Future of Work • Admin to Agentic

Admin to Agentic

A follow-up to The AI Adoption Crossroads: the real work isn’t “deploying AI.” It’s redesigning work so trust, governance, and outcomes can scale—without turning your organization into a shadow-AI petri dish.
“Transformation isn’t about deploying technology—it's about redesigning work itself.”
— Mohit Rajhans
$200B
Global AI investment could approach this level by 2025 (Goldman Sachs Research).
1%
Leaders who say their org is “mature” (AI fully integrated into workflows) (McKinsey).
78%
AI users bringing their own tools to work (BYOAI / “shadow AI”) (Microsoft Work Trend Index).

The Trust Paradox: Where Billions Meet Doubt

Here’s the contradiction I keep seeing across media, education, and enterprise teams: capital is flowing, but coherence is missing. Organizations are buying AI, while employees are quietly routing around policy and tooling to get work done.

The Work Trend Index puts it bluntly: three out of four people use AI at work, but many do it without clear guardrails. The result is predictable—risk teams panic, executives ask for ROI, and frontline teams keep using whatever works. That gap is not a model problem. It’s a leadership design problem.

Trust & disclosure norms Governance & guardrails Reskilling & enablement Human–agent workflows CoE operating models

What this page is (and isn’t)

This is a living “authority hub”: frameworks, evidence, case patterns, and practical moves you can steal for your next exec meeting. It’s not a product rollout pitch—and it’s not a breathless AI cheerleading session.

If you’re here, you’re likely dealing with:

  • Shadow AI and data leakage anxiety
  • Tool sprawl (Copilots, chatbots, agents—pick your flavor)
  • Training gaps and “AI theatre”
  • Unclear ownership: IT vs HR vs Ops vs Comms
  • Pressure to prove ROI while trust is fragile

The 3-Stage Evolution

AI adoption isn’t a binary switch. It’s a progression—from task relief to outcome delivery—where the trust requirement increases at every stage.

Stage 1: Admin Work

Repetitive, rules-based tasks with minimal autonomy.

  • Data entry, scheduling, routine reporting
  • Invoice processing, ticket triage

AI role: automation + pattern recognition (efficiency, error reduction).

Stage 2: Augmented Work

Human-AI collaboration that improves decisions and throughput.

  • Research synthesis, draft writing, analytics assistance
  • Recommendations, forecasting, ideation

AI role: decision support + insight generation (human stays accountable).

Stage 3: Agentic Work

Goal-driven systems that act, monitor, and iterate under oversight.

  • Autonomous optimization (campaigns, workflows, service ops)
  • Multi-step execution with audit trails

AI role: outcome execution + continuous learning (governance is non-negotiable).

Key question: Where does your organization sit on this spectrum—and where do you need to be to stay competitive without breaking trust?


Real-World Case Snapshots

Patterns I’m seeing (and how they evolve from Admin → Augmented → Agentic):

Media & Broadcasting: from scheduling to autonomous multi-platform optimization

Admin: manual scheduling and publishing → Augmented: audience insights + content packaging → Agentic: systems that adjust distribution decisions based on performance signals (with human sign-off).

Education: from LMS administration to adaptive learning pathways

Admin: course setup and support tickets → Augmented: tutoring support + feedback assistance → Agentic: adaptive pathways that adjust difficulty and sequencing based on progress (with educator oversight).

SMB Marketing: from templates to autonomous campaign loops

Admin: templated posts → Augmented: AI-assisted copy/design/testing → Agentic: budget allocation + creative iteration + reporting loops tied to outcomes (with constraints).

Performance Management: the “fairness” pressure-test

Employees are increasingly open to algorithmic support in evaluation—especially where human bias is suspected. The lesson isn’t “let AI judge people.” The lesson is: your current system has a trust problem, and AI is exposing it.


The Trust & Transformation Playbook

Bridging the divide between investment and trust isn’t a technical challenge; it’s a leadership challenge. Here are five moves that don’t require a moonshot budget—just operational courage.

  1. Start with transparency. Make AI usage visible. Define disclosure norms. Reduce the “black box” effect.
  2. Reskill from the ground up. Train on real workflows, not abstract modules. Make learning safe, messy, and supported.
  3. Design feedback loops. Humans in the loop isn’t a slogan—it’s an operating model with capture, review, and iteration.
  4. Ethical guardrails first. Define what’s allowed / expected / forbidden before scale (and bake it into tooling + process).
  5. Measure trust metrics. Track confidence and adoption alongside productivity—trust is a leading indicator.

What I’m building publicly

This hub grows over time: frameworks, scorecards, briefs, and “what changed this month” notes. The more evidence I publish, the more leverage you gain—and the more valuable the advisory becomes.

What you can expect here

  • Board/ELT-ready one-pagers (no fluff, all signal)
  • Producer-friendly angles (human stakes + real stats)
  • Operating models for AI CoEs (ownership + governance)
  • Automation patterns that don’t torch trust
  • Canadian lens when data, policy, and culture matter

Signal Library (Domain Authority Engine)

This is the “double-sided market” layer: decision-makers get a credible signal feed; operators get practical artifacts. (Add links as you publish. Start small—ship weekly.)

Tip: keep each entry short, source-linked, and tagged by audience (HR, IT, Ops, Comms, Board).


Invite / Brief / Collaborate

If you want a rollout vendor, I’m not your guy. If you want a strategist who helps leaders redesign work, build trust, and align people + policy + systems—this is my lane.

Speaking

Keynotes + panels with evidence-led narratives and practical takeaways.

Future of WorkAI trustHuman–agent teams

Workshops

Interactive sessions: scorecards, governance scenarios, role-based playbooks.

EnablementPolicy-to-practiceWorkflow redesign

Advisory + CoE Design

Operating models, guardrails, measurement, partner strategy—built for real constraints.

CoEGovernanceMetrics

Replace /contact, /speaker, /workshops with your actual Squarespace URLs.


Sources & Further Reading

© 2025 Think Start Inc. • Update cadence: monthly (minimum). Weekly if you want authority faster.

© 2025 Think Start Inc. • Update cadence: monthly (minimum). Weekly if you want authority faster.

Canada Edition • 2026

Reskilling for the Future of Work
Admin to Agentic

Micro-skilling and leadership frameworks to make roles future-ready
Disclaimer Guidance only. Not legal advice. Word count: ~7,200
7,200 words
~25 min read
3 frameworks

Workshops — Turn meetings into Monday action

Short sessions that produce manager-ready playbooks and named owners.

  • One-page manager playbook
  • Named owners & success checklist
  • For HR, L&D, comms, ops

Keynotes & Panels — Align leaders, speed decisions

Framing for leaders with clear next steps and stakeholder-ready messaging.

  • Three agreed priorities
  • One-page next-steps map
  • For ELT, boards, producers

AI, Now What? — Strategy without the hype

Prioritised use-cases and practical tools you can act on now.

  • Prioritised use-cases & rollout map
  • Co-design option with partner delivery
  • For CMOs, CIOs, change teams
Questions? Email mohit@thinkstart.ca
Future of Work • Admin to Agentic

Admin to Agentic

A follow-up to The AI Adoption Crossroads: the real work isn’t “deploying AI.” It’s redesigning work so trust, governance, and outcomes can scale—without turning your organization into a shadow-AI petri dish.
“Transformation isn’t about deploying technology—it's about redesigning work itself.”
— Mohit Rajhans
$200B
Global AI investment could approach this level by 2025 (Goldman Sachs Research).
1%
Leaders who say their org is “mature” (AI fully integrated into workflows) (McKinsey).
78%
AI users bringing their own tools to work (BYOAI / “shadow AI”) (Microsoft Work Trend Index).

The Trust Paradox: Where Billions Meet Doubt

Here’s the contradiction I keep seeing across media, education, and enterprise teams: capital is flowing, but coherence is missing. Organizations are buying AI, while employees are quietly routing around policy and tooling to get work done.

The Work Trend Index puts it bluntly: three out of four people use AI at work, but many do it without clear guardrails. The result is predictable—risk teams panic, executives ask for ROI, and frontline teams keep using whatever works. That gap is not a model problem. It’s a leadership design problem.

Trust & disclosure norms Governance & guardrails Reskilling & enablement Human–agent workflows CoE operating models

What this page is (and isn’t)

This is a living “authority hub”: frameworks, evidence, case patterns, and practical moves you can steal for your next exec meeting. It’s not a product rollout pitch—and it’s not a breathless AI cheerleading session.

If you’re here, you’re likely dealing with:

  • Shadow AI and data leakage anxiety
  • Tool sprawl (Copilots, chatbots, agents—pick your flavor)
  • Training gaps and “AI theatre”
  • Unclear ownership: IT vs HR vs Ops vs Comms
  • Pressure to prove ROI while trust is fragile

The 3-Stage Evolution

AI adoption isn’t a binary switch. It’s a progression—from task relief to outcome delivery—where the trust requirement increases at every stage.

Stage 1: Admin Work

Repetitive, rules-based tasks with minimal autonomy.

  • Data entry, scheduling, routine reporting
  • Invoice processing, ticket triage

AI role: automation + pattern recognition (efficiency, error reduction).

Stage 2: Augmented Work

Human-AI collaboration that improves decisions and throughput.

  • Research synthesis, draft writing, analytics assistance
  • Recommendations, forecasting, ideation

AI role: decision support + insight generation (human stays accountable).

Stage 3: Agentic Work

Goal-driven systems that act, monitor, and iterate under oversight.

  • Autonomous optimization (campaigns, workflows, service ops)
  • Multi-step execution with audit trails

AI role: outcome execution + continuous learning (governance is non-negotiable).

Key question: Where does your organization sit on this spectrum—and where do you need to be to stay competitive without breaking trust?


Real-World Case Snapshots

Patterns I’m seeing (and how they evolve from Admin → Augmented → Agentic):

Media & Broadcasting: from scheduling to autonomous multi-platform optimization

Admin: manual scheduling and publishing → Augmented: audience insights + content packaging → Agentic: systems that adjust distribution decisions based on performance signals (with human sign-off).

Education: from LMS administration to adaptive learning pathways

Admin: course setup and support tickets → Augmented: tutoring support + feedback assistance → Agentic: adaptive pathways that adjust difficulty and sequencing based on progress (with educator oversight).

SMB Marketing: from templates to autonomous campaign loops

Admin: templated posts → Augmented: AI-assisted copy/design/testing → Agentic: budget allocation + creative iteration + reporting loops tied to outcomes (with constraints).

Performance Management: the “fairness” pressure-test

Employees are increasingly open to algorithmic support in evaluation—especially where human bias is suspected. The lesson isn’t “let AI judge people.” The lesson is: your current system has a trust problem, and AI is exposing it.


The Trust & Transformation Playbook

Bridging the divide between investment and trust isn’t a technical challenge; it’s a leadership challenge. Here are five moves that don’t require a moonshot budget—just operational courage.

  1. Start with transparency. Make AI usage visible. Define disclosure norms. Reduce the “black box” effect.
  2. Reskill from the ground up. Train on real workflows, not abstract modules. Make learning safe, messy, and supported.
  3. Design feedback loops. Humans in the loop isn’t a slogan—it’s an operating model with capture, review, and iteration.
  4. Ethical guardrails first. Define what’s allowed / expected / forbidden before scale (and bake it into tooling + process).
  5. Measure trust metrics. Track confidence and adoption alongside productivity—trust is a leading indicator.

What I’m building publicly

This hub grows over time: frameworks, scorecards, briefs, and “what changed this month” notes. The more evidence I publish, the more leverage you gain—and the more valuable the advisory becomes.

What you can expect here

  • Board/ELT-ready one-pagers (no fluff, all signal)
  • Producer-friendly angles (human stakes + real stats)
  • Operating models for AI CoEs (ownership + governance)
  • Automation patterns that don’t torch trust
  • Canadian lens when data, policy, and culture matter

Signal Library (Domain Authority Engine)

This is the “double-sided market” layer: decision-makers get a credible signal feed; operators get practical artifacts. (Add links as you publish. Start small—ship weekly.)

Tip: keep each entry short, source-linked, and tagged by audience (HR, IT, Ops, Comms, Board).


Invite / Brief / Collaborate

If you want a rollout vendor, I’m not your guy. If you want a strategist who helps leaders redesign work, build trust, and align people + policy + systems—this is my lane.

Speaking

Keynotes + panels with evidence-led narratives and practical takeaways.

Future of WorkAI trustHuman–agent teams

Workshops

Interactive sessions: scorecards, governance scenarios, role-based playbooks.

EnablementPolicy-to-practiceWorkflow redesign

Advisory + CoE Design

Operating models, guardrails, measurement, partner strategy—built for real constraints.

CoEGovernanceMetrics

Replace /contact, /speaker, /workshops with your actual Squarespace URLs.


Sources & Further Reading

© 2025 Think Start Inc. • Update cadence: monthly (minimum). Weekly if you want authority faster.

© 2025 Think Start Inc. • Update cadence: monthly (minimum). Weekly if you want authority faster.

Reskilling FOR the Future of Work

I began covering the digital disruption of work as a radio column years ago and how we are shaping the world of work for tomorrow. Connect with me for topics and programs below.