Employee 'task crafting' could be the key to getting the most out of AI

"Task crafting involves taking proactive steps to alter the scope, number, or type of tasks that make up an individual worker's role. Simply put, this involves using AI tools to reduce manual toil and free them up to focus on more important tasks. The more task crafting a worker carries out, the greater the link between AI adoption and efficiency gains at both the individual and organizational level."

"This positive link, Multiverse said, comes down to one key behavior: task crafting. "This research moves the conversation beyond AI as a tool solely for automation and efficiency. Our findings suggest AI can be a powerful job resource that directly fuels engagement - but not automatically," said Barry Goulding, organizational psychologist at Multiverse."

"The survey found "employee-AI collaboration" and work engagement are highly correlated, and can deliver marked gains for companies striving for a solid return on investment (ROI). Researchers defined AI collaboration as the extent to which the technology is embedded within core work cycles like problem-solving, drafting, and evaluation. Notably, those who exhibit higher levels of AI adoption by this measure tend to be more dedicated and immersed in their roles, and thus score higher on employee engagement."

Employees who redesign their roles to incorporate AI become more motivated, engaged, and productive. Employee-AI collaboration correlates strongly with work engagement and can produce measurable ROI for companies. AI collaboration means embedding technology into core work cycles such as problem-solving, drafting, and evaluation. Task crafting is the proactive alteration of task scope, number, or type to reduce manual toil and free workers for higher-value work. Greater task crafting amplifies efficiency gains at individual and organizational levels. Workers who engage in less task crafting exhibit lower efficiency, productivity, and engagement. AI functions as a job resource when employees have agency to shape their roles.

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