Why are so many organizations investing heavily in AI and still struggling to create meaningful business value from it?
In this episode of The Future of Less Work, host Nirit Cohen sits down with Alex Bombeck, CEO of North Highland, to explore why AI is forcing companies to rethink the architecture of work itself.
As AI changes not just the tools people use but the work itself, Alex argues that organizations built for stability, predictability, governance, and functional silos are now struggling to adapt. The conversation explores why traditional operating models create friction, why leadership behaviors designed for control become barriers to innovation, and why companies cannot simply layer AI onto existing structures and expect transformation to happen.
Together, they discuss how organizations can redesign themselves to become “Built for AI,” including rethinking the relationship between people and work, classifying different types of work, shifting from functions to outcomes, and moving from rigid org charts toward more fluid mission-based teams. Alex explains why leaders must stop measuring activity and begin rewarding curiosity, experimentation, and people-led innovation in environments where the path to the outcome is no longer predefined.
If you’re trying to understand why AI transformation often stalls inside traditional organizations and what leaders actually need to redesign in order to create organizations that can continuously evolve, this episode explores what it really means to become Built for AI.
Guest Information:
North Highland CEO Alex Bombeck advocates a people-centered approach that transforms organizational and operational processes, enterprise agility, and work cultures.
Since joining North Highland in 2014, Bombeck has led the firm in a variety of areas including digital and experience design, data and analytics, agile transformation, and North Highland’s revenue and growth strategy. He has also served as a member of North Highland’s board since 2018, and the Metro Atlanta Chamber’s board of directors since 2022.
Over the course of 15 years with Havas Worldwide, Bombeck served in several leadership roles including Chief Strategy Officer – Marketing Services, President – Havas Digital, President – CRM & Analytics, and Chief Digital Officer. In a client management capacity, Bombeck was previously Worldwide Account Director at IBM for 15 years, North American Digital Account Director at Intel for five years, and North American Digital Brand Director at multiple Diageo brands for seven years. He also oversaw the digital and direct marketing strategies of global brands such as BMW, Volvo, Charles Schwab, Coca-Cola, AT&T, Novartis, and Schering-Plough.
Bombeck holds a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration from the University of Vermont. He also completed the Executive Education Programs in Leadership Excellence and Accounting & Finance at The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Bombeck is a certified scrum master and product owner, co-author of Getting from Zero to Digital, a multiple Effie Award Finalist, and in 2017 he was named a top 25 global consultants by Consulting Magazine.
Chapters:
00:00 – Why Organizations Struggle To Become Built for AI
03:30 – Why AI Requires Organizational Redesign, Not Reorganization
06:06 – Why Job Descriptions and Task-Based Work Are Breaking
08:45 – From Org Charts to Outcome-Based Work
12:02 – The Hidden Organizational Taxes Slowing AI Transformation
14:28- How To Classify Work for the AI Era
19:01- Why AI Transformation Must Ignore Functional Silos
21:31- Where Leaders Should Start AI Transformation
26:38- The Practical Framework for Redesigning Work With AI
30:06- Why Traditional KPIs and Incentives No Longer Work
34:10— Why AI Transformation Depends on Leadership, Not Technology
37:16— Why AI Needs People-Led Innovation
40:05— What Will Count as Work in the Future?
41:46— Why Culture Determines AI Success
