University of Kwazulu-Natal

Teams In The Age Of Ai Why Human Collaboration Matters More Than Ever

Bonisiwe Shabane
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teams in the age of ai why human collaboration matters more than ever

The “Age of AI” is not just about smarter machines; it’s critically going to be about smarter collaboration between people and technology. The Changing Nature of Teams and Leadership AI is rapidly automating many repetitive and analytical white-collar tasks, however human teams are still needed to focus on real creativity, strategy, empathy, and more complex decision-making. In this environment, successful teams will need to blend high technical literacy with the emotional intelligence that only humans can offer. Teams will need to be well composed to deal with increasing change, risk and compelxity. Leaders, too, will evolve — shifting from old-school directive management styles to becoming facilitators of human and machine-driven insights for performance.

In this mix good old-fashioned trust, and adaptability must not be lost. Virtual and hybrid work will continue to thrive, supported by increasingly intelligent systems that match skills, predict team dynamics, and even assist in decision-making. Yet, the ability to communicate effectively, embrace cognitive diversity, and manage interpersonal dynamics will remain uniquely human strengths, and still be best on an in-person basis whenever possible. Agur Jõgi, CTO of Pipedrive and expert in scaling technology and organizations. Experienced as an innovator, founder and C-level manager. Working well with others is a strategic advantage and will become even more so with greater digitization and AI use.

In today’s business landscape, few organizations or individuals will succeed in isolation. Collaboration with and across teams, industry alliances and supply chains has always been essential, and making real human connections will remain core to successfully partnering and achieving great things. True collaboration begins with clarity. When leaders articulate a clear vision, others can align with it. But clarity alone is not enough. Businesses need to build a culture where goals are shared, expertise is distributed and success is collective.

Internal collaboration drives operational excellence. Cross-functional teams that work well together avoid duplication, solve problems faster and innovate more effectively. Collaboration must also span hierarchies. Junior employees, senior leaders and everyone in between contribute perspectives that shape better outcomes. Diversity of opinion and experience, mediated by a shared culture, really kicks up the gears of innovation and productivity. Externally, few companies can retain every skill they need in-house.

That’s why peer networks, strategic partnerships, vendors and consultants play a role. Open sharing, where appropriate, can improve benchmarking, refine KPIs and accelerate learning. Industry groups and lobbying bodies, meanwhile, extend influence where it matters most. Jacob Taylor, Thomas Kehler, Sandy Pentland, Martin Reeves Janice C. Eberly, Molly Kinder, Dimitris Papanikolaou, Lawrence D.

W. Schmidt, Jón Steinsson Rosanne Haggerty, Ruby Bolaria Shifrin, Jacob Taylor, Kershlin Krishna, Sara Bronin, Nick Cain, Xiomara Cisneros, Adam Ruege, Henri Hammond-Paul, Jamie Rife, Josh Humphries, Beth Noveck In a world where AI is rewriting the rules, the real competitive edge isn’t raw capability; it’s collaboration. Welcome back to my series on The Human Advantage in the Age of AI. Today, we’re exploring one of the most overlooked yet powerful human advantages in this new era: collaboration.

Why Collaboration Matters More Than Ever AI is rewriting how work gets done. Tasks that once took hours now take minutes. Data that took months to process is now available instantly. But raw capability isn’t enough. As David De Cremer put it: “Collaborative human–AI interactions represent the most promising way of working for organizations.”

The top competencies to invest in for an AI-powered future, along with practical ways to strengthen those skills and weave them into your everyday work. AI is changing the way we work at lightning speed. Tools that once felt experimental are now handling everything from scheduling to drafting reports. By 2030, executives predict only 1/3 of work will be fully done by humans. That leaves us with an urgent question: How do we future-proof our skills? As part of our 2025 AI Collaboration Index report, we asked leaders and knowledge workers around the world: As AI takes over more routine tasks, which human qualities will matter most?

Their answers reveal a clear direction. Taken together, their answers highlight the timeless skills that become even more valuable in an AI future. Below, we’ll unpack five top skills to invest in for an AI-powered future, along with practical ways to strengthen those skills and weave them into your everyday work. What it is: The ability to analyze information, weigh evidence, and form sound judgments. Why it matters: Our research shows 42% of knowledge workers admit to trusting AI outputs without verifying them due to time pressures. Without critical thinking, speed translates to risk.

Posted November 25, 2025 | Reviewed by Margaret Foley For years, innovation has centered on speed. Faster processing. Faster decisions. Faster communication. But as artificial intelligence reshapes the modern workplace, a quieter truth is emerging from neuroscience and behavioral psychology: as technology accelerates, people are slowing down emotionally.

Across industries, employees report rising cognitive fatigue, decreased trust, and a growing sense of isolation despite being more digitally connected than ever before. The World Health Organization now recognizes burnout as an occupational phenomenon, and research firms are consistently finding that employees feel overwhelmed by the volume of digital tasks and communication rather than liberated by it. What’s becoming clear is that automation may increase efficiency, but it cannot replace the psychological conditions that allow humans to feel safe, understood, and ready to collaborate. In fact, research shows that human well-being rises most predictably when people experience meaningful interpersonal connection, not just more technological convenience. To explore this shift, I interviewed Sean Callagy—an entrepreneur, founder of Unblinded and ACTi, and a leading authority on modern business, leadership, and integrous human influence—to better understand why human connection is becoming the... Explore how effective communication between humans and AI enhances collaboration, trust, and productivity in the modern workplace.

The workplace is evolving fast, blending human expertise with AI’s precision. But working with AI isn’t just about efficiency, it’s about reshaping how we communicate and collaborate. While AI can process data and offer insights, the challenge lies in building trust, understanding its outputs, and ensuring seamless teamwork between humans and machines. With AI predicted to contribute trillions to global productivity, organisations that master human-AI communication will thrive. Let’s explore how to make these partnerships work. Trust is the backbone of any successful team, and when AI systems are added to the mix, fostering that trust requires deliberate effort.

It’s not just about getting people to trust the technology - it’s about creating an environment where everyone feels valued and secure working alongside intelligent machines. Earning trust in AI begins with transparency. People need to understand how the system makes decisions, where its data comes from, and what its limitations are. Let me set the scene: it’s a rainy Tuesday morning and you arrive at the office for work. The place is quiet – just the hum of the coffee machine and the low murmur of someone on a Teams call. But by 10 a.m., a small group has gathered in the open-plan communal space: Finance are chatting about a reporting glitch, a new employee is asking questions about a new platform, and someone is...

Within half an hour, three new ideas have been sparked, two problems solved, and a connection made that will lead to an impromptu mentorship pairing. This is the kind of magic that’s hard to replicate through a screen. While AI and automation are undeniably transforming the way we work – bringing speed, efficiency, and convenience – they can’t replicate the authenticity, collaboration, or creative spark that comes from sharing a space with... In an age where so much can be streamlined, the unmediated, spontaneous moments of human connection remain irreplaceable. A smile, a firm handshake, or a quick coffee break creates bonds that virtual interactions simply can’t match. Creating environments that foster meaningful connection is no longer a ‘nice to have’ – it’s essential for building resilient teams and strong workplace culture.

Work in the future will be a partnership between people, agents, and robots—all powered by artificial intelligence. While much of the current public debate revolves around whether AI will lead to sweeping job losses, our focus is on how it will change the very building blocks of work—the skills that underpin... Our research suggests that although people may be shifted out of some work activities, many of their skills will remain essential. They will also be central in guiding and collaborating with AI, a change that is already redefining many roles across the economy. In this research, we use “agents” and “robots” as broad, practical terms to describe all machines that can automate nonphysical and physical work, respectively. Many different technologies perform these functions, some based on AI and others not, with the boundaries between them fluid and changing.

Using the terms in this expansive way lets us analyze how automation reshapes work overall.1Our analysis considers a broader range of automation technologies than the narrow definition of agents commonly used in the AI... For more on how we define the term, see the Glossary. This report builds on McKinsey’s long-running research on automation and the future of work. Earlier studies examined individual activities, while this analysis also looks at how AI will transform entire workflows and what this means for skills. New forms of collaboration are emerging, creating skill partnerships between people and AI that raise demand for complementary human capabilities. Although the analysis focuses on the United States, many of the patterns it reveals—and their implications for employers, workers, and leaders—apply broadly to other advanced economies.

We find that currently demonstrated technologies could, in theory, automate activities accounting for about 57 percent of US work hours today.2Our analysis focuses exclusively on paid productive hours in the US workforce, encompassing full-time... We assess only the share of time awake that is spent on work-related activities, totaling roughly 45 percent of waking hours. Our analysis excludes time spent on unpaid tasks and leisure, but agents and robots could be used in related activities to support productivity and personal well-being. This estimate reflects the technical potential for change in what people do, not a forecast of job losses. As these technologies take on more complex sequences of tasks, people will remain vital to make them work effectively and do what machines cannot. Our assessment reflects today’s capabilities, which will continue to evolve, and adoption may take decades.

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