whose performance depends on optimised conditions. This understanding becomes critical as we move into an AI-augmented world where human cognitive capacity is the primary competitive advantage. We have two key studies that combine to help us understand the factors that are at play in enabling high levels of cognitive performance.

Cognitive Fitness Research – identified 13 key factors that have an impact on the cognitive performance of the individual brain, some of which are associated with the physical environment. And our research into managing mental workload provides a clear understanding of the concept of mental workload and the contributory factors associated with capacity.

Our 6 factors research on managing virtual knowledge workers and workforces, encompassed analysis of over 750 academic studies, identifying six critical factors that determine team effectiveness in distributed environments. These factors not only enable high levels of performance, but also increase the probability of high levels of loyalty and engagement.

We expect organisations will need significantly less office space but may need to give elite workers choice of where they work. The workplace must be exponentially more sophisticated to support peak cognitive performance

Fundamentally the workplace must be designed to achieve 2 goals. First, it must be designed to irradicate cognitive loads that add no value, this would include distractions from noise, interruptions, environments that are too warm or cold, environments that are too bright or too dark, equipment that is hard to configure etc.

Second it must re-inforce, facilitate and trigger behaviours needed to maximise the individual and collective brain such as social cohesion. Vision and goal clarity, trust, information sharing.

The workplace must achieve these as of this whilst recognising that we are all different. Ie we have different anatomies, sensitivities to noise, light and smell.  This may involve providing information about the status of different spaces using sensors and apps.

When your most valuable assets are human insights and creative problem-solving, your workplace must become a precision instrument for cognitive performance, incorporating evidence-based design principles that measurably enhance mental capacity and team effectiveness.

The path to this future is neither obvious nor automatic. Organisations attempting this transition without taking their people with them risk losing their most valuable people, destroying institutional knowledge, and creating chaos in the systems they’re trying to improve.

Our research on mental workload reveals additional complexity: the human brain can only handle approximately four chunks of information in working memory at any given time. When organisations introduce AI tools, new processes, and virtual working arrangements simultaneously, they risk overwhelming people’s cognitive capacity. The research shows that multiple factors don’t just add together—they have exponential effects on performance and wellbeing.

Successful transformation requires sophisticated change management programmes that address both the technical and human elements of organisational evolution. Leaders need frameworks for identifying which roles will evolve versus which will disappear, strategies for reskilling their workforce, and methodologies for maintaining culture and connection in increasingly distributed and digital environments.

The transition demands careful orchestration of policies, processes, and people strategies that honour the human element while embracing technological possibility. Organisations need guides who understand both the destination and the journey.

For over thirty years, AWA has been a global leader in understanding how work really works. Our research partnership with the Centre for Evidence-Based Management provides the scientific foundation that leaders need to make confident decisions about their organisational future. We don’t just theorise about the future of work—we use rigorous academic research, behavioural science, and proven methodologies to create it.

Our evidence base spans comprehensive analysis of hundreds of peer-reviewed studies on cognitive performance, virtual team effectiveness, and mental workload management. This research methodology—using Rapid Evidence Assessments to identify the best available scientific evidence—ensures our recommendations are based on what actually works, not just what sounds compelling.

Our DNA of work philosophy recognises that every organisation is unique, with its own genetic code of culture, capabilities, and aspirations. The future doesn’t demand conformity—it demands authenticity enhanced by intelligence. We help leaders decode their organisational DNA and evolve it for the age of AI.

We understand that transformation isn’t just about technology adoption—it’s about human flourishing in an AI-augmented world. Our approach combines rigorous research with practical implementation, ensuring that changes create value for both organisations and the people within them.

The organisations that will dominate the next decade are being designed today. The leaders who will define the future of work are making decisions now about how to prepare their people, evolve their structures, and reimagine their workplaces.

This isn’t a distant future scenario—it’s an immediate strategic imperative. AI capabilities are advancing monthly, not yearly. Organisations that wait for certainty will find themselves permanently behind those who act with informed confidence.

The question isn’t whether this transformation will happen—it’s whether you’ll lead it or be led by it. At AWA, we’re here to ensure you’re among the leaders, equipped with the research, strategies, and support you need to thrive in the age of intelligent organisations.

The DNA of work is evolving. Let’s evolve it together.