As organizations grapple with proving the value of artificial intelligence, a leading voice in the employee experience space is calling for a fundamental shift in how success is measured. John Phillips, Group Vice President of Employee Experience at ServiceNow, argues that counting how often employees use AI tools is the wrong approach. Instead, the focus should be on whether jobs are completed faster, with less friction, and with better outcomes for both employees and the business.
Phillips made these remarks during a recent episode of the podcast You Should Know, hosted by Ryan Leary and William Tincup. The discussion arrives as chief human resource officers face mounting pressure to demonstrate AI productivity gains across increasingly fragmented technology stacks. Phillips was blunt about the current state of the industry, describing a scenario where every system of record ships its own AI agent, creating chaos for practitioners. He likened it to a train wreck of productivity.
The core problem, according to Phillips, is that organizations are measuring the wrong thing. We're going to quickly stop talking about AI adoption as tool usage, and we're going to start looking at the outcomes and jobs to be done, he said. This prediction comes as companies struggle to quantify the benefits of AI investments, especially when multiple tools are deployed that do not communicate with each other. Phillips noted that customers often arrive with eight purchased AI tools plus one they built themselves, none of which are integrated.
To address this, ServiceNow advocates for an AI control tower approach—an agentic overlay that connects 15 large language models and 100 systems. This strategy aims to stitch together disparate tools rather than requiring a complete overhaul of existing infrastructure. By layering an agentic companion across systems, organizations can reduce friction and improve workflow efficiency without the disruption of ripping and replacing.
The conversation also touched on the human side of productivity. Phillips emphasized the importance of discretionary effort over traditional engagement surveys, suggesting that hyper-personalization is more valuable than one-size-fits-all pulse data. He highlighted the two-sided value exchange between employee and employer, questioning what happens to the hours a tool claims to save. High performance has both extreme focus and extreme recovery, he noted, adding that the highest performers in any environment possess these traits.
The episode also explored the collapse of work boundaries since the pandemic, leading to burnout and an internal dialogue of am I enough. Phillips connected his philosophy to personal experiences in refugee camps, arguing that skills and talent are universal but opportunity is not. This perspective informs ServiceNow's approach to employee experience, focusing on outcomes that benefit both the individual and the organization.
For CHROs and business leaders, the implications are significant. Measuring AI adoption by usage rates can lead to misguided investments and missed opportunities for genuine improvement. By shifting to outcome-based metrics, organizations can better align AI initiatives with strategic goals and demonstrate tangible value. As Phillips said, the industry is at a tipping point where the conversation must move from tool counting to work outcomes.
The episode with John Phillips is available now on major podcast platforms. For more insights from the WRKdefined Podcast Network, listeners can explore other episodes that tackle leadership challenges in the modern workplace.
