Most conversations about AI and innovation assume a simple replacement story. As automation improves, human work recedes. The messy becomes structured. Judgment gives way to systems.
That framing misses what
AI may accelerate some things, but that doesn't mean that the organization will go faster.
It’s common to ask why organizations don’t move faster. Speed is
If we are going to redesign organizations for an AI era, we need to be clear about one thing up front: Tools have almost always pulled people apart.
In organizatiomns,
As organizations rush into AI adoption, most of the attention is on productivity gains. Less visible—and far more consequential—is the erosion of the one capability that will actually
Every few months someone else does a "Sam Altman" and announces that AI will make agencies obsolete. The case always sounds the same. AI can research faster. AI
Parents with college-age or post-college kids are all asking a version of the same question these days. It isn’t “What should my kid major in?” anymore. It’s something
Jack Skeels, Working paper - February 2026
Abstract
Transaction Cost Economics (TCE) explains firm boundaries and governance structures as mechanisms for minimizing coordination costs under uncertainty, opportunism, and bounded rationality.
Many organizations believe better communication comes from better behavior: clearer expectations, more awareness, more courtesy.
But politeness does not protect focus.
And awareness does not override structural incentives.
As work
If you follow the headlines, you would think the U.S. job market is unraveling. Mass layoffs. AI replacing humans. A future where hiring people is already a mistake. A
(and what it accidentally teaches us about how business actually works)
Every so often, someone becomes a teacher without intending to. In this case, it’s Sam Altman.
Not because
Say hello to Better Company and jackskeels.com
Hey there. Sorry if it’s been a while. Lots of changes.
About fifteen years ago, I set out to make agile
Less is more with knowledge workers.
You’re probably managing too hard. Especially if yours is a knowledge worker organization.
Knowledge worker organizations are increasingly more central to our service
