The future of work is decided between machines and people

AI is rewriting how work gets done. Human value is changing.
And connection will decide whether that results in advantage or attrition.
Explore the evidence.

Connection Intelligence · Slide deck

Luke McKeeverCEO, Thomas International

Adrian FurnhamProfessor, Norwegian Business School

The thesis

Two forces, one intersection

Most future-of-work conversations pick a side: the technology or the humans.
The organisations pulling ahead are finding balance in their approach.

Layer 01

AI moves the work

Automation is compressing the middle of the org chart. What used to be coordination is now computation — and the roles built on it are being redrawn in real time.

Layer 02

People move the outcome

Adoption isn't a technology problem. Trust, belonging and cohesion decide whether a capability becomes an advantage or an expensive pilot.

Layer 03

Connection is the multiplier

Successfully combining the two requires connection — measurable, leading, and the clearest signal we have of which organisations sustain performance through disruption.

"I believe that as AI and robots improve,
we'll set aside certain things for only people to do.
I've started calling this domain Human Reserved."

Bill Gates, 26 August 2026.

Evidence

Three findings a board should act on

Drawn from the Connection Performance Effect UK: five years of FTSE 250 outcomes matched against behavioural signal.

170

FTSE 250 organisations analysed

25M+

Behavioural data points

Conditions of connection

5 yrs

Longitudinal window

Performance problems rarely start where you can see them

Revenue, attrition and engagement are lagging indicators. The conditions shaping them — trust, appreciation, wellbeing, contribution — start moving before they become visible in the numbers. Early intervention is key.

CONNECTION TURNS CAPABILITY INTO COORDINATED COMMERCIAL IMPACT

Thomas research shows that connected people are more likely to give discretionary effort, but performance comes when contribution is coordinated. Connection and engagement are the infrastructure for that coordination, making performance possible.

Managers carry the load AI hasn't taken

As layers thin, judgement, context and care start to fall on managers - who are often too overloaded to apply due diligence. Their capacity is now a board-level operating risk.

The Connection Performance Effect

ONE NUMBER THAT
makes the case

The Connection Performance Effect research, spanning 170 FTSE 250 organisations, found that companies with stronger organisational connection consistently outperformed those with weaker connection over the long term.

Connection predicts how reliably organisations execute, adapt and sustain performance over time: explaining more than 8.8% of the variance in five-year compound annual growth rate (CAGR) and more than 3% of the variance in total shareholder return (TSR).

Download the report

FTSE 250 · last 5 years

Index level · GBP