AI is changing more than just technologies and work processes – it is also changing what motivates people, what they are concerned about and what they need from their managers. Job security, career paths and the sense of being an expert in one’s field are changing. People may worry that their knowledge and experience will no longer be valuable. A manager’s role is to create an environment in which motivation can thrive despite uncertainty. This practical training helps managers understand what happens to people’s motivation during AI transformation and how to respond in everyday management practice.
- Recognise how AI transformation affects people’s motivation and engagement.
- Identify signs of FOBO – the fear of losing one’s value and expertise.
- Understand what may lie behind resistance and passivity.
- Support people’s sense of competence, autonomy and meaningfulness at work.
- Lead conversations that help people navigate uncertainty and explore possibilities rather than offering false reassurance.
- Help experienced experts redefine their value in a changing work environment.
- Create an environment where people can safely learn new things.
- Involve people in change so that they do not feel “invisible” or unnecessary.
- Identify management behaviours that support motivation in this context and those that undermine it.
How AI Is Changing People’s Motivation
- How are AI and uncertainty changing traditional motivational factors?
- What motivates people today – and what demotivates them?
- FOBO – Fear of Being Obsolete: the fear of losing value, expertise and professional identity
- Activity: “AI will take away… AI will give me…”
New Pillars of Motivation in the AI Era
- Security – Am I still needed?
- Competence and growth – Can I keep up?
- Purpose – Why am I doing this?
- Belonging – Do I have a place in this change?
- What lies beneath people’s behaviour
- The competence curve – how to support learning and adaptation
How to Motivate People During Transformation
- From job role to value – helping people find new meaning in changing work
- Purpose and personal meaning at work during periods of change
- How to involve people and strengthen their sense of influence and belonging
- Tool: Team Motivation Map
The Motivational Conversation and the Manager as an Environment Builder
- How to have a conversation with someone who is afraid, resists change or is losing motivation
- Technique: VALIDATE – EXPLORE – REFRAME – ACTIVATE
- Management behaviours that support motivation – and those that undermine it
- Practice: Motivational conversations in simulated situations
Belonging
- A motivation plan for your own team