Work Charts

What is the future of meaningful work? What becomes possible when human and digital beings align in a greater sense of purpose?

Not humans versus AI. Not AI replacing humans. Something new: humans with AI, each doing what they do best, creating outcomes neither could achieve alone.

The question isn't whether you'll work alongside AI—it's whether you'll lead the collaboration or follow it.

The Wrong Question

"Will AI take my job?"

This question assumes work is a zero-sum game. One winner, one loser. But the history of tools tells a different story: the plow didn't replace farmers, it transformed farming. The spreadsheet didn't replace accountants, it transformed accounting.

The right question:

What can I do that's worth doing—and how does AI amplify that?

The Shift

For a century, organizations mapped themselves as hierarchies. Org charts showed who reports to whom. Career meant climbing boxes.

That map no longer matches the territory.

Microsoft, managing 200,000+ employees, now talks about "work charts" instead of org charts:

Org Chart	Work Chart
Maps hierarchy	Maps capability
Who reports to whom	What work needs doing
Fixed boxes	Fluid skills
Career = climbing	Career = expanding what you can do

The org chart asked: "Where do you sit?"

The work chart asks: "What can you do, and where is that valuable?"

The Synthesis

Here's what most people miss: AI doesn't replace human capability—it reveals what was always uniquely human.

When AI handles information retrieval, pattern matching, and routine synthesis, what remains?

AI Does Well	Humans Do Differently
Process data	Judge what data matters
Find patterns	Decide which patterns to act on
Generate options	Choose among options with stakes
Execute instructions	Set the instructions worth executing
Optimize for metrics	Define which metrics matter

The synthesis is not division of labor. It's a new kind of thinking—human judgment amplified by machine capability.

The Zone of Proximal Development

The Last Economy

Vygotsky identified a truth that transforms how we think about learning: the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) is the gap between what you can do alone and what you can do with guidance. The person who guides you across that gap is the More Knowledgeable Other (MKO).

But here's what most miss: MKO is not a fixed role. It's fluid. Contextual. Everyone is simultaneously student and teacher.

The Fluid Market of Learning

The best teacher for any specific obstacle is not the grand master—it's the person who just overcame that exact obstacle. Their knowledge is fresh. Their struggle is recent. They remember what was confusing.

MKO Type	Advantage	Limitation
Expert	Deep pattern library	Forgot what it's like to not know
Peer	Similar context	May share your blind spots
Recent Graduate	Fresh memory of the struggle	Limited range
AI	Infinite patience, instant recall	No lived experience of the struggle

The insight: learning is a mesh, not a hierarchy. In any moment, you're the MKO for someone on something. Someone else is the MKO for you on something else.

Student and Teacher

This is the loop running at the collaboration level:

You struggle → Find an MKO → Cross the gap → Become an MKO → Guide another

Work becomes a fluid marketplace—not just of capabilities, but of learning relationships. Your value isn't just what you can do. It's also what gap you can help others cross.

Capability	Human Edge	AI Edge	Demand
Strategy	Judgment, trade-offs	Scenario modeling	High
Sales	Trust, relationships	Lead gen, outreach	High
Product	Empathy, taste	Code, testing	High
Infrastructure	Architecture decisions	Automation	Medium
Operations	Exceptions, judgment	Process automation	Low
Administration	Compliance oversight	Bookkeeping	Low

High demand + Human edge = point of difference.

Low demand + AI edge = automate or outsource.

AI as MKO

AI changes the MKO equation. It can be:

• Infinitely patient — Explains the same concept differently until it clicks
• Always available — 3am debugging sessions without guilt
• Non-judgmental — No "you should know this" shame
• Adaptive — Adjusts to your specific ZPD

But AI cannot:

• Share struggle — It never felt confused, so its "I understand" is hollow
• Model breakthrough — You can't watch AI have an "aha" moment
• Provide accountability — No stakes, no skin in the game
• Know your specific context — Unless you teach it

The synthesis: use AI to cross gaps quickly, use humans to cross gaps deeply. Some learning needs efficiency. Some needs the shared experience of struggle.

The Collaboration Formula

In any working relationship—human+human or human+AI:

Role	You Ask	You Provide
As Student	"What am I not seeing?"	Context about your struggle
As Teacher	"Where are you stuck?"	Recent memory of crossing the same gap
As Partner	"What can we figure out together?"	Honest friction, no performance

The goal is flow—the loop running smoothly, roles shifting naturally, each person scaffolding the other through their ZPD.

→ Flow and the consciousness loop

The Capability Loop

How do capabilities evolve? The same way any skill improves—through the loop:

Purpose → Problems → Progress → Performance → Questions
   ↓         ↓          ↓           ↓            ↓
  WHY      SCOPE      WHERE        HOW        EVOLVE

Phase	Question	Your Work	Decision
Purpose	What am I working on and why?	Know your value, not just your tasks	Commitment
Problems	What obstacles am I solving?	Bound your scope—say no to stay sharp	Conviction
Progress	What does success look like?	Picture the outcome before starting	Consensus
Performance	How do I know it's working?	Measure what matters, not what's easy	Calibration
Questions	What don't I know yet?	Stay curious—capabilities that stop evolving die	Continuation

Each phase demands a decision. Purpose without commitment is daydreaming. Progress without consensus is wandering. The P-C framework turns perception into action.

This is the engine of agency: capabilities that compound because they keep learning.

The Human Edge

As AI handles more routine cognition, the human edge shifts:

Era	Edge	Durable?
Yesterday	Knowledge (what you know)	Eroding fast
Today	Judgment (what you decide)	Still valuable
Tomorrow	Character (who you are)	Irreplaceable

What remains irreplaceable?

• Selling — Trust requires character. You can't outsource skin in the game.
• Purpose — Meaning can't be computed. Only humans ask "why does this matter?"
• Ethics — Judgment requires stakes. Accountability needs a who, not a what.
• Narrative — Stories need a storyteller with something to lose.

The frontier isn't AI versus humans. It's AI amplifying humans who have something worth amplifying.

The Frontier Firm

Microsoft's 2025 Work Trend Index identifies three phases:

Phase	AI Role	Human Role
Personal Assistant	Tool for tasks	Does the work
Digital Colleague	Joins the team	Collaborates
Frontier Firm	Operates autonomously	Oversees & directs

The next new hire may not be a person. 45% of leaders say expanding capacity with digital labor is a top priority.

But here's what the report doesn't say: whoever directs the digital colleagues needs judgment, taste, and purpose that AI doesn't have.

The scarcest resource won't be intelligence. It will be wisdom about what to do with it.

Your Digital Colleagues

What kinds of AI will you actually work with?

Not all agents are created equal. They exist on a spectrum—from simple task executors to ecosystem orchestrators. The higher up the spectrum, the more your human edge matters.

Type	What It Does	You Provide	Examples
Taskers	Executes single instructions	Clear tasks	Data entry bots, API callers
Automators	Runs multi-step workflows	Process design	Workflow engines, CRMs
Collaborators	Partners on complex work	Judgment, direction	Virtual teams, R&D agents
Orchestrators	Coordinates entire ecosystems	Vision, governance	DAO governance, DePIN networks

Notice the pattern: as agent complexity increases, so does the demand for human wisdom. Taskers need clear instructions. Orchestrators need someone who knows what game is worth playing.

The question becomes: which level do you want to operate at?

→ Explore AI frameworks and platforms

Two Paths

How do you build capability that compounds in this world?

Path	Focus	For Whom
Dream Engineer	Product, strategy, narrative	Those who see what's next
Infrastructure Engineer	Platform, systems, scale	Those who build what lasts

Both paths require the same foundation: human capability that AI amplifies rather than replaces.

Building AI-Native Skills

The old model: learn a skill, then maybe use AI to help.

The new model: learn WITH AI from the start—building skills designed for human+AI collaboration.

Old Skill	AI-Native Skill
Write code	Direct AI to write code, review, iterate
Research topics	Frame questions, synthesize AI-gathered sources
Draft documents	Set constraints, evaluate AI drafts, refine
Solve problems	Define the problem, evaluate AI-generated solutions
Learn frameworks	Have AI teach you interactively, build as you learn

The meta-skill: knowing when to think and when to delegate thinking.

The Skill Loop

Every capability you build should run through this cycle:

Define → Delegate → Evaluate → Integrate → Evolve

1. Define — What outcome do I need? What constraints matter?
2. Delegate — What can AI handle? What's my prompt?
3. Evaluate — Is this good? What's missing? Where's my judgment needed?
4. Integrate — How does this fit with everything else?
5. Evolve — What did I learn? How do I do this better next time?

This is the capability loop applied to AI collaboration. The more you run it, the sharper your judgment becomes.

Prompt as Skill

Your ability to get value from AI depends on your ability to communicate intent:

Weak Prompt	Strong Prompt
"Write marketing copy"	"Write 3 headlines for [product] targeting [audience] who struggle with [problem]. Tone: confident but not salesy. Max 8 words each."
"Help me code"	"I need a function that [specific behavior]. Current code: [context]. Error: [message]. Explain your approach before writing."
"Research this topic"	"Find 5 contrarian views on [topic] from credible sources. For each: core claim, evidence, and strongest counterargument."

The pattern: context + constraints + format + success criteria.

Your prompts should evolve. Save the ones that work. Build a library.

Where Do You Start?

The loop begins with perception. Look at your current work:

1. What do you do that requires judgment? — That's your edge.
2. What do you do that's routine? — That's what AI should handle.
3. What would you do if AI handled the routine? — That's your future.

This Week

Pick one from each level:

Accelerate learning (invest in yourself)

• Have AI teach you a framework interactively—ask "explain like I'm building something"
• Replace your next Stack Overflow search with an AI conversation that adapts to your codebase
• When debugging, ask AI to explain why the error happened, not just fix it

Automate the boring (reclaim time)

• Turn one repetitive workflow into a prompt you can reuse
• Build a "first draft" prompt for documents you write repeatedly
• Create a data processing pipeline with AI writing the transformation logic

Amplify thinking (raise your ceiling)

• Before a decision, ask AI: "What am I not considering? Play devil's advocate."
• Use AI to synthesize 10 sources into a structured brief in 5 minutes
• Generate 20 variations of an idea, then apply your judgment to find the best 3

Build your prompt library (compound returns)

• Save every prompt that works well
• Iterate on prompts that almost worked
• Notice patterns in what makes your prompts effective

The gap between where you are and where you could be isn't AI's job to close. It's yours.

AI gives you leverage. What you leverage it for is the question only you can answer.

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The Coordination Protocol

The Full XV is the final piece of three systems that bridge self-knowledge to collective action:

THOUGHT AUDIT       →    TEAMWORK INDEX     →     FULL XV
Know yourself            Find your people         Play your position
"Where's my ZPD?"        "Who's my MKO?"         "Where do I fit?"

System	Question	Function
Thought Audit	Where am I?	Diagnose gaps across the 15 Ps
Teamwork Index	Who scaffolds me?	Match people at adjacent ZPDs
The Full XV (this page)	Where do I contribute?	Coordinate positions to win

The Full XV

Every capability you build runs through fifteen interconnected positions — like a rugby team where each player has a role and all must coordinate to win.

The Tight Five — Your Platform

The forwards. The scrum. Without them, nothing moves. These are the questions that never stop mattering:

#	Position	Question	Builds
1	Problem-Purpose	Why does this matter?	Clarity
2	Principles	What truths guide you?	Trust
3	Platform-Product	What do you control?	Leverage
4	Perspective-Potential	What do you see others don't?	Conviction
5	Performance-Progress	How do you know it's working?	Agency

The Loose Forwards — The Bridge

They win possession AND run with it. The link between platform and execution:

#	Position	Question
6	Priorities	What deserves focus now?
7	Positioning	Where does value meet demand?
8	Predictions	Where is the ball going?

The Backs — Speed and Finish

Creativity, execution, finishing. But useless without possession:

#	Position	Question
9	Prompts	What triggers action?
10	Questions	What don't you know?
11	Products	What do you ship?
12	Persuasion	How do you move people?
13	Protocols	What standards enable coordination?
14	Performance	What metrics matter?
15	Purpose	Why are you playing?

The #10 — Questions — is the playmaker. They read the game, interpret reality (perspective), and convert problems into opportunities (purpose). Without the 10, possession means nothing.

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The Three Systems

The XV organizes into three systems that map to the loop:

Belief System — How You See (Perceive)

P	Builds	Role
Principles	Credibility	Core truths that guide decisions
Perspective	Confidence	See what others miss
Predictions	Conviction	Know where the ball is going

Value System — What Matters (Question)

P	Builds	Role
Purpose	Commitment	Know why you're building
Problems	Clarity	Define the gap you're closing
Progress	Consensus	Picture what success looks like
Positioning	Capital	Find where edge meets demand
Priorities	Commitment	Choose what deserves focus
Performance	Confidence	Measure what matters

Control System — How You Act (Act)

P	Builds	Role
Platform	Capital	Assets that power your moves
Protocols	Consistency	Standards for coordination
Products	Cash Flow	Deliver your point of difference
Persuasion	Credibility	Move people to act
Prompts	Consistency	Triggers for right action

Questions connects all three — the catalyst that converts perspective into purpose, problems into products.

Ps build Cs. Every perceive sharpens your ability to commit. Every commitment reveals what to perceive next. The loop compounds.

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Deeper dives:

• AI Frameworks & Platforms — Tools for building with AI
• Digital Beings — AI agent archetypes
• Capabilities — Build what compounds
• The Game — Master the loop
• Questions — The engine of evolution

Where is your point of difference?