Welcome your newest teammate… AI
Why healthy teamwork will make or break your success in adapting to this new world.
A new survey of more than 2,000 U.S. workers reveals that we're equally excited and skeptical about artificial intelligence (AI) in the workplace. If harnessed correctly, AI can become our team’s "6th man," moving beyond digital assistants and chatbots, and freeing up time and headspace for us to tackle society's most complex problems.
Find out what you can do to set yourself up for success and turn this massive paradigm shift into an opportunity instead of a threat. Hint: it starts with healthy teamwork.
AI is going to change our jobs, sooner than you think:
39%
say they’re already using some aspect of AI at work.
87%
think AI will change their job by 2020.
76%
say at least “some” or “half” of their job could be performed by a robot, algorithm, AI, device, or other technology.
Not surprisingly, we’re full of mixed emotions:
We’re as excited (86%) as we are skeptical (87%) about AI in the workplace.
64%
moderately to completely trust AI to complete a task.
29%
anticipate effectiveness will be
AI’s biggest advantage.
80%
are worried AI could increase unemployment.
90%
don’t fully trust AI to adapt to changing situations.
But AI is one piece of a larger story.
In an era of unprecedented complexity and change, nailing teamwork is the first step toward success in this new reality:
90%
of companies are confronting problems so complex that teams are essential to solving them¹.
We should be colonizing Mars, curing cancer and creating clean energy but...
increases in productivity are the lowest
in 30 years 2
+
75% of cross-functional teams are
dysfunctional 3
AI has the power to enhance great teamwork, but can’t be a crutch for dysfunctional teams.
With 900 million knowledge workers globally, our ability to master teamwork will determine whether we’re able to make AI work for rather than against us.
Start by solving the biggest issues teams face today:
Communication
59%
say communication is their team’s biggest obstacle to success, followed by accountability (29%).
Trust
78%
don’t fully trust their teammates.
86%
don’t fully trust a new teammate to adapt to changing situations.
If we don’t solve for teams now, imagine what will happen when we add in AI:
People's biggest concerns about working with AI are poor communication (26%), being hard to work with (24%), and inconsistent performance (18%).
When teamwork is done right, the benefits are clear:
50%
are more motivated by team success than company (27%) or individual (23%) success.
43%
feel they have a large personal impact on their primary team’s mission vs. 33% on their company's mission as a whole.
56%
are more confident working as a team than individually.
If we master teamwork now, the possibilities are endless:
People anticipate AI will challenge them to improve and do more (23%), provide complementary skills (19%), and inspire them to generate new ideas (17%).
2020 is just around the corner.
Teamwork will be the key to our success in unlocking the power of AI, helping us work even faster and allowing us to solve bigger problems. Build a strong team foundation now, so you can incorporate AI when the time is right.
Don't know where to start?
Try the Atlassian Team Playbook to diagnose your team's issues and maximize its potential.
[1] “The Power of Many,” EY, 2013. [2] “News Release: Productivity and Costs,” Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2016. [3] “75% of Cross-Functional Teams are Dysfunctional,” Harvard Business Review, 2015.
