Boundary Leadership in a Disrupted World: From Pandemic to AI

Boundary Leadership in the Age of Disruption: Navigating AI, Learning, and Crisis

Two years ago, I submitted a thesis exploring the experience of leaders learning through the rapidly changing world of work during COVID-19. My research, conducted in 2020 amidst the pandemic, came at a time when organizations were grappling with lockdowns, staff shortages, and a massive shift to virtual environments. As I reflect on those findings now, with the rise of Generative AI (Gen AI), I see a similar pattern of disruption and boundary-crossing that leaders must navigate.

COVID-19 was a boundary disruption that forced leaders to rethink their roles and adjust their mental models in real-time. The question now is: what can we learn from that experience, and how can it guide us through the equally transformative—and disruptive—arrival of Gen AI?

Introduction: Revisiting Boundaries in Leadership

In a world where crises like COVID-19 reshape how we work and live, boundaries are not just physical markers but social, cognitive, and technological constructs. Leaders must navigate these shifting boundaries. Susan Leigh Star's 1989 concept of "boundary objects" shows how shared resources can bridge gaps between different social worlds, promoting collaboration and innovation.

With Gen AI, these boundaries are being tested again, offering both opportunities and challenges. COVID-19 taught us that boundary disruptions often create new spaces for learning and leadership. Understanding how AI impacts roles and processes—and preparing people to adapt—will be crucial in integrating this technology successfully, without overwhelming the workforce.

Boundaries as Disruption: Lessons from COVID-19

COVID-19 created what I referred to as a "disorienting dilemma" for leaders. Traditional models of leadership were no longer enough, as leaders had to engage in expansive learning (Engeström). They were forced to rethink deeply ingrained assumptions and challenge contradictions within their systems. Rather than avoiding boundaries, crossing them created new possibilities.

Similarly, AI is now a new type of boundary disruption—a “runaway object” (Engeström, 1987) that is reshaping both strategic and operational leadership. Like COVID-19, AI demands that leaders unlearn old habits, embrace flexibility, and adopt new ways of thinking.

Reflection Point: What old assumptions or habits have you had to unlearn in order to embrace AI, and how deeply held were they?

Trust, Security, and Psychological Safety in AI Leadership

As with any disruptive technology, trust and security are key. Leaders must create psychological safety around AI implementation, encouraging experimentation and critical thinking. Leaders must be aware of when they feel uncomfortable and explore the reasons why—this often signals that a boundary is being disrupted. Is using AI "cheating," or is it simply a tool to make work more efficient?

The competitive advantages of early AI adoption cannot be ignored, but leaders must ask: is AI creating a new monopoly for those ahead of the curve, and are we prepared to manage the ethical consequences?

Culture, Artifacts, and Social Learning in the Age of AI

COVID-19 reshaped leadership through socio-cultural discontinuities—leaders had to renegotiate personal and professional identities, often using new artifacts (e.g., digital tools) to facilitate learning and interaction. Now, AI tools have become boundary objects themselves, crossing various social and professional spaces. These tools have the power to influence entire industries, further blurring the line between human decision-making and machine-driven outcomes.

Reflection Point: How has AI changed the way your teams interact with tools and each other? What artifacts are emerging, and how are they shaping your work culture?

AI as a Crisis: Reflexivity and Leadership Challenges

AI, like COVID-19, presents "ill-defined problems" (Mumford et al., 2000), where there is no single correct answer. My research during the pandemic found that leaders who reflected on their emotional and cognitive responses were better able to navigate the crisis. Leaders today must develop meta-reflexivity (Archer, 2012), considering not just their organization’s immediate needs, but the broader ethical, social, and cultural impacts of AI.

Reflection Point: How often do you reflect on AI’s broader societal implications, beyond the day-to-day operations?

Generative AI: Tool or Environment?

A critical point for today’s leaders is determining whether Gen AI is merely a tool or an entirely new environment that reshapes boundaries. During COVID-19, leaders were tasked with finding workable solutions to novel problems. AI now forces leaders to balance its role as a tool for automation with its larger impact on decision-making processes and organizational boundaries.

Leaders must ask whether AI augments human capability or whether it fundamentally alters boundaries that require a new approach to leadership, particularly in areas like ethics, trust, and control.

Skill Development for Boundary Leadership in an AI World

COVID-19 revealed that successful leaders were those who developed adaptability, emotional intelligence, and expansive learning capabilities. The ability to unlearn old models and embrace new ones was critical. This lesson is just as applicable in the AI era. Leaders must foster environments that encourage risk-taking, reflection, and continuous development.

Moving from understanding learning as something that can be “”consumed " or “acquired” will to something we need to construct and generate gives you a new view that content and input are simply ingredients but not the end outcome of learning which we so often hear reflected in how people talk about content generation and micro learning experiences. The ideas held in Expansive learning, as theorized by Engeström, are crucial, as leaders need to navigate boundaries between technical expertise, ethics, and strategy. 

In terms of skills taxonomies Boundary Skills can be codified into these four areas (Akermann and Bakker 2011) and rethinking competency frameworks to include boundary leadership skills as a foundation will enable your organization to elevate and broaden their horizons from the

traditional competency boxes that were designed 2-3 generations ago and are now so filled with holes and contradictions, if they were a cheese they would be swiss cheese, filled with holes and air. 

Key Findings from My 2022 Thesis

1. Learning is the Work for Leaders – Leadership, especially in times of crisis, requires continuous learning, and learning is deeply intertwined with leading. We have separate words for both learning and leadership, however if you line these up together leadership is akin with learning as a process.  I often wonder if we were to simplify both and rethink of them as space making and storytelling would we have a simpler, less dominating and more collective way of making impact and difference in our respective worlds of work? 
2. Learning is Unlearning – Leaders must unlearn old ways of thinking to adapt to new, disruptive challenges. Unlearning carries emotional consequences and the experience of pain is not unusual. If we are in a world where discomfort is being systematically eliminated will this make it more difficult for people to do the deep unlearning that is needed in parts to make a better future possible. 
3. Learning is Social – The zone of development expands when leaders collaborate and cross boundaries with others. Autonomous reflexivity makes this challenging and in my study all leaders when faced with crisis found the pressure release valve for that disruption outside of their organizational boundaries, raising the question about the true locus of control for organizations and how much is outside of the visible control points, giving rise to the broader questions of the role of organizations in our human world.  
4. Reflection Creates Value – Reflective practice is crucial to integrating new learning and adapting to rapidly changing circumstances. I found that reflection (based on historical experience)  set the starting point and the type of reflexivity practiced by the individual set the trajectory and direction of action. 

Final Recommendation

For L&D managers, leaders, and ecosystem engineers: as AI continues to redefine boundaries, it is essential to create spaces where reflection, critical thinking, and emotional intelligence are encouraged. Use these reflections to guide your strategy:

• How can AI be harnessed as both a tool and an environment for growth?
• What deeply held assumptions are leaders and teams clinging to that might need to be unlearned?
• How can expansive learning and critical reflection be incorporated into daily practices to ensure all voices are heard in decision-making?

Leadership in this new era will depend not only on mastering AI but also on understanding and navigating the boundaries it creates.

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