The big picture: New research from SAP SuccessFactors indicates that while AI is rapidly changing work, organizations are primarily optimizing for efficiency rather than strategically redesigning work for value.

Why it matters: This efficiency-first approach risks limiting the full potential of AI and people working together, potentially leading to uneven outcomes and missed opportunities for enriched work and improved employee engagement.

Between the lines:

• 88% of employees report job changes due to AI, but half lack clear guidance from management.
• 72% of C-suite leaders believe most AI-driven work transformation is merely automating existing jobs faster.
• HR's new mandate includes automating administrative tasks, leading enterprise work redesign, and reinventing talent systems.

Staffing & HR impact: HR must shift from managing fixed jobs to leading dynamic work redesign, overhauling recruitment, development, and rewards to support new AI-integrated work models. This requires a strategic pivot to avoid becoming obsolete.

The bottom line: The future of work is a choice: optimize for short-term efficiency or design for long-term value and human-AI collaboration.