AI is transforming the way organizations work, but speed and automation alone won’t deliver stronger performance or more resilient teams.
On this episode of People Fundamentals, Jeff Jolton, leader of data and insights in Spencer Stuart’s Leadership Advisory Services, shares why leaders must resist the trap of “job enlargement” and instead design AI strategies that unlock learning, collaboration, and innovation.
“If it’s allowing us to learn more, innovate more, collaborate more, those are the things that we really should be measuring as the impact of AI—not just the operational things.”
Subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube Music
Watch out for ‘more of the same’
Jeff draws a clear line between two outcomes of AI adoption: job enlargement and job enrichment. Enlargement happens when AI simply accelerates repetitive tasks. “We're just doing more of the same, where it helped me write more reports, so now I'm just writing even more reports,” Jeff explains.
Enrichment, on the other hand, gives employees new opportunities to grow and connect their work to something bigger. “When we tie a job to the vision, to the strategy, when we give people a sense of ownership and purpose, that's when we start enriching the job. And it's giving them something new to work on, something challenging, something to build on, then it's more exciting.”
The distinction matters because enlargement drains energy while enrichment builds engagement. The real promise of AI is to free people to do more meaningful work, not just more of the same.
Give your people time to experiment with AI
The road to AI success is rarely instant. Leaders may expect quick ROI, but Jeff reminds us that organizations need patience to see the benefits. “You'll see a lot of research out there, a lot of data points that talk about CEOs and leaders are frustrated that they're not getting this magnificent return on AI out of the gate,” he notes.
The gap often comes down to skill and confidence. “I can't tell you how many people I've talked to. It's like, ‘Yeah, they told us that we need to do AI and I've never touched it before. I don't know what generative AI prompts are supposed to be, and I'm just supposed to figure it out.’”
Employees need time to explore, test, and even fail before they can create real value with AI. Building space for that experimentation is as important as the technology itself.
Build critical thinkers and adaptable teams for the AI era
AI may reshape workflows, but people remain at the center. Jeff emphasizes two skills above all others: adaptability and critical thinking. “AI is a really powerful tool, but AI lies. AI is deceptive. AI is very much telling you what you want to hear. It is not a parthenon of truth and accuracy and perfection,” he says.
That means employees must sharpen their ability to question, interpret, and apply results thoughtfully. Leaders must also model curiosity and data literacy. “I want them to ask better questions. I want them to connect AI to value.”
And for early-career employees, AI presents both challenges and opportunities. As entry-level tasks are automated, Jeff suggests reimagining learning paths through rotations and gradual skill-building: “You could spend more time rotating across different roles to get a broader sense before you then move up into that more high-level position.”
Jeff’s perspective brings the conversation back to people. AI should create more space for creativity, innovation, and growth. When organizations pair data with enrichment, adaptability, and human-centered design, they not only improve performance but also build workplaces where employees feel valued and motivated.
People in this episode
Jeff Jolton: LinkedIn
