New Eagle Hill Consulting Research Finds AI Is Reshaping How Organizations Work, But Leadership and Culture Lag Behind

AI is Improving Productivity and Quality of Work, while Cultural Barriers and Gaps in Work Redesign Could Limit AI Success

ARLINGTON, Va., Sept. 8, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Artificial intelligence (AI) has moved beyond experimentation and isolated technology applications and is increasingly embedded in the core operations of organizations. But new research from Eagle Hill Consulting finds that management practices, workforce strategies, and organizational cultures are not evolving at the same pace.

A new Eagle Hill Consulting AI Capabilities survey among senior business decision makers finds that organizations are using AI at nearly equal rates for business operations (73 percent of respondents), decision support and analytics (72 percent), and employee productivity and knowledge work (71 percent). At the same time, those leaders report that AI is delivering  its strongest value in improving how work gets done: 66 percent report improved employee productivity, 59 percent report improved operational efficiency, 55 percent report improved quality of work, and 53 percent report improved customer experience.

"AI is no longer just a technology implementation or a collection of productivity tools. It is part of how organizations operate, make decisions, and get work done," said Melissa Jezior, president and chief executive officer of Eagle Hill Consulting. "That shift requires leaders to think much more broadly about AI transformation. Technology and data matter, but organizations also must continuously rethink work, develop their people, and create a culture where employees and managers can work differently."

The research points to a potential organizational blind spot. While 52 percent of leaders surveyed identify data quality and availability and 47 percent identify technology platforms and infrastructure as top factors contributing to AI success, only 18 percent point to work redesign and just nine percent identify culture.

Yet when asked specifically about cultural factors, culture proves to be a significant obstacle. Eighty-four percent of leaders surveyed report at least one cultural factor limiting their organization's success with AI. The most frequently cited barriers include employees hesitating to change established ways of working (30 percent), AI governance processes slowing experimentation and learning (27 percent), and short-term priorities crowding out AI experimentation and learning (26 percent).

"Organizations may be underestimating just how much AI transformation is organizational transformation," Jezior said. "You can have the right technology and high-quality data, but that alone won't deliver sustained value. Leaders need to create the conditions for people to rethink established ways of working, learn new skills, experiment responsibly, and continuously adapt as AI capabilities evolve."

AI Adoption Is Outpacing Organizational Adaptation 

The research finds that organizations are moving away from treating AI-related work redesign as a one-time transformation effort, but the practice is far from institutionalized. Fewer than half of leaders surveyed (45 percent) say their organization has an established management practice for continuously reviewing and improving work as AI and business needs evolve.

Organizations also are taking a more coordinated approach to identifying AI opportunities; however fewer than half of leaders surveyed (47 percent) say their organization systematically identifies opportunities through enterprise-wide processes. Twenty-three percent report that they rely primarily on individual functions, teams, or employees to identify AI opportunities.

Gaps remain in how organizations determine the appropriate division of work between people and AI. While 72 percent of leaders surveyed report that their organization uses explicit criteria such as business value, risk, and workforce capacity to make those decisions, 28 percent say their organization leaves decisions primarily to individual employees or teams or have no established process.

The findings also suggest room for improvement in workforce development. While 39 percent of respondents report their organization provides training when new AI technology is introduced, only 31 percent say employee development for AI is planned as part of broader business and workforce planning.

Leadership practices also are still evolving. Only 37 percent say leaders review and adjust how work is organized across the enterprise as AI changes the organization. Twenty-eight percent say leaders coordinate changes across functions or business units, while 23 percent say leaders primarily support AI adoption and 12 percent focus on improving work within their own teams.

"The next phase of AI will be less about adopting tools and more about building an organization that can continuously adapt around them," Jezior said. "Organizations that connect AI strategy to work design, workforce development, leadership, and culture will be better positioned to translate AI investment into lasting business value."

AI's Value Extends Beyond Efficiency

The research also indicates that AI's impact on employees may be broader than efficiency gains alone. Respondents report that AI has increased employees' opportunities to build expertise (89 percent), focus on high-value work (88 percent), and perform creative or intellectually engaging work (87 percent). Seventy-eight percent say AI has increased clarity of roles and responsibilities, while 73 percent report an increased sense of ownership for work outcomes. Meanwhile, 58 percent of leaders surveyed say employee burnout has decreased because of AI.

"These findings challenge the assumption that the primary value of AI is simply doing the same work faster or cheaper," Jezior said. "Leaders are seeing AI create opportunities for employees to spend more time on higher-value, creative, and skill-building work. The challenge now is to deliberately design work and workforce strategies that sustain those benefits."

Methodology

The Eagle Hill Consulting AI Capabilities Survey was conducted by Ipsos from August 3-6, 2026. For this survey, 306 people employed in a position of director or above at U.S. companies with annual revenue of at least $100 million, where AI adoption is established, were interviewed online in English. The respondent composition included 102 C-suite executives (33%), 96 senior vice presidents or vice presidents (31%), and 108 directors (35%).

Eagle Hill Consulting LLC is an award-winning business that provides unconventional management consulting services in the areas of Organizational Performance, Business Intelligence, Technology Enablement, Talent, and Change Management. The company's expertise in delivering innovative solutions to unique challenges spans across Fortune 500 companies, government agencies, and global nonprofits. Eagle Hill has offices in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area, Boston, MA, and Seattle, WA. More information is available at www.eaglehillconsulting.com.

SOURCE Eagle Hill Consulting LLC