Organizational behavior, telecommuting, and AI

As AI is heralded as the next imminent revolution in the world of work, it may be interesting to review the developments brought about by telecommuting through the lens of organizational behavior. This can help better understand the issues that have often been overlooked in order not to repeat them when integrating AI into the company.*

In the content titled “What is Organizational Behavior?” myLIFE introduced you to organizational behavior, which is a discipline drawing from psychology, sociology, and anthropology to understand and improve human interactions in the workplace. It starts from the observation that organizational performance in companies does not solely depend on tools and material conditions, but also and especially on human interactions that revolve around five pillars: corporate culture, motivation, leadership, communication, and group dynamics.

Thus, far from being a rational ecosystem that primarily relies on equipment, systems, and processes, the company and its performance largely depend on beliefs, informal behaviors, and power dynamics within groups. Being aware of this reality and learning to leverage it allows business leaders to reduce turnover, improve communication and collaboration, or strengthen leadership.

To make this more concrete, let’s take the practical cases of teleworking and AI to illustrate how organizational behavior can be used to benefit the productivity and well-being of your employees.

Case Study 1: The Hidden Challenges Telecommuting

The Current Situation

The massive shift to telecommuting in 2020 with the advent of the pandemic revealed complexities that few organizations had anticipated. Beyond the obvious technical considerations such as the quality of the Internet connection, IT security, or access to appropriate tools, more subtle challenges emerged and undermined human interactions within companies:

• • Psychological exhaustion as a daily reality. The phenomenon of “Zoom fatigue” is just the tip of the iceberg. In reality, the psychological exhaustion related to telecommuting is multidimensional. Employees face an unprecedented cognitive load. They must simultaneously manage their work, maintain an active virtual presence by being present on multiple communication channels (chat, video, email), and deal with the blurring of boundaries between professional and personal life.
  • The disruption of social dynamics. Telecommuting has profoundly disrupted the social fabric of the company. The spontaneous interactions that naturally built trust and team cohesion have disappeared. These seemingly innocuous “coffee machine moments” play a crucial role in the informal sharing of knowledge, the creation of interpersonal bonds, the quick resolution of small problems, and even spontaneous innovation.
  • The impact on learning and development. Learning by osmosis, the ability to absorb knowledge by observing more experienced colleagues, becomes practically impossible in teleworking. New employees are particularly affected. They struggle to understand the company culture, the acquisition of technical skills is slowed, and the development of an internal professional network is more complex.
  • New power dynamics. Telecommuting has reshuffled the cards of informal power within the organization. Thus, some natural leaders in person lose influence, while mastery of digital tools becomes a new source of authority. Paradoxically, introverted personalities may gain visibility.

Sustainable performance in telework requires special attention to the psychological and social aspects of work, beyond purely technical or organizational considerations.

Rather than ignoring reality, the key to a successful and productive adoption of telework lies in the ability to recognize these hidden challenges and respond to them proactively and humanely. Organizational behavior teaches that sustainable performance in telework requires special attention to the psychological and social aspects of work, beyond purely technical or organizational considerations.

Proposed solution and action plan

Rather than viewing distance as a constraint, it should be seen as an opportunity by creating a culture of remote management. This can be achieved through the implementation of an action plan that integrates the five pillars of organizational behavior: corporate culture, motivation, leadership, communication, and group dynamics. Here is what this could look like over the course of an imaginary week.

Monday – Corporate Culture

• • Audit of current telecommuting practices
  • Identification of existing rituals
  • Mapping of cultural resistances
  • List of potential quick improvements

Tuesday – Motivation

• • Small survey on motivations/barriers
  • Identification of those most invested in their telework
  • Analysis of engagement patterns
  • Valuation of productive behaviors

Wednesday – Leadership

• • Express training for managers in remote leadership
  • Implementation of new team rituals
  • Definition of new engagement rules

Thursday – Communication

• • Audit of communication channels
  • Identification of information losses
  • Mapping of formal/informal flows
  • Planning of identified optimization projects

Friday – Group Dynamics

• • Analysis of team interactions
  • Identification of potential isolations
  • Plan for rebuilding social connections

Such an approach based on the five pillars allows for highlighting the full complexity of human interactions and addressing each aspect sequentially before identifying the priority action levers.

Such an approach based on the five pillars allows for highlighting the full complexity of human interactions and addressing each aspect sequentially before identifying the priority action levers. Based on such an action plan, it will then be possible for you to build a long-term positive transformation of your company by taking into account organizational behavior.

Case Study 2: Companies facing the introduction of AI

The Current Situation

The arrival of AI in companies naturally generates anxiety and questions among many employees: “Will my job disappear?”, “How can I remain relevant in this new context?”, “Will I be able to adapt quickly enough?”. It is precisely in the face of such questions that organizational behavior plays a crucial role.

One of the major challenges with AI lies in the advent of a harmonious collaboration between humans and machines. This new dynamic raises fundamental questions about trust in automated systems and the balance between productivity and humanity. Company leaders must learn to manage hybrid teams where humans and AI work in synergy. Leadership itself must evolve towards a more empathetic approach, capable of managing uncertainty and facilitating human innovation. On the other hand, corporate culture must also transform to value continuous learning, accept mistakes as a source of learning, and encourage collaborative innovation.

Proposed solution and action plan

To successfully achieve this transition, companies must implement comprehensive adaptation strategies. This starts with a robust training program that goes well beyond technical skills. It is crucial to strengthen soft skills and develop the adaptability and resilience of teams.

Communication plays a central role in this process. Complete transparency about technological evolution, involving employees in automation decisions, and regularly sharing successes and learnings are essential to maintaining trust and engagement. Personalized support also becomes indispensable. Implementing digital mentoring programs, transition coaching, and support groups allows employees to feel supported in their professional development.

In this new context, certain human skills become major competitive advantages. Creativity, contextual intelligence, empathy, and the ability to solve complex problems are areas where humans (for now) maintain an edge over machines. These skills pave the way for new professional opportunities with the emergence of hybrid roles and AI-augmented leadership.

Change management becomes a subtle art. It is no longer just about training employees in new tools but accompanying them through a profound transformation of their relationship to work. “AI frees us to focus on what is uniquely human,” explains Adam Grant. This involves mapping emotional impacts, creating personalized transition paths, and developing new behavioral skills.

For generations, we have focused on individual success factors: passion, hard work, talent, and “luck.” But today, particularly with the advent of AI, success increasingly depends on how we interact with others. Improving these interactions in the AI era can be achieved through the deployment of an action plan that integrates the five pillars of organizational behavior: corporate culture, motivation, leadership, communication, and group dynamics. Here is what this might look like over the course of an imaginary week.

Monday – Corporate Culture

• • AI maturity assessment
  • Identification of fears
  • Mapping of opportunities
  • Communication of the vision for the company

Tuesday – Motivation

• • Identification of early adopters
  • Identification of resistances
  • Positive incentives for adoption

Wednesday – Leadership

• • Training in AI principles
  • Redefinition of the role of “augmented” managers
  • Establishment of ethical safeguards

Thursday – Communication

• • Development of a transparent communication plan
  • Creation of feedback channels
  • Implementation of training

Friday – Group Dynamics

• • Creation of pilot teams
  • Design of initial projects
  • Definition of metrics

Although somewhat simplistic, this action plan helps demystify the resistance to AI adoption by breaking it down into different levers to be activated in order to create an environment where this synergy between humans and AI can flourish. Don’t wait to get started, the AI revolution has already begun!

* Content translated from French by the BIL GPT AI tool