Managing teams in the age of AI

AI is changing our professional reality. That is a fact.

On one hand, we are racing to keep up with the rapid pace of development. We have greater access to information, yet we know it is something entirely different from knowledge, which requires far more cognitive effort to acquire. Organizations are focusing on large-scale AI implementation just to keep pace with or get ahead of the competition.

On the other hand, we are seeing growing inequalities within teams: some use AI with ease, while others are resistant. Some have been granted broader access, which sparks conflict. Others use AI to such an extent that they begin to doubt whether they or the AI are the final creators, leading them to struggle with imposter syndrome. Even team meetings look different now, as participants base their opinions on content generated by the exact same tools. We are flattening the depth of our topics, sacrificing originality and innovation for the sake of speed.

We are still in the midst of this transition. And that is why there is still time to act.

Inspired by the book "Human Magic. Leading with Wisdom in an Age of Algorithms" by Johan Roos, which I sincerely recommend, I have come to the conclusion that digital hygiene is expanding its already broad scope. The author shows how important it is in the age of AI to intentionally develop curiosity, creativity, critical thinking, collaboration, and communication—and how necessary a new approach to managing a team in which artificial intelligence is becoming a part will be.

This is a pivotal moment for leaders.

It is your role to encourage your people to iterate and challenge initial outputs; to cross-reference them with other colleagues and ask questions that allow for different perspectives. It is your job to nurture their sense of agency and the meaning behind their work. It takes significant effort to resist reaching for immediate answers and instead build a framework for the problem first, cultivating the ability to ask the right questions and maintain critical analysis.

Now is the time to redefine how we manage a team of HUMANS, not just "result-generators"—because agents can do the latter for us.

Dr. Eliza Filby emphasizes similar values, encouraging leaders to focus on socializing their teams, engaging in deeper conversations, and fostering mutual mentoring and collective wisdom. While technological development puts the individual at the center (the algorithm is built for me, I am important etc.), it also creates a sense of isolation. Often, it feels easier to ask AI a question than to ask a teammate.

Digital hygiene within a team—especially in contact with AI—serves as a safeguard against burnout. It means taking care of the human resources and skills that actually make the difference in the quality of results produced by the same tools. Ultimately, it's about protecting a sense of purpose, self-worth, and belonging, while strengthening the importance of the team in this new human-AI partnership.