Work Evolved 2.0
Allow me to reintroduce myself… and my company.
Hi team. It’s been a while. Thanks for still being here.1
With many new subscribers, it felt time to say hello again and to give an update on Work Evolved.
For those of you who don’t know, I’m Robyn Agoston and I’m obsessed with work.2 How work gets done, how work is planned and organised, and the impact that work has on a person’s life and society writ large. And in the 25 or so years that I have been learning about, and being employed, in all things work, I truly believe AI is the catalyst that will fundamentally redesign work as we know it and the economy in which we operate.
AI and Work: My Core Beliefs
In the 10 months since I’ve started this Substack, it’s become painfully clear that the AI transition is happening faster and more aggressively than I had imagined. At the time – which is less than a year ago! – there were vague threats that AI could take our jobs, but few really believed it. Now it’s all anyone seems to be talking about. The doomsday narrative is taking up all the space, leaving no room to explore the complexity and nuance of AI and work, or to possibly imagine a more optimistic future. People really have seemed to have forgotten that:
The future is not a forgone conclusion.
Yes, the risks from AI are real, and without care and consideration, we could end up in a dystopian future run by tech overlords. Collectively, we seem to have succumbed to the view that mass joblessness due to AI replacement is just a fact that we all have to deal with. But in reality, there are a million different outcomes that are the cumulative sum of thousands of decisions made by individuals in companies, government and education. I want everyone to stop believing these narratives and remember that:
We all have the Agency to build an AI future we want to see.
At least in the areas within our control at work. If you sit in front of a laptop for a good chunk of your day, then yes, I mean you. I personally believe we all have a Duty of Care at this moment to usher in a brighter AI future, whether you’re in leadership or manage a team or are an individual contributor. Everyone has a role to play, and everyone can make a difference.
But I argue that this Duty of Care is especially pertinent for Human Resources. HR is best placed to lead us into a human-centric, AI-forward future if they are willing and able to step up to lead the AI transformation. And much of my work is now focused on teaching them how.
But trying to wrap your head around the changes that AI can bring is both overwhelming and exhausting. I get it and feel that way too sometimes. It’s like we are on a rollercoaster, white-knuckling through every frontier model drop, every threatening job-replacement headline and every demand to demonstrate AI-related productivity gains. I know it’s hard to keep up, but you have to try. Your future career prospects will depend on it. So take breaks often, and spend time connecting to each other and to nature.
Also recognise that while you have agency, no one person can tackle the full-scale societal change all at once. You need to pick your battles. For me, I have chosen to focus on what I know best, and ensure that we:
We design work for the AI era, so we can make the most of both human and AI capabilities.
This doesn’t happen by accident. And few people are talking about solutions to do this practically. But it can and must be done if organisations are going to transform sustainably. Meaning, they need to look at every single aspect of how they work – from how they make decisions to processes to how they manage their workforce (beyond permanent employment) – if they are going to grow (make more money) and innovate (make new money) from deploying AI, rather than just achieve one-off productivity (save money) gains, because we must remember:
AI is only as good as the operating model it lands in.
AI is ultimately going to change all aspects of an operating model. For the first time in history, we have a new form of labour that is a complement and potential substitute for human intelligence. For all of history, humans were the only ones with relevant knowledge, skills, and experience could do certain jobs.
Now, AI is quickly becoming adept at tasks and workflows across multiple knowledge-based professions simultaneously. We are not that far away from a country of geniuses in a data centre, and yet our organisations are operating under industrial-era labour models. We need to think creatively about what work looks like when AI has fully diffused across our organisations and society… and we need some answers quickly. Because we have months and a few years to adapt to this change. Not the decades we had previously with normal technologies. We must start now if we are going to navigate towards a brighter future.
Which is why I founded Work Evolved. Yes, over the last few months, I have been rebranding my former company to the namesake of this Substack.3
Work Evolved - my Company
Work Evolved (my company) is now dedicated to this mission: I help individuals, teams and organisations to design work for the AI era. As an initial offering, this looks like:
Keynotes and Leadership Talks
I speak on the future of work in the Age of AI. I cut through the hype and focus on the human to help leaders understand what is changing, why it matters, and how they can make a positive difference in the transition to an AI-augmented world. My content is accessible for those just starting their AI journey, while remaining relevant for those much further along. I ground audiences in conceptual frameworks to make sense of this moment in AI before offering practical guidance that leaders can act on immediately.
My keynotes are adapted for a leader’s context and include practical guidance they can apply within their organisations. I see every speaking opportunity as a unique moment to inspire change. I want every person in the audience to walk away feeling like they have learned something and are willing and able to do something differently.
The AI Accelerator
Most teams are using AI at varying levels, often for basic assistance tasks rather than strategically augmenting their work. The potential is there, but the frameworks are not. Leaders and managers need clearer ways to determine when and how to use AI independently, and they need to move beyond ‘productivity’ gains and focus on how to leverage AI for growth and innovation.
I created the AI Accelerator to help teams and leaders move from AI curious to AI innovative. It’s a one-day (or 3 hours X 3 days virtually) intervention designed to help managers and leadership teams ready to (re) design how they work for the AI era. I provide a methodology and frameworks so teams can continue this work independently without my direct support.
Strategic Advisory
Most organisations are investing in AI while leaving their operating models untouched. They’re layering new technology onto existing structures, processes, and ways of working designed for a different era, then wondering why their AI transformation is failing. I help senior leaders navigate this shift. No single engagement is alike and I work fractionally or to a defined outcome.4
Building on my decade of organisation transformation experience, and my 7 years working in Digital and AI transformation5, I am a strategic advisor who supports companies to transition their workforce to the AI era. Sometimes that means helping them see what’s coming and translating what it may mean for their function. Sometimes this means rolling up sleeves to redesign operating models, workflows, and team structures at scale. Often it’s both.
Bespoke ‘other’
While I try and focus my work on the 3 offerings above, I am always open to new opportunities around the theme of designing work for the AI era. In recent months, I have offered:
One-off strategy hours to help you work through an AI & work related topic;
Structured coaching & mentoring based on my Adaptive Professional model to help individuals navigate their own careers in the AI transition;
Bespoke workshops and training for teams needing to work through a big AI-work challenge and / or fill a capability gap at scale (i.e. – I am building a ½ day training session on how to design agentic workflows from a people-org perspective).
As you can see, everything is around designing work for the AI era, but as this is an emerging field, I am willing and happy to get creative. Portfolio career at it’s finest :-).
Work Evolved - my Substack
Truthfully, I started this Substack on a whim. At the time, there were vague threats of AI coming for our jobs, but overall it felt like there was little in-depth conversation about AI and work. I felt like I had a lot to say on the matter, and wanted a place to explore my thoughts and ideas in detail. And clearly, after publishing close to 80k words so far, I was right.
But what I didn’t expect is how ‘thinking in public’ would define what I do professionally. This Substack helps me win work and new connections. It’s an asset I send regularly to clients and collaborators, and they immediately know my POV and my deep thinking on this topic. None of my essays are AI-generated slop. I’m showing my work before you ever engage with me personally.
Work Evolved (the Substack) also help me find my niche. Many of my posts on here have become the foundational pillars of my work, and I have no doubt that it will continue to be true. And while it may seem like my writing covers lot of ground, but it’s clear that I am very much focused on how we all can respond to this moment. I want to help everyone NOT buy into the doomsday timeline, but recognise they all have a role in shaping an optimistic AI future.
What’s next for Work Evolved (the Substack)
First, every time I make some proclamation of a regular writing schedule, something gets in the way… so I won’t try. My first assertion of a ‘regular-ish’ newsletter was spot on. I’ll try and write often, as much as time and space allows. It’s my favourite think I do for work, so I won’t be giving it up anytime soon.
Second, you’ll always see the services I offer at the end of each post. I wish I could be paid to learn and create content all day, but alas, I need to earn a living (and have no aspirations to be an ‘influencer’). So if you or anyone in your circle could benefit from the services and support I offer, please point them my way and I would love to talk.
Third, spread the word about my Substack. Share with friends and colleagues. Subscribe and tell others to as well. Comment on posts and notes as well! So much of my work comes through the circa 300 of you on here, plus my loose connections on LinkedIn, so the more people that Work Evolved goes to, the better.
Finally, rest assured that all my writing is done by me, the human. I can’t imagine doing my work without AI (specifically Claude), but writing is something I keep scared. The act of taking a few hours to think about a big complex topic, make sense of it and put some words on a page to explain my unique perspective feels like brain food. Sure AI can sort of write in my voice and it sure would take a lot less effort, but the friction of writing is a good use of my time, and honours your support. I am very aware that you subscribe to me… not a mid-AI trained version mimicking me.
So thanks for being here team. I truly believe that this very complex moment of AI and Work calls for collective sense making and action. Human to human connection is going to make or break the years ahead. It’s been quite the ride so far, but I am very grateful that you’ve be on the rollercoaster here with me.
I went to Indonesia mid-Feb for an adventure with friends and sadly after a mere 48 hours, I became incredibly ill. Left early back to Switzerland, and after a challenging 2.5 weeks, we figured out it was a drug-resistant strain of Campylobacter (bacterial food poisoning). I’ve mostly recovered, but writing my Substack has not been at the top of my list for a month.
Truthfully, I wouldn’t have bothered with the very expensive rebrand exercise had it not been for a copyright infringement. But like most things, it turned out for the better.
How does this work? We have a scoping conversation to discuss the problem you’re looking to solve or the expertise you need access to, and we then figure out the working model that is best suited for us both.
Yes, AI has been around long before Chat. And I get so annoyed when LinkedIn says there are no ‘AI experts’ as if we’ve only had 3.5 years to build relevant experience.
Great content. Genuine, original, human and written very thoughtfully.