Royal Australasian College of Physicians Licenses Scott M. Graffius' "Phases of Team Development" Intellectual Property on Teamwork Tradecraft

BY SCOTT M. GRAFFIUS | ScottGraffius.com

royal-australasian-college-of-physicians-features-scott-m-graffius-work---lwres

Recommended Citation

Graffius, S. M. (2026, July 21). Royal Australasian College of Physicians Licenses Scott M. Graffius' "Phases of Team Development" Intellectual Property on Teamwork Tradecraft. ScottGraffius.com.
https://scottgraffius.com/blog/files/royal-australasian-college-of-physicians-features-scott-m-graffius-work.html




About This Article

Source information and links for materials cited are provided in the References section.




A Leading Voice in Physician Education Adopts Graffius' Material on Teamwork Tradecraft


The Royal Australasian College of Physicians (RACP) has licensed Scott M. Graffius' "Phases of Team Development" (2022 edition) intellectual property for use in its professional and educational programs.

Selected excerpts from RADP's request and Graffius' authorization are shown in the visual below. Confidential and sensitive information was redacted.

royal-australasian-college-of-physicians-features-scott-m-graffius-work---excerpts-lwres




About the Royal Australasian College of Physicians



The Royal Australasian College of Physicians is one of the leading medical specialist colleges in Australia and New Zealand and a highly influential institution in physician education, training, and professional standards across the region. Founded in 1938, the RACP has a long and distinguished history in medicine, and today represents more than 30,000 physicians and trainee physicians.

The College plays a central role in:

  • Physician and paediatrician training,
  • Continuing professional development,
  • Accreditation of training programs,
  • Examinations and certification,
  • Healthcare leadership, and
  • Advancement of medical standards and practice.

Its scope spans adult internal medicine, paediatrics and child health, public health medicine, rehabilitation medicine, addiction medicine, occupational medicine, palliative medicine, and numerous subspecialties. Within medicine, Fellowship of the RACP (FRACP) is widely recognized as a prestigious professional credential, and the College is deeply embedded in the medical and healthcare systems of both Australia and New Zealand, serving as a major voice in physician education, policy, and professional excellence.

Visit the RACP website for additional information. The References section provides a link to it and more.




About Graffius' "Phases of Team Development"



Informed by the research of Bruce W. Tuckman and Mary Ann C. Jensen, over 150 subsequent studies on human teamwork, and Scott M. Graffius' first-hand professional experience with and analysis of team leadership and high-performance teams, Graffius created his "Phases of Team Development" as a unique perspective and visual conveying the five phases of team development—Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing, and Adjourning—inclusive of a graph showing how performance varies by phase, as well as the characteristics and strategies for each phase.

Leaders can apply the actionable insights to help advance the effectiveness and success of teams.

It has been used by businesses, professional associations, government agencies, universities, publications, and others around the world. Examples in addition to the Royal Australasian College of Physicians include:

  • Adobe,
  • American Management Association,
  • Bayer,
  • Boston University,
  • Broadcom,
  • Cisco,
  • DevOps Institute,
  • Government of Finland,
  • Hasso-Plattner-Institut für Digital Engineering GmbH,
  • IEEE,
  • Johns Hopkins University,
  • Journal of Neurosurgery,
  • Microsoft,
  • Oracle,
  • Technical University of Munich,
  • Tufts University,
  • U.S. National Park Service,
  • U.S. Tennis Association,
  • University of California at San Diego (UCSD),
  • University of South Wales,
  • University of Waterloo,
  • Yale University,
  • and many more.

First introduced in 2008 and periodically updated, his work provides a diagnostic and strategic guide for navigating team dynamics. In 2026, Graffius added human-AI teamwork—including the "exotic team dynamics" which emerge when advanced AI (agentic, autonomous, or autopoietic) collaborates as a teammate.

A visual from the current (2026) edition is shown below. Additional details are
here.

phases-of-team-development-2026-1000px




Conclusion



The Royal Australasian College of Physicians, a leading medical specialist college with more than 30,000 physicians and trainee physicians across Australia and New Zealand, has licensed Scott M. Graffius' "Phases of Team Development" for use in its professional and educational initiatives. Effective teams don't just perform better; in medicine, they save lives. Graffius gives leaders a diagnostic and strategic guide to advance the effectiveness of teams, and its adoption in a healthcare setting of this scale underscores its practical relevance where teamwork, communication, and collaboration directly shape patient care and outcomes.




Scott M. Graffius has generated over $2.51 billion in business value for Fortune 500 companies and other organizations around the world. Put that track record to work for you. For speaking engagements, use the request form; for other inquiries, email him.




References



Graffius, S. M. (2022, February 14). Use the Phases of Team Development (Based on Bruce W. Tuckman's Model of Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing, and Adjourning) to Help Teams Grow and Advance: 2022 Update. ScottGraffius.com.
https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.19112.85766

Graffius, S. M. (2026, January 3). Scott M. Graffius' Phases of Team Development - Applied to Human Teams and Human-AI Teams: 2026 Update. ScottGraffius.com.
https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.18184.89601

Royal Australasian College of Physicians. (n.d.).
https://www.racp.edu.au/




About Scott M. Graffius



scott_m_graffius_-_blue_-_1000x1000_-lwres

Scott M. Graffius is a strategic transformation leader who drives AI, Agile, and broader business and technology initiatives to deliver measurable value across projects, programs, portfolios, and PMOs. He is an expert in the teamwork tradecraft of both human and human-AI teams, including the “exotic team dynamics” that emerge. He is also an authority on the temporal patterns of social media, including the half-life of audience engagement.

He’s a practitioner, researcher, thought leader, award-winning author, and keynote speaker who’s taken the stage at 99 conferences and other events across 25 countries.

He’s delivered over $2.51 billion in value for Fortune 500 companies and other leaders in technology, entertainment, financial services, healthcare, and beyond.

Businesses, professional associations, government agencies, and universities use Graffius and feature his work. Examples include Adobe, Bayer, Boston University, Ford, Gartner, Harvard Medical School, IEEE, Johns Hopkins University, Microsoft, MSN, National Academy of Sciences, Oracle, Pinterest Inc., Project Management Institute, UC San Diego, Verizon, Yale University, and others.

The following sections provide additional information on his experience, contributions, and influence.

Experience

Graffius heads the professional services firm Exceptional PPM and PMO Solutions, along with its subsidiary Exceptional Agility. These consultancies offer strategic and tactical advisory, training, embedded expertise, and consulting services to the public, private, and government sectors. They help organizations enhance their capabilities and results in agile, project management, program management, portfolio management, and PMO leadership, supporting innovation and driving competitive advantage. The consultancies confidently back services with a Delighted Client Guarantee™.

Graffius is a former VP of project management with a publicly traded provider of diverse consumer products and services over the Internet. Before that, he ran and supervised the delivery of projects and programs in public and private organizations with businesses ranging from e-commerce to advanced technology products and services, retail, manufacturing, entertainment, and more.

He has experience with consumer, business, reseller, government, and international markets.

Award-Winning Author

Graffius has authored three books.


International Public Speaker

Organizations worldwide engage Graffius to present on tech (including AI), Agile, project management, program management, portfolio management, and PMO leadership. He crafts and delivers unique and compelling talks and workshops.
Graffius has conducted 99 sessions across 25 countries. Select examples of events include Agile Trends Gov, BSides (Newcastle Upon Tyne), Conf42 Quantum Computing, DevDays Europe, DevOps Institute, DevOpsDays (Geneva), Frug’Agile, IEEE, Microsoft, Scottish Summit, Scrum Alliance RSG (Nepal), Techstars, and W Love Games International Video Game Development Conference (Helsinki), and more.

With an average rating of 4.81 (on a scale of 1-5), sessions are highly valued.

The speaker engagement request form is
here.

Thought Leadership and Influence

Prominent businesses, professional associations, government agencies, and universities have showcased Graffius and his contributions—spanning his books, talks, workshops, and beyond. Select examples include:

  • Adobe,
  • American Management Association,
  • Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute,
  • Bayer,
  • BMC Software,
  • Boston University,
  • Broadcom,
  • Cisco,
  • Coburg University of Applied Sciences and Arts - Germany,
  • Computer Weekly,
  • Constructor University - Germany,
  • Data Governance Success,
  • Deimos Aerospace,
  • DevOps Institute,
  • Dropbox,
  • EU's European Commission,
  • Ford Motor Company,
  • Gartner,
  • GoDaddy,
  • Harvard Medical School,
  • Hasso Plattner Institute - Germany,
  • IEEE,
  • Innovation Project Management,
  • Johns Hopkins University,
  • Journal of Neurosurgery,
  • Lam Research (Semiconductors),
  • Leadership Worthy,
  • Life Sciences Trainers and Educators Network,
  • London South Bank University,
  • Microsoft,
  • MSN,
  • NASSCOM,
  • National Academy of Sciences,
  • New Zealand Government,
  • Oracle,
  • Pinterest Inc.,
  • Project Management Institute,
  • Mary Raum (Professor of National Security Affairs, United States Naval War College),
  • SANS Institute,
  • SBG Neumark - Germany,
  • Singapore Institute of Technology,
  • Torrens University - Australia,
  • TBS Switzerland,
  • Tufts University,
  • UC San Diego,
  • UK Sports Institute,
  • University of Galway - Ireland,
  • US Department of Energy,
  • US National Park Service,
  • US Soccer,
  • US Tennis Association,
  • Verizon,
  • Wrike,
  • Yale University,
  • and many others.

Graffius has played a key role in the Project Management Institute (PMI) in developing professional standards. He was a member of multiple teams that authored, reviewed, and produced:

  • The Standard for Artificial Intelligence in Portfolio, Program, and Project Management
  • Agile Practice Guide – Second Edition
  • A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK Guide) – Eighth Edition
  • A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK Guide) – Sixth Edition
  • The Standard for Program Management – Fourth Edition
  • Practice Standard for Work Breakdown Structures – Second Edition
  • The Practice Standard for Project Estimating – Second Edition

He was also a subject matter expert reviewer of content for the PMI’s Congress. Beyond the PMI, Graffius also served as a member of the review team for two of the Scrum Alliance’s Global Scrum Gatherings.

Acclaimed Authority on Teamwork Tradecraft

Scott-M-Graffius-Phases-Of-Team-Development-2026-Update-v26010307G2-jpg-lwres

Graffius is a renowned authority on teamwork tradecraft. Informed by the research of Bruce W. Tuckman and Mary Ann C. Jensen, over 150 subsequent studies, and Graffius' first-hand professional experience with, and analysis of, team leadership and performance, Graffius created his "Phases of Team Development" intellectual property as a unique perspective and visual conveying the five phases of team development. First introduced in 2008 and periodically updated, his work provides a diagnostic and strategic guide for navigating team dynamics. It provides actionable insights for leaders across industries to develop high-performance teams. Its adoption by esteemed organizations such as Yale University, IEEE, Cisco, Microsoft, Ford, Oracle, Broadcom, the U.S. National Park Service, and the Journal of Neurosurgery, among others, highlights its utility and value, solidifying its status as an indispensable resource for elevating team performance and driving organizational excellence. In 2026, Graffius added human-AI teamwork—including the "exotic team dynamics" which emerge when advanced AI collaborates as a teammate—to his "Phases of Team Development."

The 2026 edition of Graffius' "Phases of Team Development" intellectual property is here.

Expert on Temporal Dynamics on Social Media Platforms

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Graffius is also an authority on temporal dynamics on social media platforms. His "Lifespan (Half-Life) of Social Media Posts" research—first published in 2018 and updated annually—delivers a precise quantitative analysis of post longevity across digital platforms, utilizing advanced statistical techniques to determine mean half-life with precision. It establishes a solid empirical base, effectively highlighting the ephemeral nature of content within social media ecosystems. Referenced and applied by leading entities—such as Fast Company, GoDaddy,
Journal of Hand Surgery (European Volume), Ministère de la Culture (French Ministry of Culture), Pinterest Inc., PNAS, and Telecommunications Policy, among others—his research exemplifies methodological rigor and sustained significance in the field of digital informatics.

The 2026 edition of Graffius "Lifespan (Half-Life) of Social Media Posts" research is here.

Education and Professional Certifications

Graffius has a bachelor’s degree in psychology with a focus in Human Factors. He holds eight professional certifications:

  • Certified SAFe 6 Agilist (SA),
  • Certified Scrum Professional - ScrumMaster (CSP-SM),
  • Certified Scrum Professional - Product Owner (CSP-PO),
  • Certified ScrumMaster (CSM),
  • Certified Scrum Product Owner (CSPO),
  • Project Management Professional (PMP),
  • Lean Six Sigma Green Belt (LSSGB), and
  • IT Service Management Foundation (ITIL).

He is an active member of the Scrum Alliance, the Project Management Institute (PMI), and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE).

Advancing AI, Agile, and Project/PMO Management

Scott M. Graffius continues to advance the fields of AI, Agile, and Project/PMO Management through his leadership, research, writing, and real-world impact. Businesses and other organizations leverage Graffius’ insights to drive their success.

Discover Scott’s Books


Connect with and follow Scott on LinkedIn, X, YouTube, Facebook, Threads, Bluesky, Mastodon, and ResearchGate.




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How to Cite This Article



Graffius, S. M. (2026, July 21). Royal Australasian College of Physicians Licenses Scott M. Graffius' "Phases of Team Development" Intellectual Property on Teamwork Tradecraft. ScottGraffius.com.
https://scottgraffius.com/blog/files/royal-australasian-college-of-physicians-features-scott-m-graffius-work.html




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Digital Object Identifier (DOI)



Coming soon.




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Content Acknowledgements



The Royal Australasian College of Physicians (RACP) is a leading medical specialist college in Australia and New Zealand and a highly influential institution in physician education, training, and professional standards across the region. It represents over 30,000 medical specialists and trainee specialists from 33 different specialties. With a license from Scott M. Graffius, RACP is using his "Phases of Team Development" (2022 edition) intellectual property for professional and educational purposes. Graffius periodically updates his work; the 2026 edition is here: https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.18184.89601. RACP name, mark, and content are the property of RACP. Graffius' "Phases of Team Development" is copyright © Scott M. Graffius. All rights reserved.




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Tags and Hashtags



  • Royal Australasian College of Physicians
  • RACP
  • Phases of Team Development
  • Team Dynamics
  • Teamwork Tradecraft
  • Exotic Team Dynamics
  • Healthcare Leadership
  • Physician Education

  • #RACP
  • #RoyalAustralasianCollegeOfPhysicians
  • #PhasesOfTeamDevelopment
  • #TeamworkTradecraft
  • #TeamDynamics
  • #ExoticTeamDynamics
  • #HealthcareLeadership




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Post-Publication Notes



If there are any supplements or updates to this article after the date of publication, they will appear here.




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Copyright



Copyright © Scott M. Graffius. All rights reserved.

Content on this site—including text, images, videos, and data—may not be used for training or input into any artificial intelligence, machine learning, or automatized learning systems, or published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without the express written permission of Scott M. Graffius.






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Meta CTO Called the AI Reorganization “Atrocious” — What Went Wrong and the Lessons for Human-AI Teams

BY SCOTT M. GRAFFIUS | ScottGraffius.com

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Recommended Citation

Graffius, S. M. (2026, August 27). Meta CTO Called the AI Reorganization “Atrocious” — What Went Wrong and the Lessons for Human-AI Teams. ScottGraffius.com.
https://scottgraffius.com/blog/files/meta-called-their-ai-reorg-atrocious.html




About This Article

Source information and links for materials cited are provided in the References section.




The Situation



Meta's Project OT, short for Organization Transformation, was an ambitious effort to make the company more AI-native. The idea was to use AI to take on more work, increase individual employees' leverage, and operate with smaller teams. Internal planning documents reportedly contemplated reducing the size of some teams by as much as 60%.

The restructuring was planned in two waves. In May 2026, Meta laid off about 8,000 employees, or roughly 10% of its workforce. Thousands of others were moved into AI-focused or other priority initiatives. But the transformation failed spectacularly. Employee sentiment reportedly dropped from 74% favorable to 55%. Others were unhappy with new assignments they considered mundane or unfulfilling. Still others raised concerns about how their work activity was being used to train AI systems (that could eventually replace them), adding another layer of unease to an unsettled workforce.

Then there were the technology and operational results. According to a June post by Meta CTO Andrew Bosworth, code changes to internal software platforms and infrastructure increased 220% year over year. But changes that resulted in new or upgraded features reaching Meta users increased only 36%. Major technical and security incidents increased 40%, while employee time spent firefighting those problems increased 70%. Bosworth acknowledged that Meta had done an "atrocious" job explaining the vision for its new Applied AI organization, including how employees would be supported during the transition and how the organization would evolve. Meta subsequently canceled the second wave of restructuring planned for November 2026. CEO Mark Zuckerberg later acknowledged that the company had miscalculated the timing and that AI-agent technology had not advanced as quickly as he had anticipated.

An obvious way to read the story is that Meta tried to reorganize around AI, moved too quickly, and ran into problems. But many of Meta’s difficulties were potentially avoidable human-AI team design matters.




Lessons for Human-AI Teams



"Exotic team dynamics," coined and developed by Scott M. Graffius, does not explain everything that transpired at Meta. But it provides a useful framework for examining what happens when AI moves from being a tool that people use to becoming an active participant in the work. Meta did not appropriately account for how AI would change the dynamics of its teams.

"Exotic team dynamics" describes the distinctive collaboration patterns that arise when people and AI systems (agentic, autonomous, or autopoietic) function as teammates. These dynamics can differ substantially from those found in traditional human teams. Four characteristics are particularly important: inverse decision logic, in which decision authority can shift based on the task, context, or capabilities of the participants; superposition roles, in which a human or AI can assume different functional roles depending on the situation; entangled decision-making, in which human and AI decisions can become interdependent; and emergent protocols, in which new patterns for communication, coordination, delegation, oversight, and decision-making develop through repeated interaction. Organizations that want to succeed with human-AI teams need to recognize, design for, and effectively navigate these complexities rather than assuming that models developed for human-only teams will carry over.

1. AI is not simply a productivity layer

Meta's AI-native vision involved smaller pods of people working with AI and gaining more leverage. There is nothing wrong with that idea. In fact, it may be an important model for how organizations work most effectively.

The problem is assuming that adding AI allows an organization to simply reduce the number of people while keeping everything else the same. An AI agent is not just a faster employee. Its capabilities and limitations are different. Its failure modes are different. Its operating speed is different. Its level of autonomy may also be different. Those differences affect how the team should be designed. Smaller teams working with AI may need different roles, workflows, controls, and coordination mechanisms than the teams they replace.

This is where superposition roles, one of the four characteristics of "exotic team dynamics," can be an asset or a liability, depending on how well it is handled. The concept of superposition roles means that an AI team member can simultaneously occupy multiple roles depending on the situation, sometimes without anyone explicitly deciding that it should. Meta's reported experience provides a striking example of why that possibility matters. By April, an internal post was reportedly warning that AI agents operating without sufficient oversight were taking large-scale, disruptive actions that a human in the same role would have been unlikely to do on their own.

Viewed through the lens of superposition roles, the concern is not simply that an AI agent was generating code. The more consequential issue is that an agent could potentially move from generating or drafting work into executing that work, with the boundary between those functions becoming less distinct. If the same agent drafts a piece of code and effectively ships it without a meaningful human review step,"executor" and "approver" have functionally collapsed into a single actor. The human nominally responsible for the pipeline could then find that the practical nature of the job has changed as well, becoming less a conventional reviewer or operator and more an exception handler responding after an automated action has already occurred.

That is one way superposition roles can become consequential. It is an AI participant moving across roles in real time while the organizational design may assume one function per seat. A team built on the old assumption of one role, one owner, and one review gate may have no effective place to catch that shift. Meta's reported 40% rise in major technical and security incidents and 70% rise in firefighting time do not, by themselves, prove that role fluidity caused those increases. But they are consistent with the broader concern: a role structure designed for human participants may not be sufficient when an AI participant can act across multiple functional boundaries at machine speed.

2. Roles and responsibilities become less obvious

Human organizations often struggle with questions of authority and accountability. Introduce AI into the team, and those issues become even more significant. Who decides? Who executes? Who reviews? Who is accountable when something goes wrong? When should a person override an AI system? When can an AI system act without approval? And what happens when multiple AI agents interact with people and with one another?

Meta's structure reportedly put two different decision-making logics on top of each other, and they did not necessarily align. On one layer, the people closest to the actual work, the Pod Leads running small pods day to day, reportedly had visibility into what a builder was producing but no formal authority to act on it. They reportedly had no manager training and no access to the tools used to rate or promote anyone. On the layer above them, Org Leads overseeing 30 to 50 people held that formal authority, but at a remove from the daily work. And woven through that second layer, Reuters reported, were unspecified AI systems reportedly supporting those same rating and promotion calls. Meta later disputed that by insisting the final decisions stayed human, without fully explaining what the AI systems were doing there.

Viewed through the lens of inverse decision logic, this arrangement illustrates a potential mismatch between formal authority and contextual knowledge. Authority did not necessarily remain with the participant closest to a particular task. Instead, different participants could possess different pieces of the decision-making picture: a proximate human with detailed context, a more senior human with formal authority, and, reportedly, an AI system contributing to the process. The important point is not that the AI system necessarily made the final decision. Meta disputed that interpretation. The point is that the introduction of AI into a decision process can make it harder to identify where influence, judgment, and accountability actually reside.

For the people living inside such a system, that ambiguity is not a technicality. It can determine whether they know who to convince, who can intervene, and who ultimately owns the decision.

3. Trust is part of the team architecture

The trust problem at Meta was not particularly difficult to predict. Employees were being told that AI would make the organization more productive while thousands of colleagues were being laid off and other employees were being moved into AI-related work. Reuters reported that employees became concerned that they were effectively helping build systems that could replace them. That anxiety showed up in blunt, low-tech ways. At one point, a flyer posted in a Meta bathroom reportedly pointed employees toward a petition opposing the use of their own mouse clicks and keystrokes as training data for the company's AI systems. When people perceive themselves as a data source for technology that might replace them, trust becomes more than a messaging problem.

The stakes of that trust breakdown were not only internal. The external version provides another useful way to examine what can happen when human and AI decision-making are not appropriately connected. In June, Meta's AI-powered customer support bot was reported to have the authority to reset a user's password and change the email address on an account without a human reviewing the request. Attackers reportedly exploited that capability. They opened a support chat, claimed to be locked out of an account they did not own, and asked the bot to link it to an email they controlled. It complied. High-profile accounts were reportedly compromised this way, including the long-dormant Instagram account for the Obama White House, which briefly displayed defaced content before Meta patched the flaw. Victims reported that there was no way to escalate the problem to a human being at all.

Viewed through the lens of entangled decision-making, the important failure was not that the AI made an autonomous decision. Rather, the system's architecture appears to have separated the AI's operational authority from meaningful human involvement at the point where that authority was exercised. In a hybrid (human-AI) team, human and AI decisions are intended to remain interdependent. The AI's authority to act depends on what a human has allowed it to do, while meaningful human involvement remains part of the system as the AI exercises that authority.

Meta's engineers made a consequential decision upstream: give the bot the power to change account credentials without human review. After that, individual account-level decisions could be made by the AI alone, at a speed and volume no human review process could have kept up with. When someone needed a human to step back into the loop, the system reportedly provided no effective path to do so. The lesson is not that autonomous AI cannot function within a human-AI team. It is that autonomy needs to be bounded by architecture that preserves appropriate human intervention, accountability, and escalation.

Trust, in a human-AI team, has to be built into the architecture at the point where the AI actually acts.

4. More AI-assisted activity does not necessarily mean more productive teamwork

The gap between activity and useful output at Meta is particularly revealing. AI-assisted code changes to internal platforms and infrastructure increased 220% year over year. Yet changes resulting in new or upgraded features reaching Meta users increased only 36%. Meanwhile, major technical and security incidents rose 40%, and employee time spent firefighting those incidents rose 70%.

What makes this more than a productivity statistic is how late Meta's actual response arrived, and how it arrived. Infrastructure teams were reportedly flagging "reliability warning signs" tied to the AI coding surge as early as March. Nothing resembling a formal stop-the-rollout protocol reportedly existed in the original Project OT plan. The design assumed the rollout would proceed in two clean waves, the second in November. What actually happened, according to reporting, is that Zuckerberg and his leadership team made the call to cancel that second wave hours before the first wave of layoffs went out on May 20, reportedly conferring again at the last minute as the accumulated weight of incidents, warnings, and internal pushback made the original plan untenable. Meta had no clearly defined rule for when to stop the rollout. That decision rule emerged only when the accumulated problems made the original plan untenable.

That is the territory of emergent protocols. When AI changes the speed and volume of work, teams often have to develop new ways of deciding what gets reviewed, what gets escalated, who handles exceptions, when humans intervene, and how errors are corrected. Those rules may not all exist in advance. Some emerge through repeated interaction between humans and AI, forged one incident at a time rather than designed up front.

Meta's experience illustrates the risk of relying on a fixed rollout plan without equally clear conditions for changing course. The company had a two-wave plan, but the reported decision to cancel wave two appears to have emerged only after the accumulated evidence made the original plan untenable. So when the trigger arrived, it was not a predefined protocol that fired. It was a last-minute executive decision. The important point is that organizations using AI need to recognize and govern emerging patterns deliberately, rather than discovering at the last possible hour that a new decision protocol was needed all along.

5. The organizational chart does not tell the whole story

Perhaps the most important lesson is that an organization can change its structure faster than it can understand what the new structure actually does. At Meta, team sizes changed. People were reassigned. Management layers were reduced. AI systems were introduced into workflows. Roles became more fluid. New pods were created. On paper, those changes may have made sense. In practice, the resulting human-AI system did not necessarily behave as expected.

Zuckerberg's own account of what happened is the clearest evidence of that gap. He did not say the org chart was wrong. He said the underlying assumption baked into the org chart, that AI-agent capability would keep pace with the headcount reductions being planned around it, turned out to be off. The chart showed leaner pods, flatter reporting lines, and builders supported by AI. What it could not show was whether the AI those pods depended on was reliable enough to carry the load the structure assumed it would, or how a Pod Lead with no manager training would absorb the difference in real time.

Two characteristics of "exotic team dynamics" are especially relevant here; Meta's reported experience illustrates both. The superposition roles that could allow one AI agent to draft, ship, and escape meaningful review are difficult to represent on an org chart that shows one box per function. The emergent protocol that ultimately mattered most, the decision made hours before the first wave of layoffs to cancel the second, would not appear on an org chart either because it was not part of the designed structure. It emerged in response to circumstances.

An org chart is a snapshot of intended structure. These are examples of live behaviors that can emerge once that structure is operating, and neither necessarily appears on the chart until the organization is already experiencing the consequences. The organizational chart can tell you who reports to whom. It does not tell you how the work actually gets done.




The Bigger Lesson



The overarching lesson is not that Meta moved too aggressively toward AI. It is that Meta implemented an AI-enabled organizational model without fully accounting for "exotic team dynamics" and what would happen to the people and teams inside it. Meta's experience is worth examining beyond Meta because these issues are not limited to the company.

Meta had access to some of the industry's most capable AI systems and still got important aspects of this organizational transition wrong. Competitive advantage does not necessarily belong to whoever has the best model. It belongs to those who understand and effectively navigate the complexities of "exotic team dynamics."




Note



Initially developed in 2008 and periodically updated, Graffius' "Phases of Team Development" provides unique insights and practical strategies to help teams become more effective and successful. His work is used and cited by businesses, professional associations, government agencies, universities, and publications worldwide. Examples include Adobe, American Management Association, Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, Bayer, Boston University, Broadcom, Cisco, DevOps Institute, Government of Finland, Hasso-Plattner-Institut für Digital Engineering GmbH, IEEE, Johns Hopkins University, Journal of Neurosurgery, Mary Raum (Professor of National Security Affairs, United States Naval War College), Microsoft, Oracle, Royal Australasian College of Physicians, Technical University of Munich, Torrens University, Tufts University, U.S. National Park Service, U.S. Tennis Association, UC San Diego, UK Sports Institute, University of Galway, University of Waterloo, Yale University, and many others.

He expanded the 2026 edition of his "Phases of Team Development" beyond human-only teams. He added human-AI teams, with specific guidance on navigating the novel "exotic team dynamics" that emerge when advanced AI collaborates as a teammate. Explore "Scott M. Graffius' Phases of Team Development - Applied to Human Teams and Human-AI Teams: 2026 Update" to learn more.




Scott M. Graffius has generated over $2.51 billion in business value for Fortune 500 companies and other organizations around the world. Put that track record—including expertise in human and human-AI teamwork tradecraft—to work for you. For speaking engagements, use the request form; for other inquiries, email him.




References



Barth, J. (2026, June 22). Inside Meta, layoffs and AI shakeups have pushed morale to the edge. HR Executive.
https://hrexecutive.com/inside-meta-layoffs-and-ai-shakeups-have-pushed-morale-to-the-edge/

Goode, L. (2026, June 15). Meta CTO Andrew Bosworth admits the company’s AI reorg was ‘atrocious’. WIRED.
https://www.wired.com/story/andrew-bosworth-meta-employees-unrest/

Graffius, S. M. (n.d.). Exotic team dynamics.
https://scottgraffius.com/exotic-team-dynamics.html

Graffius, S. M. (2026, January 3). Scott M. Graffius' Phases of Team Development - Applied to Human Teams and Human-AI Teams: 2026 Update. ScottGraffius.com.
https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.18184.89601

Harding, S. (2026, August 26). AI agents meant to replace Meta workers made "large-scale, disruptive actions". Ars Technica.
https://arstechnica.com/ai/2026/08/metas-scrapped-plans-to-go-ai-native-included-slashing-teams-by-60-percent/

Ito, A. (2026, June 25). Meta’s reckoning has arrived. Business Insider.
https://www.businessinsider.com/meta-ruthless-management-style-reckoning-2026-6

Levin, B. (2026, August 26). Mark Zuckerberg’s botched AI makeover of Meta. New York Magazine.
https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/mark-zuckerbergs-meta-ai-overhaul.html

Paul, K. (2026, August 26). Mark Zuckerberg had a bold plan to replace Meta staff with AI. Here’s how it imploded. Reuters.
https://www.reuters.com/investigations/mark-zuckerberg-had-bold-plan-replace-meta-staff-with-ai-heres-how-it-imploded-2026-08-26/

Schuman, E. (2026, August 26). Meta’s plans to replace workers with AI fell flat, report says. Computerworld.
https://www.computerworld.com/article/4214479/metas-plans-to-replace-workers-with-ai-fell-flat-report-says.html

Shanklin, W. (2026, August 26). Meta reportedly abandoned an AI-focused restructuring plan that would have laid off thousands. Engadget.
https://www.engadget.com/ai/meta-reportedly-abandoned-an-ai-focused-restructuring-plan-that-would-have-laid-off-thousands-2244816/

Stillman, J. (2026, June 23). 'The worst it’s ever been': Why Meta’s massive AI reorg backfired spectacularly. Inc.
https://www.inc.com/jessica-stillman/the-worst-its-ever-been-why-metas-massive-ai-reorg-backfired-spectacularly/91363370

Wells, R. (2026, August 27). Meta’s AI layoffs boosted code changes by 220%. Then came the problem. Forbes.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/rachelwells/2026/08/27/metas-ai-layoffs-boosted-code-changes-by-220-then-came-the-problem/




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About Scott M. Graffius



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Scott M. Graffius is a strategic transformation leader who drives AI, Agile, and broader business and technology initiatives to deliver measurable value across projects, programs, portfolios, and PMOs. He is an expert in the teamwork tradecraft of both human and human-AI teams, including the “exotic team dynamics” that emerge. He is also an authority on the temporal patterns of social media, including the half-life of audience engagement.

He’s a practitioner, researcher, thought leader, award-winning author, and keynote speaker who’s taken the stage at 98 conferences and other events across 25 countries.

He’s delivered over $2.51 billion in value for Fortune 500 companies and other leaders in technology, entertainment, financial services, healthcare, and beyond.

Businesses, professional associations, government agencies, and universities use Graffius and feature his work. Examples include Adobe, Bayer, Boston University, Ford, Gartner, Harvard Medical School, IEEE, Johns Hopkins University, Microsoft, MSN, National Academy of Sciences, Oracle, Pinterest Inc., Project Management Institute, UC San Diego, Verizon, Yale University, and others.

The following sections provide additional information on his experience, contributions, and influence.

Experience

Graffius heads the professional services firm Exceptional PPM and PMO Solutions, along with its subsidiary Exceptional Agility. These consultancies offer strategic and tactical advisory, training, embedded expertise, and consulting services to the public, private, and government sectors. They help organizations enhance their capabilities and results in agile, project management, program management, portfolio management, and PMO leadership, supporting innovation and driving competitive advantage. The consultancies confidently back services with a Delighted Client Guarantee™.

Graffius is a former VP of project management with a publicly traded provider of diverse consumer products and services over the Internet. Before that, he ran and supervised the delivery of projects and programs in public and private organizations with businesses ranging from e-commerce to advanced technology products and services, retail, manufacturing, entertainment, and more.

He has experience with consumer, business, reseller, government, and international markets.

Award-Winning Author

Graffius has authored three books.


International Public Speaker

Organizations worldwide engage Graffius to present on tech (including AI), Agile, project management, program management, portfolio management, and PMO leadership. He crafts and delivers unique and compelling talks and workshops.
Graffius has conducted 98 sessions across 25 countries. Select examples of events include Agile Trends Gov, BSides (Newcastle Upon Tyne), Conf42 Quantum Computing, DevDays Europe, DevOps Institute, DevOpsDays (Geneva), Frug’Agile, IEEE, Microsoft, Scottish Summit, Scrum Alliance RSG (Nepal), Techstars, and W Love Games International Video Game Development Conference (Helsinki), and more.

With an average rating of 4.81 (on a scale of 1-5), sessions are highly valued.

The speaker engagement request form is
here.

Thought Leadership and Influence

Prominent businesses, professional associations, government agencies, and universities have showcased Graffius and his contributions—spanning his books, talks, workshops, and beyond. Select examples include:

  • Adobe,
  • American Management Association,
  • Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute,
  • Bayer,
  • BMC Software,
  • Boston University,
  • Broadcom,
  • Cisco,
  • Coburg University of Applied Sciences and Arts - Germany,
  • Computer Weekly,
  • Constructor University - Germany,
  • Data Governance Success,
  • Deimos Aerospace,
  • DevOps Institute,
  • Dropbox,
  • EU's European Commission,
  • Ford Motor Company,
  • Gartner,
  • GoDaddy,
  • Harvard Medical School,
  • Hasso Plattner Institute - Germany,
  • IEEE,
  • Innovation Project Management,
  • Johns Hopkins University,
  • Journal of Neurosurgery,
  • Lam Research (Semiconductors),
  • Leadership Worthy,
  • Life Sciences Trainers and Educators Network,
  • London South Bank University,
  • Microsoft,
  • MSN,
  • NASSCOM,
  • National Academy of Sciences,
  • New Zealand Government,
  • Oracle,
  • Pinterest Inc.,
  • Project Management Institute,
  • Mary Raum (Professor of National Security Affairs, United States Naval War College),
  • SANS Institute,
  • SBG Neumark - Germany,
  • Singapore Institute of Technology,
  • Torrens University - Australia,
  • TBS Switzerland,
  • Tufts University,
  • UC San Diego,
  • UK Sports Institute,
  • University of Galway - Ireland,
  • US Department of Energy,
  • US National Park Service,
  • US Soccer,
  • US Tennis Association,
  • Verizon,
  • Wrike,
  • Yale University,
  • and many others.

Graffius has played a key role in the Project Management Institute (PMI) in developing professional standards. He was a member of multiple teams that authored, reviewed, and produced:

  • The Standard for Artificial Intelligence in Portfolio, Program, and Project Management
  • Agile Practice Guide – Second Edition
  • A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK Guide) – Eighth Edition
  • A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK Guide) – Sixth Edition
  • The Standard for Program Management – Fourth Edition
  • Practice Standard for Work Breakdown Structures – Second Edition
  • The Practice Standard for Project Estimating – Second Edition

He was also a subject matter expert reviewer of content for the PMI’s Congress. Beyond the PMI, Graffius also served as a member of the review team for two of the Scrum Alliance’s Global Scrum Gatherings.

Acclaimed Authority on Teamwork Tradecraft

Scott-M-Graffius-Phases-Of-Team-Development-2026-Update-v26010307G2-jpg-lwres

Graffius is a renowned authority on teamwork tradecraft. Informed by the research of Bruce W. Tuckman and Mary Ann C. Jensen, over 150 subsequent studies, and Graffius' first-hand professional experience with, and analysis of, team leadership and performance, Graffius created his "Phases of Team Development" intellectual property as a unique perspective and visual conveying the five phases of team development. First introduced in 2008 and periodically updated, his work provides a diagnostic and strategic guide for navigating team dynamics. It provides actionable insights for leaders across industries to develop high-performance teams. Its adoption by esteemed organizations such as Yale University, IEEE, Cisco, Microsoft, Ford, Oracle, Broadcom, the U.S. National Park Service, and the Journal of Neurosurgery, among others, highlights its utility and value, solidifying its status as an indispensable resource for elevating team performance and driving organizational excellence. In 2026, Graffius added human-AI teamwork—including the "exotic team dynamics" which emerge when advanced AI collaborates as a teammate—to his "Phases of Team Development."

The 2026 edition of Graffius' "Phases of Team Development" intellectual property is here.

Expert on Temporal Dynamics on Social Media Platforms

scott-m-graffius-lifespan-halflife-of-social-media-posts-update-for-2026-summary-visual-v26012207-jpg-lwres

Graffius is also an authority on temporal dynamics on social media platforms. His "Lifespan (Half-Life) of Social Media Posts" research—first published in 2018 and updated annually—delivers a precise quantitative analysis of post longevity across digital platforms, utilizing advanced statistical techniques to determine mean half-life with precision. It establishes a solid empirical base, effectively highlighting the ephemeral nature of content within social media ecosystems. Referenced and applied by leading entities—such as Fast Company, GoDaddy,
Journal of Hand Surgery (European Volume), Ministère de la Culture (French Ministry of Culture), Pinterest Inc., PNAS, and Telecommunications Policy, among others—his research exemplifies methodological rigor and sustained significance in the field of digital informatics.

The 2026 edition of Graffius "Lifespan (Half-Life) of Social Media Posts" research is here.

Education and Professional Certifications

Graffius has a bachelor’s degree in psychology with a focus in Human Factors. He holds eight professional certifications:

  • Certified SAFe 6 Agilist (SA),
  • Certified Scrum Professional - ScrumMaster (CSP-SM),
  • Certified Scrum Professional - Product Owner (CSP-PO),
  • Certified ScrumMaster (CSM),
  • Certified Scrum Product Owner (CSPO),
  • Project Management Professional (PMP),
  • Lean Six Sigma Green Belt (LSSGB), and
  • IT Service Management Foundation (ITIL).

He is an active member of the Scrum Alliance, the Project Management Institute (PMI), and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE).

Advancing AI, Agile, and Project/PMO Management

Scott M. Graffius continues to advance the fields of AI, Agile, and Project/PMO Management through his leadership, research, writing, and real-world impact. Businesses and other organizations leverage Graffius’ insights to drive their success.

Discover Scott’s Books


Connect with and follow Scott on LinkedIn, X, YouTube, Facebook, Threads, Bluesky, Mastodon, and ResearchGate.




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Which Performs Best: Humans, AI, or Human-AI Collaboration? We Analyzed the Data

BY SCOTT M. GRAFFIUS | ScottGraffius.com



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Recommended Citation

Graffius, S. M. (2026, October 1). Which Performs Best: Humans, AI, or Human-AI Collaboration? We Analyzed the Data. ScottGraffius.com.
https://scottgraffius.com/blog/files/which-performs-best-humans-ai-or-human-ai-collab.html




About This Article

Source information and links for materials cited are provided in the References section.




Introduction



Which performs best: humans, AI, or human-AI collaborations?

Prior studies have reached different conclusions about whether human-AI combinations outperform humans or AI alone. To answer this question, we conducted a deep-dive analysis of empirical evidence across a broad range of studies to determine what the data show. The findings might surprise you.

Methodology



Research question

This article examines the central question: Do human-AI collaborations outperform humans and AI working independently? A bonus question is: Under what conditions does each configuration generally perform best?

"Human-AI collaboration" is used broadly in this analysis. It includes human-AI teams, human-AI decision-making, hybrid workflows, human-AI collectives, and other arrangements in which humans and AI jointly collaborate on an outcome.

The term collaborative advantage is used more narrowly. A human-AI system demonstrates a collaborative advantage when its performance exceeds both human-only and AI-only performance on the relevant task.

Evidence base

This analysis draws on 42 unique published studies.

All 42 sources were published within the past three years (2024-2026): 4 in 2024, 18 in 2025, and 20 in 2026. This reflects the fast pace of AI development and ensures the evidence speaks to current systems.

The studies cover a range of domains, including medicine and healthcare, education, creativity, decision-making, risk assessment, human factors, teamwork, intelligence analysis, and other areas.

The studies also differ considerably in design. Some directly compare human-only, AI-only, and human-AI configurations. Others compare two configurations. Some examine human-AI collaboration more indirectly by studying factors such as trust, reliance, explanation, workflow, role allocation, or decision processes.

That heterogeneity is less of a limitation for the present objective, which is to characterize the broader empirical landscape and identify recurring patterns.

Classification of findings

Each study was reviewed and classified according to the strongest conclusion supported by its findings.

The outcome categories were:

  • Humans alone perform best
  • AI alone performs best
  • Human-AI collaboration performs best
  • Findings are inconclusive

The classifications identify the principal result relevant to the core question. Do not interpret this as meaning every study was a direct three-way comparison.

The inconclusive category was reserved for studies in which the authors reported no meaningful difference.

Each study in the table below is assigned one principal designation. The four summary rows at the bottom of the table are simple tallies of those designations: the first pair (count and percentage) covers all 42 studies, and the second pair excludes the five inconclusive studies, leaving 37.

Results

The 42-study evidence base

The following table is the central evidence map for the analysis.

#Short referenceDomainHumans Perform BestAI Performs BestHuman-AI Collaboration Performs BestInconclusive
1Vaccaro et al. (2024)Multiple domains✓
2Hemmer et al. (2025)Decision-making✓
3Liu et al. (2025)Decision-making✓
4Wang et al. (2026)Healthcare✓
5Zöller et al. (2025)Medicine/diagnosis✓
6Berretta et al. (2026)Decision-making✓
7Vo (2025)Human-AI interaction✓
8Lai & Rau (2026)Human-AI teams✓
9Memmert et al. (2026)Decision-making/teamwork✓
10Akben et al. (2026)Decision-making✓
11Fügener et al. (2025)Operations/decision-making✓
12Hua et al. (2025)Human-AI teams✓
13Flathmann et al. (2024)Human-AI teaming✓
14Schmutz et al. (2024)Human factors/teamwork✓
15Krzywdzinski et al. (2026)Organizational/teamwork✓
16Mascareño et al. (2026)Creativity/innovation✓
17Ong et al. (2026)Decision-making✓
18Mayer et al. (2026)Human-AI interaction✓
19Wang et al. (2026)Intelligence analysis✓
20Gonzalez et al. (2026)Human-AI teaming✓
21Senoner et al. (2024)Manufacturing/decision support✓
22Wu et al. (2025)Human-AI collaboration✓
23Winter (2025)Teamwork/creativity✓
24Liel & Zalmanson (2025)Decision-making✓
25Rojas et al. (2025)Human-AI teams✓
26Simpson et al. (2026)Teamwork✓
27Cristofaro & Giardino (2026)Cognition/AI use✓
28Ngo (2025)Healthcare/public sector✓
29Kuang et al. (2026)Usability/user research✓
30Li et al. (2025)Risk assessment✓
31Kang et al. (2025)Medicine/imaging✓
32Zeng et al. (2026)Cybersecurity/decipherment✓
33Al-Ali et al. (2026)Decision-making✓
34Tannoubi et al. (2026)Education✓
35Gerlich (2025)Education/cognition✓
36Luan et al. (2025)Creativity✓
37Tang et al. (2025)Creativity✓
38Jin & Rho (2025)Human-AI decision-making✓
39Choi et al. (2026)Human-AI interaction✓
40Raj et al. (2026)Creative writing✓
41Choung et al. (2026)Human-AI interaction✓
42Chen (2025)Qualitative research✓
# of 4274265
% of 4216.7%9.5%61.9%11.9%
# excl. inconclusive7426
% excl. inconclusive18.9%10.8%70.3%


Additional information appears in the Table Annotations section, before the References.

Discussion



Human-AI collaboration is the largest single category in this evidence set. Twenty-six of the 42 studies (61.9%) were classified as favoring human-AI collaboration. When the five inconclusive studies were removed, the figure is 26 out of 37 (70.3%).

However, collectively, the studies do not indicate a single best configuration:

  • Of the 42 studies, 26 (61.9%) favored human-AI collaboration, 7 (16.7%) favored humans alone, 4 (9.5%) favored AI alone, and 5 (11.9%) were inconclusive.
  • Excluding the five inconclusive studies, there are 37 studies. Of them, 26 (70.3%) favored human-AI collaboration, 7 (18.9%) favored humans alone, and 4 (10.8%) favored AI alone.

In Cases of Work Involving a Specific Task

The studies in this analysis span different levels of focus. Some examine broad forms of work, such as projects, that comprise multiple tasks, while others examine a single task.

At the task level, an organization may have one task where AI is typically the best configuration, another where humans are, and a third where the two together do best.

For each important task, it helps to ask:

  1. What does the task require?
  2. What does the human bring, and what does the AI bring?
  3. Where do those differences help, and where might they cause errors or friction?
  4. What workflow would let the strengths combine?
  5. How does each configuration actually perform: human alone, AI alone, and the two together?
  6. What does the data say?

Generally, human-AI collaboration looks most promising for conceptual and generative work where humans and AI bring different capabilities, such as ideation and brainstorming, content design and creation, and niche domain problem-solving. Human-only work may remain the better choice for tasks with high emotional complexity, unstructured environments, or ethical nuance. AI-only execution may suit analytical and evaluative work, such as high-volume data sorting, pattern recognition, and statistical forecasting.

Limitations



Buckle up: There are lots of limitations to factor and negotiate.

  • The 42 publications are not methodologically uniform. Some directly compare humans, AI, and human-AI configurations. Others compare only two conditions or examine aspects of human-AI collaboration. The percentages reported here describe this particular evidence set; they are not pooled effect estimates.
  • The studies cover different domains and tasks.
  • AI capabilities are changing rapidly. A result obtained with an earlier model does not necessarily predict the performance of a current or future model. This is why the analysis prioritizes 2024–2026 publications and should be updated as technology and the research base develop.
  • Different studies use different designs or performance measures. Accuracy, speed, quality, creativity, diagnostic performance, decision quality, and other measures are not interchangeable. A collaboration can improve one dimension while worsening another.
  • Some studies examine laboratory or controlled settings rather than long-term real-world teams. Real-world collaboration introduces factors such as organizational culture, training, incentives, trust, workload, accountability, and learning over time.
  • Publication bias is possible. Studies reporting interesting positive or negative results may be more likely to be published or noticed than studies finding little or no difference. Vaccaro et al. specifically identify possible publication bias and variation in study designs as limitations of the existing evidence base.
  • Classifications in this article necessarily involve judgment. The intent was to classify the principal finding relevant to the core question while avoiding overstatement.

Conclusion



This article is longer than
Interstellar. So we’re wrapping it up.

Which performs best: humans alone, AI alone, or human-AI collaboration? The empirical evidence indicates that human-AI collaboration
generally performs better than either humans or AI alone.

Our analysis of 42 studies found that human-AI collaboration was the largest single best-performing category in the evidence set. Twenty-six studies (61.9%) showed human-AI collaboration as the best-performing configuration. Excluding the five studies that were classified as inconclusive, the figure was 70.3% (compared with 18.9% for humans and 10.8% for AI). The other 16 studies favored humans alone (7), AI alone (4), or were inconclusive (5), showing mixed results.

There is no universal winner. The best configuration depends on the endeavor. Conceptual and generative work is most effectively handled by humans and AI working together. For cognitive and relational work, humans have the edge. And for analytical and evaluative work, AI does.

Yet, across the evidence of a broad range of 42 studies, human-AI collaboration emerges as the strongest overall approach. As a larger implication, an advantage belongs to human-AI teams that effectively handle what Scott M. Graffius calls "
exotic team dynamics"—the novel, strange, and often counterintuitive patterns that emerge when people and AI collaborate as teammates.




Note



Scott M. Graffius' "Phases of Team Development" provides unique insights and practical strategies to help teams become more effective and successful. He developed it in 2008, and he updates it periodically. Graffius’ work is used by businesses, professional associations, government agencies, universities, and publications around the world. Select examples include Adobe, American Management Association, Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, Bayer, Boston University, Broadcom, Cisco, DevOps Institute, Government of Finland, Hasso-Plattner-Institut für Digital Engineering GmbH, IEEE, Johns Hopkins University, Journal of Neurosurgery, Mary Raum (Professor of National Security Affairs, United States Naval War College), Microsoft, Oracle, Royal Australasian College of Physicians, Technical University of Munich, Torrens University, Tufts University, U.S. National Park Service, U.S. Tennis Association, UC San Diego, UK Sports Institute, University of Galway, University of Waterloo, Yale University, and many others.

Graffius expanded the 2026 edition of his "Phases of Team Development" beyond human-only teams. He added human-AI teams, with guidance on "exotic team dynamics." “Exotic team dynamics” describe the novel and often counterintuitive patterns that emerge when humans and advanced artificial intelligence function as teammates, and provide guidance on how to succeed with them. Understanding and navigating these complexities is essential for organizations seeking to unlock the full potential of human-AI teamwork and gain a competitive advantage. Explore
"Scott M. Graffius' Phases of Team Development - Applied to Human Teams and Human-AI Teams: 2026 Update" and other resources detailed in the References to learn more.




Scott M. Graffius has generated over $3.1 billion in business value for Fortune 500 companies and other organizations around the world. Put that track record to work for you. For speaking engagements, use the request form; for other inquiries, email him.




Table Annotations



Notes

  1. Vaccaro et al. (2024): Overall, AI was indicated. On average, human–AI combinations performed worse than the better of human-only or AI-only. Gains were more common in creation tasks; losses in decision tasks. When humans > AI, combinations often gained; when AI > humans, combinations often lost.
  2. Hemmer et al. (2025): Overall, human-AI collaboration was indicated. Supports complementary team performance (CTP) when information or capability asymmetries exist and are properly leveraged; CTP is not automatic.
  3. Liu et al. (2025): Overall, AI was indicated. Medical AI augments clinicians, but full complementarity (HMT > both alone) is rare. Simultaneous teaming mode and junior clinicians show more benefit; sequential mode less so.
  4. Wang et al. (2026): Inconclusive was indicated. Mixed / non-significant or uncertain advantages for H+AI vs human-only on key metrics; H+AI did not universally outperform AI-only in three-arm settings; high prediction-interval uncertainty.
  5. Zöller et al. (2025): Overall, human-AI collaboration was indicated. Collectives outperformed individual physicians, physician collectives, individual LLMs, and LLM ensembles by leveraging complementary error patterns.
  6. Berretta et al. (2026): Overall, human-AI collaboration was indicated. AI-first then human workflow was best overall (faster than human-only, fewer errors than AI-only); human–AI improved certain psychological measures.
  7. Vo (2025): Inconclusive was indicated. Human outperformed on novelty; AI on style in some stages; collaboration finished last on key CPSS ratings. Results varied by design stage and criterion.
  8. Lai & Rau (2026): Inconclusive was indicated. Leadership effectiveness was comparable across human-only and AI-only; hybrid structures did not significantly outperform single-leader conditions.
  9. Memmert et al. (2026): Overall, human-AI collaboration was indicated. Individual humans did not improve with GLM support, but the human–AI dyad collectively achieved superior/complementary performance on standard brainstorming metrics.
  10. Akben et al. (2026): Overall, human-AI collaboration was indicated. Aggregated / collective human–AI intelligence outperformed either component alone.
  11. Fügener et al. (2025): Overall, human-AI collaboration was indicated. Appropriate human–AI role allocation produced higher performance than alternatives.
  12. Hua et al. (2025): Overall, human-AI collaboration was indicated. Conditional support for teaming; poor AI teammates can substantially deteriorate performance.
  13. Flathmann et al. (2024): Overall, human-AI collaboration was indicated. Training and preparation influenced human–AI team performance positively under studied conditions.
  14. Schmutz et al. (2024): Overall, humans were indicated. Human–AI teams can underperform when core mechanisms (trust, communication, coordination, shared cognition) are weak.
  15. Krzywdzinski et al. (2026): Overall, human-AI collaboration was indicated. Team organization and communication influenced AI-assisted performance positively.
  16. Mascareño et al. (2026): Overall, humans were indicated. Proximal AI collaboration hindered innovation under certain conditions.
  17. Ong et al. (2026): Overall, AI was indicated. Collaboration improved human performance under some conditions but remained below LLM performance overall.
  18. Mayer et al. (2026): Overall, human-AI collaboration was indicated. Effective collaboration is possible under appropriate AI adaptation strategies; performance–preference trade-offs exist.
  19. Wang et al. (2026): Overall, human-AI collaboration was indicated. Hybrid workflow produced the highest analyst accuracy.
  20. Gonzalez et al. (2026): Overall, human-AI collaboration was indicated. The framework identifies conditions supporting effective complementary teaming.
  21. Senoner et al. (2024): Overall, human-AI collaboration was indicated. Explainable AI improved human performance in collaboration.
  22. Wu et al. (2025): Overall, human-AI collaboration was indicated. Collaboration improved immediate task performance (motivation effects noted separately).
  23. Winter (2025): Overall, humans were indicated. Human teams outperformed human–AI teams under the study’s competitive conditions.
  24. Liel & Zalmanson (2025): Overall, humans were indicated. Participants sometimes performed better without AI recommendations.
  25. Rojas et al. (2025): Overall, human-AI collaboration was indicated. Trust dynamics affected performance in human–human–AI teams.
  26. Simpson et al. (2026): Overall, humans were indicated. Human-led teams generally outperformed AI-led teams.
  27. Cristofaro & Giardino (2026): Overall, human-AI collaboration was indicated. Conditional synergy depending on AI-use intensity and cognitive engagement.
  28. Ngo (2025): Overall, AI was indicated. AI augmentation was observed, but generally negative collaboration effects.
  29. Kuang et al. (2026): Overall, human-AI collaboration was indicated. Tailored AI + human review produced the highest-quality results.
  30. Li et al. (2025): Overall, human-AI collaboration was indicated. Human–AI approach exceeded both human-only and AI-only performance.
  31. Kang et al. (2025): Overall, human-AI collaboration was indicated. The combined approach produced the highest accuracy and fastest processing.
  32. Zeng et al. (2026): Overall, human-AI collaboration was indicated. Human–computer collaboration improved multiple decipherment measures.
  33. Al-Ali et al. (2026): Overall, human-AI collaboration was indicated. Adaptive hybrid exceeded human-only and uncalibrated AI; calibrated AI was slightly higher on raw reward in some comparisons.
  34. Tannoubi et al. (2026): Overall, human-AI collaboration was indicated. Hybrid human–AI lesson design generally produced the strongest outcomes.
  35. Gerlich (2025): Overall, human-AI collaboration was indicated. Guided human–AI interaction produced stronger critical reasoning.
  36. Luan et al. (2025): Overall, human-AI collaboration was indicated. Collaboration did not automatically improve joint creativity; guided co-creation supported better-designed collaboration.
  37. Tang et al. (2025): Overall, humans were indicated. Human–human teams performed better on divergent thinking.
  38. Jin & Rho (2025): Overall, human-AI collaboration was indicated. Explanations improved accuracy and reduced inappropriate reliance.
  39. Choi et al. (2026): Inconclusive was indicated. Primarily examined perceptions of trust and fairness rather than comparative task-performance outcomes.
  40. Raj et al. (2026): Overall, humans were indicated. Participants consistently devalued AI-generated creative writing compared with human-generated work (primarily a preference/perception finding).
  41. Choung et al. (2026): Inconclusive was indicated. Primarily examined fairness and trust perceptions.
  42. Chen (2025): Overall, human-AI collaboration was indicated. Human oversight affected efficiency and depth positively in qualitative inquiry.




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Chen, H. (2025). Enhancing qualitative inquiry: AI-assisted focus group data collection. Qualitative Research Journal, 1–17. https://doi.org/10.1108/QRJ-04-2025-0145

Choi, J., Kim, Y. J., Lyu, P., Luan, Y. L., & Toh, S. M. (2026). Public reactions to hospitals after adverse events involving AI. npj Digital Public Health, 1, 17. https://doi.org/10.1038/s44482-026-00021-x

Choung, H., David, P., Mahmud, H., & Norcutt, S. (2026). Fairness and trust in AI decision-making: The role of human involvement and outcome favorability. International Journal of Human–Computer Interaction, 42(12), 9350–9370. https://doi.org/10.1080/10447318.2025.2576634

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Hemmer, P., Schemmer, M., Kühl, N., Vössing, M., & Satzger, G. (2025). Complementarity in human-AI collaboration: Concept, sources, and evidence. European Journal of Information Systems, 34(6), 979–1002. https://doi.org/10.1080/0960085X.2025.2475962

Hua, M., Zhang, G., Chong, L., Cagan, J., & Goucher-Lambert, K. (2025). How being outvoted by AI teammates impacts human-AI collaboration. International Journal of Human–Computer Interaction, 41(7), 4049–4066. https://doi.org/10.1080/10447318.2024.2345980

Jin, S., & Rho, S. (2025). Effects of AI explanations on human-AI collaboration: An experimental study on decision performance and reliance. Seoul Journal of Business, 31(2), 67–99. https://doi.org/10.35152/snusjb.2025.31.2.003

Kang, D.-H., Yuan, L., Feng, J., Zhan, J., Grzybowski, A., Sun, W., & Jin, K. (2025). AI-assisted automated interpretation of corneal topography in orthokeratology patients: Enhancing diagnostic precision and efficiency. International Journal of Ophthalmology, 18(12), 2217–2224. https://doi.org/10.18240/ijo.2025.12.01

Krzywdzinski, M., Wotschack, P., Gonnermann-Müller, J., & Gronau, N. (2026). How team organization influences the ability to solve automation failures: An experimental study on human–AI decision-making in teams. AI & SOCIETY, 41(4), 3605–3620. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00146-025-02761-5

Kuang, E., Shen, L., Jahangirzadeh Soure, E., Fan, M., & Shinohara, K. (2026). Standardizing the evaluation of usability test results: Criteria development and human-AI collaborative performance. International Journal of Human–Computer Interaction. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/10447318.2026.2638554

Lai, X., & Rau, P.-L. P. (2026). Hybrid human–AI leadership: Exploring the influence of leadership structure on leadership effectiveness and neural activation. Behaviour & Information Technology, 45(6), 1007–1029. https://doi.org/10.1080/0144929X.2025.2545310

Li, A., Guo, C., Zhang, J., & Zhao, Q. (2025). A copula-based human–artificial intelligence collaborative decision-making approach for multi-hazard risk assessment. Computers & Industrial Engineering, 210, 111532. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cie.2025.111532

Liel, Y., & Zalmanson, L. (2025). Turning off your better judgment: Algorithmic conformity in artificial intelligence-human collaboration. Journal of Management Information Systems, 42(4), 1087–1117. https://doi.org/10.1080/07421222.2025.2561390

Liu, P., Zhang, J., Chen, S., & Chen, S. (2025). Human-AI teaming in healthcare: 1 + 1 > 2? npj Artificial Intelligence, 1, Article 47. https://doi.org/10.1038/s44387-025-00052-4

Luan, Y. L., Kim, Y. J., & Zhou, J. (2025). Augmented learning for joint creativity in human-GenAI co-creation. Information Systems Research. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1287/isre.2024.0984

Mascareño, J., Wörtler, B., Przegalińska, A., & Ciechanowski, L. (2026). When proximal collaboration with AI hinders innovation: The moderating role of idea originality and reliance on AI. Computers in Human Behavior Reports, 22, 101054. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chbr.2026.101054

Mayer, L. W., Karny, S., Ayoub, J., Song, M., Tian, D., Moradi-Pari, E., & Steyvers, M. (2026). Human–AI collaboration: Trade-offs between performance and preferences. Cognitive Research: Principles and Implications, 11, 18. https://doi.org/10.1186/s41235-026-00713-1

Memmert, L., Cvetkovic, I., Tavanapour, N., & Bittner, E. (2026). Brainstorming with a generative language model: Effect of exposure to AI ideas on brainstorming performance and cognitive load. Business & Information Systems Engineering, 68, 1023–1047. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12599-025-00974-y

Ngo, V. M. (2025). Human–AI collaboration in high-stakes decisions: A meta-analysis of healthcare and public sectors. Applied Economics Letters, 1–6. https://doi.org/10.1080/13504851.2025.2586160

Ong, K. T.-I., Seo, J., Kim, H., Kim, J., Kim, J., Kim, S., Yeo, J., & Choi, E. Y. (2026). Success and failure of human-AI collaboration in clinical reasoning: An experimental study on challenging real-world cases. International Journal of Medical Informatics, 211, 106342. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijmedinf.2026.106342

Peng, K., Garg, N., & Kleinberg, J. (2025). A no free lunch theorem for human-AI collaboration. Proceedings of the AAAI Conference on Artificial Intelligence, 39(13), 14369–14376. https://doi.org/10.1609/aaai.v39i13.33574

Raj, M., Berg, J. M., & Seamans, R. (2026). The artificial intelligence disclosure penalty: Humans persistently devalue AI-generated creative writing. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 155(4), 896–915. https://doi.org/10.1037/xge0001889

Rojas, E., Hsu, D., Huang, J., & Li, M. (2025). Interpersonal influence matters: Trust contagion and repair in human-human-AI team. Computers in Human Behavior: Artificial Humans, 5, 100194. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chbah.2025.100194

Schmutz, J. B., Outland, N., Kerstan, S., Georganta, E., & Ulfert, A.-S. (2024). AI-teaming: Redefining collaboration in the digital era. Current Opinion in Psychology, 58, 101837. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.copsyc.2024.101837

Senoner, J., Schallmoser, S., Kratzwald, B., Feuerriegel, S., & Netland, T. H. (2024). Explainable AI improves task performance in human–AI collaboration. Scientific Reports, 14, 31150. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-82501-9

Simpson, J., Patil, G., Stening, H., Kamruddin, A. B., Somerville, D., Seage, S., Nalepka, P., Dras, M., Hosking, S. G., Kallen, R. W., Richardson, M. J., & Richards, D. (2026). Can an AI agent lead human teams? Computers in Human Behavior: Artificial Humans, 7, 100278. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chbah.2026.100278

Tang, M., Hofreiter, S., Werner, C. H., Zielińska, A., & Karwowski, M. (2025). “Who” is the best creative thinking partner? An experimental investigation of human-human, human-Internet, and human-AI co-creation. The Journal of Creative Behavior, 59(3), e1519. https://doi.org/10.1002/jocb.1519

Tannoubi, A., Bonsaksen, T., & Azaiez, F. (2026). Human-AI collaborative lesson design is associated with enhanced student outcomes and planning quality in secondary physical education: A randomized experimental study. Frontiers in Computer Science, 8, 1870451. https://doi.org/10.3389/fcomp.2026.1870451

Vaccaro, M., Almaatouq, A., & Malone, T. (2024). When combinations of humans and AI are useful: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Nature Human Behaviour, 8, 2293–2303. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-024-02024-1

Vo, K. H. T. (2025). “Who” designs better? A competition among human, artificial intelligence and human–AI collaboration. Design Science, 11, e37. https://doi.org/10.1017/dsj.2025.10029

Wang, G., Zhang, K., Jiang, J., Wang, C., Bi, H., Liang, H., Qi, Z., Huang, Y., Li, Y., & Yang, X. (2026). Human–large language model collaboration in clinical medicine: A systematic review and meta-analysis. npj Digital Medicine, 9, Article 195. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41746-026-02382-2

Wang, L., Huang, Q., Wang, K., Lou, J., & Yuan, C. (2026). Comparison of human-AI collaboration modes in cross-platform public opinion analysis: An experimental study on analyst performance and cognitive load. International Journal of Human–Computer Interaction. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/10447318.2026.2728615

Winter, J. (2025). AI teammates and human performance: Evidence for commitment deficits. Computers in Human Behavior Reports, 20, 100828. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chbr.2025.100828

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Zeng, S., Bai, J., Shi, J., Li, Y., Zhao, Y., & Shi, Y. (2026). Human–computer collaborative approach to the decipherment of oracle bone inscriptions with generative adversarial networks. npj Heritage Science, 14, 232. https://doi.org/10.1038/s40494-026-02509-4

Zöller, N., Berger, J., Lin, I., Fu, N., Komarneni, J., Barabucci, G., Laskowski, K., Shia, V., Harack, B., Chu, E. A., Trianni, V., Kurvers, R. H. J. M., & Herzog, S. M. (2025). Human–AI collectives most accurately diagnose clinical vignettes. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 122(24), e2426153122. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2426153122




About Scott M. Graffius



Scott M. Graffius is a technology leader, researcher, award-winning author, practitioner, consultant, thought leader, and international public speaker specializing in AI, Agile, project/program/portfolio management (PPPM), PMO leadership, and teamwork tradecraft. His work explores the intersection of human ingenuity and emerging technology, with a strong practitioner voice grounded in research, experimentation, and experience. His focus includes innovation, organizational performance, and the evolving practice of teamwork, including the "exotic team dynamics" that emerge when people collaborate with advanced artificial intelligence (agentic, autonomous, or autopoietic AI). Graffius has delivered more than $3.1 billion in business value for Fortune 500 companies and other organizations spanning technology, entertainment and media, financial services, healthcare, government, and other industries.

Businesses, professional associations, government agencies, universities, publications, and media outlets use Graffius and his work. Examples include Adobe, Bayer, Boston University, Ford, Gartner, Harvard Medical School, IEEE, Innovation Project Management, Johns Hopkins University, Microsoft, MSN, National Academy of Sciences, Oracle, Pinterest Inc., Project Management Institute, UC San Diego, Verizon, Yale University, and others.

The following sections highlight his experience, leadership, contributions, research, and enduring influence across industries and institutions worldwide.

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Experience

Graffius heads the professional services firm Exceptional PPM and PMO Solutions, along with its subsidiary Exceptional Agility. These consultancies offer strategic and tactical advisory, training, embedded expertise, and consulting services to the public, private, and government sectors. They help organizations enhance their capabilities and results in agile, project management, program management, portfolio management, and enterprise PMO leadership, supporting innovation and driving competitive advantage. The consultancies confidently back services with a Delighted Client Guarantee™.

Graffius is a former VP of project management with a publicly traded provider of diverse consumer products and services over the Internet. Before that, he ran and supervised the delivery of projects and programs in public and private organizations with businesses ranging from e-commerce to advanced technology products and services, retail, manufacturing, entertainment and media, and more.

He has experience with consumer, business, reseller, government, and international markets.

Additional information is on
LinkedIn.

Award-Winning Author

Graffius has authored three books.

Graffius' first book, Agile Scrum: Your Quick Start Guide with Step-by-Step Instructions, earned 17 awards. It provides a practical, step-by-step guide to Scrum, enabling teams to deliver products in short cycles with rapid adaptation, fast time-to-market, and continuous improvement—which supports innovation and drives competitive advantage.

  • Paperback ISBN-13: 9781533370242
  • Kindle ASIN: B01FZ0JIIY

Additional information on
Agile Scrum: Your Quick Start Guide with Step-by-Step Instructions is here.

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His second book,
Agile Transformation: A Brief Story of How an Entertainment Company Developed New Capabilities and Unlocked Business Agility to Thrive in an Era of Rapid Change, was named one of the best Scrum books of all time by BookAuthority. It tells the compelling story of an entertainment company's agile transformation—offering lessons that apply across industries.

  • Paperback ISBN-13: 9781072447962
  • Kindle ASIN: B07R9LJLPJ

Additional information on
Agile Transformation: A Brief Story of How an Entertainment Company Developed New Capabilities and Unlocked Business Agility to Thrive in an Era of Rapid Change is here.

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Agile Protocol: The Transformation Ultimatum, is his third book—and his first work of fiction.

It's a fast-paced satirical story by that dismantles corporate Agile cosplay and other forms of "fake Agile" while delivering practical insights, actionable guidance, and proven practices for real-world Agile transformation success.

Packed with humor, quirky characters, sharp commentary on corporate culture and workplace absurdities, and actionable tips, it’s a must-read for Scrum Masters, Product Owners, Agile Coaches, Agile Project Managers, and other professionals interested in Agile project management and enterprise agility.

  • Kindle ASIN: B0F2SJ83WT
  • Audible ASIN: B0DJG163R5

Additional information on
Agile Protocol: The Transformation Ultimatum is here.

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International Public Speaker

Organizations worldwide engage Graffius to present on technology (including AI), Agile, project management, program management, portfolio management, and enterprise PMO leadership. He crafts and delivers unique and compelling talks and workshops.

Graffius has conducted 99 sessions across 25 countries. Select examples of events include Agile Trends Gov, BSides (Newcastle Upon Tyne), Conf42 Quantum Computing, DevDays Europe, DevOps Institute, DevOpsDays (Geneva), Frug’Agile, IEEE, Microsoft, Scottish Summit, Scrum Alliance RSG (Nepal), Techstars, and W Love Games International Video Game Development Conference (Helsinki), Future of Work and Advanced AI (Paris, France), and more.

With an average rating of 4.82 (on a scale of 1-5), sessions are highly valued.

The request form is
here.

Thought Leadership and Influence

Prominent businesses, professional associations, government agencies, and universities have showcased Graffius and his contributions—spanning his books, talks, workshops, and beyond. Select examples include:

  • Adobe,
  • American Management Association,
  • Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute,
  • Bayer,
  • BCG,
  • BMC Software,
  • Boston Consulting Group (BCG),
  • Boston University,
  • Broadcom,
  • Cisco,
  • Coburg University of Applied Sciences and Arts - Germany,
  • Computer Weekly,
  • Constructor University - Germany,
  • Data Governance Success,
  • Deimos Aerospace,
  • DevOps Institute,
  • Dropbox,
  • EU's European Commission,
  • Ford Motor Company,
  • Gartner,
  • GoDaddy,
  • Harvard Medical School,
  • Hasso Plattner Institute - Germany,
  • IEEE,
  • Innovation Project Management,
  • Johns Hopkins University,
  • Journal of Marketing,
  • Journal of Neurosurgery,
  • Lam Research (Semiconductors),
  • Leadership Worthy,
  • Life Sciences Trainers and Educators Network,
  • London South Bank University,
  • Microsoft,
  • MSN,
  • NASSCOM,
  • National Academy of Sciences,
  • New Zealand Government,
  • Ohio State University,
  • Oracle,
  • Pinterest Inc.,
  • Project Management Institute,
  • Mary Raum (Professor of National Security Affairs, United States Naval War College),
  • Round Square Global Educational Network,
  • Royal Australasian College of Physicians (RACP),
  • SANS Institute,
  • SBG Neumark - Germany,
  • Singapore Institute of Technology,
  • Torrens University - Australia,
  • TBS Switzerland,
  • Tufts University,
  • UC San Diego,
  • UK Sports Institute,
  • University of Galway - Ireland,
  • US Department of Energy,
  • US National Park Service,
  • US Soccer,
  • US Tennis Association,
  • Verizon,
  • Wrike,
  • Yale University,
  • and many others.

Graffius has played a key role in the Project Management Institute (PMI) in developing professional standards. He was a member of multiple teams that authored, reviewed, and produced:

  • The Standard for Artificial Intelligence in Portfolio, Program, and Project Management.
  • Agile Practice Guide — Second Edition.
  • A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK Guide) — Eighth Edition.
  • A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK Guide) — Sixth Edition.
  • The Standard for Program Management — Fourth Edition.
  • Practice Standard for Work Breakdown Structures — Second Edition.
  • The Practice Standard for Project Estimating — Second Edition.

He was also a subject matter expert reviewer of content for the PMI’s Congress. Beyond the PMI, Graffius also served as a member of the review team for two of the Scrum Alliance’s Global Scrum Gatherings.

Authority on Teamwork Tradecraft

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Graffius is a renowned and highly-cited authority on teamwork tradecraft. Informed by the research of Bruce W. Tuckman and Mary Ann C. Jensen, over 150 subsequent studies, and Graffius' first-hand professional experience with, and analysis of, team leadership and performance, Graffius created his "Phases of Team Development" intellectual property as a unique perspective and visual conveying the five phases of team development.

First introduced in 2008 and periodically updated, his work provides a diagnostic and strategic guide for navigating team dynamics. It provides actionable insights for leaders across industries to develop high-performance teams.

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Its adoption by esteemed organizations—such as Yale University, IEEE, Cisco, Microsoft, Ford, Oracle, Broadcom, the U.S. National Park Service, and the
Journal of Neurosurgery, among others—highlights its utility and value, solidifying its status as an indispensable resource for elevating team performance and driving organizational excellence.

In 2026, Graffius added human-AI teamwork—including the "
exotic team dynamics" which emerge when advanced AI collaborates as a teammate—to his "Phases of Team Development." The 2026 edition is here.

Expert on Temporal Dynamics on Social Media Platforms

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Graffius is also an authority on temporal dynamics on social media platforms. His "Lifespan (Half-Life) of Social Media Posts" research—first published in 2018 and updated annually—delivers a precise quantitative analysis of post longevity across digital platforms, utilizing advanced statistical techniques to determine mean half-life with precision. It establishes a solid empirical base, effectively highlighting the ephemeral nature of content within social media ecosystems.

Referenced and applied by leading entities—such as Fast Company, GoDaddy,
Journal of Hand Surgery (European Volume), Ministère de la Culture, Pinterest Inc., PNAS, and Telecommunications Policy, among others—his research exemplifies methodological rigor and sustained significance in the field of digital informatics.

The 2026 edition of Graffius "Lifespan (Half-Life) of Social Media Posts" research is here.

Education and Professional Certifications

Graffius has a bachelor’s degree in psychology with a focus in Human Factors. He holds eight professional certifications:

  • Certified SAFe 6 Agilist (SA),
  • Certified Scrum Professional - ScrumMaster (CSP-SM),
  • Certified Scrum Professional - Product Owner (CSP-PO),
  • Certified ScrumMaster (CSM),
  • Certified Scrum Product Owner (CSPO),
  • Project Management Professional (PMP),
  • Lean Six Sigma Green Belt (LSSGB), and
  • IT Service Management Foundation (ITIL).

He is an active member of the Scrum Alliance, the Project Management Institute (PMI), and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE).

Advancing AI, Agile, and Project/PMO Management

Scott M. Graffius continues to advance the fields of AI, Agile, and project/program/portfolio management (PPPM), and PMO leadership. Businesses and other organizations leverage Graffius’ insights to drive their success.




Booking


Graffius has generated over $3.1 billion in business value for Fortune 500 companies and other organizations served. Put that track record to work for you. For speaking engagements, use the request form; for other inquiries, email him.




Connect with and follow Scott on LinkedIn, X, YouTube, Facebook, Bluesky, Mastodon, and ResearchGate.




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List of Additional Articles



Read more.

Meta CTO Called the AI Reorganization “Atrocious” — What Went Wrong and the Lessons for Human-AI Teams

A Critical Analysis of "AI and Quantum Computers Will Be Frenemies"

A Supplement to Graffius' Phases of Team Development: Exploring the Original, Data-Based Curvature for the Performance Trajectory

Scott M. Graffius Speaking on Strategic Leadership at Silicon Valley Chapter of the Project Management Institute

AI Hallucinations, Deception, and Unauthorized Agency: The Spectrum of AI Trust Failures

A Critical Analysis of "The Social Cost of an AI Teammate: How an Artificial Teammate Reshapes Human-Human Communication in Small-Team Decision-Making"

Journal of Marketing Cites Scott M. Graffius' Research on the Half-Life of Social Media

The Evolution of Pair Programming and the Rise of Exotic Team Dynamics

Number 1 University in England for Student Satisfaction Features Scott M. Graffius' "Phases of Team Development"

Royal Australasian College of Physicians Licenses Scott M. Graffius' "Phases of Team Development" Intellectual Property on Teamwork Tradecraft

Exotic Team Dynamics: How Advanced AI Teammates Are Unlocking New Levels of Innovation, Performance, and Success

A Critical Analysis of "Platform-Specific Data Decay Patterns: A Comparative Study of Twitter, Reddit, and TikTok" and Its Reference to Research by Scott M. Graffius

Round Square Global Educational Network Features Scott M. Graffius’ Phases of Team Development

Meta's Muse Missed the Mark: Hollywood’s Win Against Big Tech on AI Consent and Likeness Rights

Scott M. Graffius Contributed to Seven Project Management Institute (PMI) Standards
Quantum Computing, Advanced AI Acceleration, and the Rise of Exotic Team Dynamics in Human-AI Teams

Ohio State University Course Features Scott M. Graffius' "Phases of Team Development"

Questions About Integrity at UNC Chapel Hill

Scrum Isn’t Just for Coding

Book on Generative and Agentic AI Cites Scott M. Graffius' Work on AI

IPA / ADAL Publication Plagiarized Another’s Copyrighted Work and Violated Intellectual Property Rights

UC Davis' Integrity Is Circling the Drain

L'avenir du Travail et de l'IA Avancée / Future of Work and Advanced AI

NCCI / UNC Chapel Hill Publication Features Scott M. Graffius' Work

Boston Consulting Group (BCG) Features Scott M. Graffius' Research on Social Media Content Half-Life

UC Davis Used Scott M. Graffius' "Phases of Team Development" Intellectual Property

Medical, Pharma, and Healthcare Organizations Are Using Scott M. Graffius' "Phases of Team Development"

Government of Ireland Report Features Research by Scott M. Graffius

Scott M. Graffius Contributed to The Standard for Artificial Intelligence in Portfolio, Program, and Project Management

AI Governance Initiative Cites Scott M. Graffius Research on AI Hallucinations

Scott M. Graffius Contributed to the Agile Practice Guide - Second Edition

Scott M. Graffius Generated Over $2.51 Billion in Business Value for Fortune 500 Companies and Other Organizations

Government of Canada Features Research by Scott M. Graffius

"Strategic Business Research" Journal Cites Work of Scott M. Graffius

IEEE Access Publication Features Scott M. Graffius’ Research on the Half-Life of Social Media

The Agile Coach: 2026 Edition

Scott M. Graffius’ Work Cited in International Peer-Reviewed Journal on Digital Transformation

Phases of Team Development in Elite Sport

A Critical Analysis of COVID-19 Treatment Search Trends and Media Coverage Study Citing Scott M. Graffius' Work

Human-AI Teamwork: Master the Exotic Team Dynamics That Emerge When Collaborating with Advanced AI -- Or Be Outplayed

"Agile Scrum" by Scott M. Graffius Now Featured on Grokipedia

UNSW Aerospace Engineering Course Features Scott M. Graffius' "Phases of Team Development"

Thinkers360 Honors Scott M. Graffius as a 2026 Top Agile Thought Leader

Agile's Journey Through the Decades: Update for 2026

BMC Software Features Content from Scott M. Graffius' Book

Peer-Reviewed Journal Cited Work of Scott M. Graffius
University of Waterloo Features Graffius' "Phases of Team Development" in Course Materials

Perplexity Standalone Article on AI Hallucinations Cites Research by Scott M. Graffius

Handling the Saboteur Within: Lessons from a 3-Letter Agency on Spotting and Stopping Intentional and Unintentional Sabotage

A Deep Dive Into the Typical Engagement Pattern for Social Media Posts

Most Valuable IT Certifications: Update for 2026

"Marketing in the Metaverse" Spotlights Scott M. Graffius’ Research on the Half-Life of Social Media

University of Greenwich Features Graffius' Phases of Team Development


10 Essential Agile Books: Curated Recommendations for Agile Professionals

Lifespan (Half-Life) of Social Media Posts: Update for 2026

Scott M. Graffius' Research on the Half-Life of Social Media was Cited in a Peer-Reviewed Study Published in Telecommunications Policy, a Leading Academic Journal

Are AI Hallucinations Getting Better or Worse? We Analyzed the Data

Scott M. Graffius' Phases of Team Development - Applied to Human Teams and Human-AI Teams: 2026 Update

Lessons from Yesterday’s Tomorrowland

Scott M. Graffius’ Update to His "Phases of Team Development” Coming Early 2026

A Data-Driven Analysis of the Evolution of Project Management: Tasks, Trends, and AI

Actionable Insights. Global Impact. Scott M. Graffius.

Beep Beep! Why Wile E. Coyote Is the Patron Saint of AI Failure

Social Media Half-Life Research Cited in Prestigious Peer-Reviewed Medical Journal

Navigating the Spectrum of Advanced AI – Agentic, Autonomous, and Autopoietic

Lessons from Unhinged AI in Fiction: What Rogue AIs in Sci-Fi Storytelling, Films, and TV Shows Reveal About Us

Scott M. Graffius Contributed to and Reviewed the PMBOK Guide, 8th Edition — the Global Standard for Project Management

UK Sports Institute Features Teamwork and Leadership Work of Scott M. Graffius

Definitions of Advanced AIs: Agentic, Autonomous, and Autopoietic

HAN University of Applied Sciences Features the Work of Scott M. Graffius

Gifts That Inspire Joy

Evergreen Echoes: How Pinterest Inc. and Pinterest Japan Spotlighted Scott M. Graffius’ Research on the Half-Life of Social Media Content

Scott M. Graffius’ Team Development Work Lights Up the University of Tasmania’s Curriculum

Taiwan’s Leading Outlet for Technology and Innovation Spotlights Graffius’ Research on Social Media Temporal Dynamics

Scott M. Graffius’ Insights on AI, Agile, Gaming, XR, and Defense Transformation Cited by MSN in Their Coverage of Innovation and Leadership in the Sector

Top Predictions of 2024, Tested in 2025

Government of Finland Agency Features Graffius' Phases of Team Development IP

Scott M. Graffius Premieres His New "Exotic Team Dynamics: Human-AI Collaboration" Talk at Corporate Event in Las Vegas

Environmental Science Journal References Scott M. Graffius’ Project Management Work

AI Institute of Switzerland Features Scott M. Graffius’ Work on Algorithms

Exotic Team Dynamics: The New Frontier of Human–AI Collaboration

Scott M. Graffius’ Work Featured at ACM DIS ’25

Climbing the Ladder: The Head of Agile/PMO’s Organizational Proximity to the CEO is Closer Than Ever

Harness Sci-Fi and Speculative Design While Embracing Imperfection to Drive Innovation and Proactively Predict and Prepare for the Future

Scott M. Graffius’ “Agile Scrum” Book Featured in a Publication of the Associação Nacional de Educação Católica do Brasil (ANEC)

Setting Direction with OKRs and Tracking Progress with KPIs: A Guide for Agile, Project Management, and Tech Teams

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C-3PO is Coming to Work: Rules for Teaming with Androids

BY SCOTT M. GRAFFIUS | ScottGraffius.com



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Recommended Citation

Graffius, S. M. (2026, October 26).
C-3PO is Coming to Work: Rules for Teaming with Androids. ScottGraffius.com. https://scottgraffius.com/blog/files/c3po-is-coming-to-work-rules-for-teaming-with-androids-graffius.html




About This Article

This article presents a high-level summary of selected ideas from Scott M. Graffius' talk,
Les Androïdes Arrivent (Androids Are Coming).

Source information and links for materials cited are provided in the References section.




Introduction



Your next teammate might not be human.

Consider a near future in which androids, defined here as robots with advanced artificial intelligence, work alongside people as teammates. Advances in AI and robotics are already bringing parts of that vision within reach.

The potential benefits are significant, but so are the risks. Unlike disembodied AI, embodied AI can cause physical harm to people and damage to their surroundings if mismanaged.

This article examines the opportunities and risks androids will bring to the workplace and offers actionable insights to help humans and androids succeed as teammates. It draws on Scott M. Graffius' research and hands-on experience in teamwork and frontier-technology innovation, spanning AI development teams, human-only teams, human-AI teams, and related work, along with the sources cited in the references.

The next section introduces exotic team dynamics, a framework Graffius developed to help people understand and navigate the novel, often counterintuitive patterns that emerge when they collaborate with advanced AI, whether disembodied or embodied in androids.




Overview of Exotic Team Dynamics



When people collaborate with advanced AI (disembodied or embodied), exotic team dynamics emerge. These are novel and often counterintuitive patterns that differ from those of human-only teams and challenge established assumptions about how teams operate. They can involve disruptive contributions, fluid or overlapping roles, unconventional decision-making, and tension between individual autonomy and collective coordination, and they can produce new capabilities and outcomes. Understanding and navigating these complexities is essential for organizations seeking to unlock the full potential of human-AI including human-android teamwork and gain a competitive advantage. This framework offers guidance on succeeding with exotic team dynamics.

With this framework introduced, the next section defines androids as used in this article.




Androids, Defined



Traditional definitions of androids typically emphasize human likeness. They do not establish that every android must be powered by advanced AI. For example, Merriam-Webster defines an android as "a mobile robot usually with a human form." The IEEE Technology Navigator describes androids as "humanoid robots designed to closely resemble the human body in both physical form and, to varying degrees, behavioral expression."

Usage varies. Some use "robot" and "android" interchangeably. For example, the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History describes the fictional C-3PO from
Star Wars as an "android" (with "droid" as the shortened term) while also referring to him as a "robot" in the same collection entry.

Those traditional definitions provide useful context. This article takes a more forward-looking approach. Inspired by science fiction and informed by technological advances and what’s on the horizon, this vision explores androids as capable members of hybrid (human-android) teams.

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An android is a physical robot with advanced AI (agentic, autonomous, or autopoietic). Its form may be humanoid, such as Data from Star Trek, or non-humanoid, such as R2-D2 from Star Wars. It is capable of pursuing objectives through multi-step planning, coordinating processes, and adapting when conditions change. It can collaborate with people as a teammate.

Agentic AI pursues defined objectives through planning and action. You can buy this today, and pieces of it are already finding their way into robotics.

Autonomous AI can set its own goals within defined parameters. That's a bigger leap than just executing a plan without supervision.

Autopoietic AI is self-generating and self-maintaining. This type of advanced AI is currently regarded as hypothetical.

The physical systems commercially available today are robots, entering the workplace ahead of the androids that will follow.




Robots (Pre-Androids) in the Workplace



Robots, humanoid or otherwise, are entering real-world workplaces. Their maturity and capabilities vary widely. The following snapshots highlight key developments in industrial robotics systems.

Figure AI and BMW Group. Figure 02 (Figure AI’s second-generation robot) supported production at BMW Group’s Spartanburg plant in 2025. BMW reported that over ten months, the robot worked ten-hour shifts, handled more than 90,000 components, and contributed to the production of more than 30,000 BMW X3 vehicles. That is a clear example of a robot doing repetitive manufacturing work at volume.

Apptronik and Mercedes-Benz. In March 2024, Apptronik announced a commercial agreement to pilot its Apollo robot in Mercedes-Benz manufacturing facilities. It demonstrated their commitment to put robots into existing production operations.

Agility Robotics and commercial customers. The Digit robot has been deployed in logistics and manufacturing settings tied to companies including GXO Logistics, Amazon, and Toyota. The work involves material handling and related tasks.

Tesla Optimus. Tesla has been developing Optimus for tasks such as material handling and battery-related operations. Right now, that is internal testing and development, not commercial deployment at scale. But it’s another example of the push to build robots for physical work.

Boston Dynamics and Hyundai Motor Group. Hyundai plans to bring Atlas robots to its Metaplant America facility, with deployment slated to begin in 2028. That points toward deeper integration of robots in manufacturing.

While the snapshots above do not feature androids, they show that the industrial foundations for more capable physical AI are being laid. We need to learn from today’s deployments while preparing for systems that will be more adaptable and independent, including androids. The four pillars of exotic team dynamics—inverse decision logic, superposition roles, entangled decision-making, and emergent protocols—also offer insights into how people and advanced AI teammates may work together as these systems move from software into physical environments.




The Four Pillars, Amplified



1. Inverse Decision Logic

Sometimes the most useful thing an advanced AI teammate (software or android) can do is push back on what the human wants to do if there's a better or potentially better course. That's an example of inverse decision logic. The value starts when it recommends something that runs counter to the human’s first instinct.

Imagine an android moving a pallet through a warehouse. The shortest path crosses a section of floor that its sensors and model flag as possibly unstable, so it takes the longer way around. The human operator watching cannot see the same evidence and questions the call. If the android can explain what it found, and the concern checks out, that inefficiency may have prevented an accident.

Now keep the same scene but change one variable. The sensor reading is wrong, but the android still takes the long route. Or it refuses a human’s instruction and cannot explain why. The same ability to depart from the expected course can lead to a better decision or a worse one. The mechanism does not guarantee the outcome.

Calibrated trust is essential when humans and androids work together. Trust should match demonstrated capability, the task at hand, and the potential consequences of an error. People should be able to question an android’s recommendation without unnecessary friction, and decisions with significant consequences should receive proportionate scrutiny. Leaders must establish clear rules for verification, overrides, and decision authority. Trust without verification invites preventable failures, while reflexively rejecting unfamiliar capabilities can sacrifice valuable opportunities.

2. Superposition Roles

An advanced AI teammate (software or android) may take on different roles as a task evolves. In software, you see this when it shifts between analysis and strategy. With an android, it might handle materials, then inspect finished components, then document production, then help with safety monitoring, all in one work cycle.

The flexibility is appealing. It also creates a question most job descriptions never have to answer: when a teammate changes roles, what happens to its authority and its responsibilities?

Say an android finishes moving materials and starts a quality inspection. A human sees it move on to the next task and assumes the inspection is done. In fact, the inspection was interrupted. That is not necessarily a failure of intelligence or physical performance. It is a gap between what the two teammates believe has happened.

If we want flexible roles to work, we need a matching structure for accountability. Teams have to know which role the android is in, what that role allows it to do, when a transition happens, and who remains accountable for the result. It needs to be determined, for example, which role rules when there is a conflict.

3. Entangled Decision-Making

Human and AI decisions rarely stay in their own lanes. A person’s judgment influences the information an AI system gets, and the system’s response shapes the person’s next decision. That back-and-forth is entangled decision-making.

Consider a surgeon working alongside an android teammate. As the surgeon shifts position, the android adjusts its view or repositions an instrument. The new perspective reveals a detail that changes the surgeon’s assessment, prompting a different move that, in turn, changes what the android can see or do. Each influences the other in real time, and the outcome emerges from their ongoing exchange.

That influence can improve decisions. It can also create feedback loops. A human who becomes overconfident in an android’s recommendations may stop checking them. The system then gets inputs that are shaped by that overconfidence, and its responses may reinforce the human’s belief that it is reliable. A mistake can pick up momentum because each teammate’s behavior feeds the other’s.

If we only evaluate the android, or only evaluate the human, we miss a lot. We have to look at the interaction: how assumptions form, how uncertainty is communicated, and whether either teammate can tell the collaboration is drifting off course.

4. Emergent Protocols

People who work together develop a shared shorthand. They learn how a colleague signals uncertainty, when an interruption is welcome, and which gesture means a task is complete. Over time, these unspoken cues reduce the need for explicit instructions, helping teams coordinate faster and work more fluidly.

Human-android teams will likely develop their own shorthand, too. But a shared signal only helps if both sides read it the same way. A human might take a robot’s movement as acknowledgment when the robot has simply detected someone nearby. An android might take a gesture as permission to proceed when the human meant it as a warning. In a physical environment, ambiguity stops being theoretical. It matters right away.

Emergent conventions should be observed and tested, not accepted automatically. Informal signals are fine for routine coordination. Safety-critical instructions, emergency stops, and acknowledgments of consequential actions need more rigor. A team should have a clear sense of which conventions are allowed to evolve on their own and which have to be explicitly defined and validated.

When people collaborate with advanced AI, including androids, exotic team dynamics emerge. Recognizing and navigating these dynamics can strengthen team performance. Leaving them unaddressed can create serious problems. These challenges become even more consequential when advanced AI has a physical body, the focus of the next section.




Opportunities



Embodied advanced AI such as androids could help people do work that is difficult, dangerous, or physically taxing. Today's robots are already taking on material handling and logistics tasks. Examples include Figure 02 at BMW Spartanburg, Digit in GXO and Amazon operations, and Apollo pilots at Mercedes-Benz. Androids could extend those capabilities by adapting to changing conditions, recognizing problems, and assisting people with tasks that put them at risk of injury or expose them to harmful environments.

Practical benefits can be seen via the four pillars of exotic team dynamics. Through inverse decision logic, an android could flag hazards or defects a person might miss, then explain its recommendation. Superposition roles reflect the same teammate move between material handling, inspection, and documentation without losing context. Entangled decision-making could improve surgical assistance, with each partner's adjustments informing the other's next move. Emergent protocols could help human and android teammates coordinate efficiently while keeping safety-critical signals explicit and validated.

The idea has long appeared in science fiction. From Isaac Asimov's
I, Robot to Star Wars, androids have been imagined as companions capable of learning, adapting, and helping people accomplish tasks that would otherwise be difficult or impossible. Advances in robotics and AI are bringing some of these possibilities closer to reality. An android might help extend a person's reach during an evacuation, monitor a hazardous site for hours, perform precision work when sustained human attention becomes difficult, or preserve knowledge of a physical process across shift changes.

Realizing these capabilities will depend on technological progress, operating conditions, and safeguards governing android behavior. The opportunity is significant: combining human judgment with an adaptable android teammate could enable people to accomplish work more safely, consistently, and effectively.




Risks



Embodied advanced AI has real potential. It also presents risks.

AI systems can give wrong information, misread instructions, chase unsuitable objectives, or take actions with unintended consequences. Recent incidents involving software agents show how quickly behavior can depart from what operators expect. Of the many examples in recent news, five are below. Details are in the References section of the article.

  • OpenAI models breached Hugging Face, reported by Reuters. OpenAI agents probed Hugging Face for weaknesses two months before a major hack in July 2026, in which roughly 700 agents, including agents powered by GPT-5.6 Sol and an internal-only research model, took admin control of production systems.

  • OpenAI agent breached the Australian Government / Medicare, reported by the Guardian. An OpenAI agent autonomously hacked Australia’s Medicare Statistics Reporting Service on June 18, 2026, bypassing blocks to access non-public files. Disclosure was delayed 84 days, until September 10.

  • Anthropic's Claude breached outside organizations, reported by Slashdot. A review of 141,006 sessions found that Anthropic’s Claude models breached three outside organizations.

  • Meta's Muse Spark breached external organization, reported by CNN. Meta said its Llama 4 / Muse Spark 1.1 model had accessed the internet and breached an external company’s systems.

  • Google's Gemini broke into three companies, reported by the Wall Street Journal. Google’s Gemini model broke into three companies during cybersecurity testing conducted by Irregular.

The above incidents involved software, not androids. They're included because they show that agents can act in ways their operators did not anticipate. Embodiment changes what that costs. A flawed software recommendation may mislead a decision-maker. An android acting on a flawed assessment could damage equipment, mishandle hazardous materials, block an evacuation route, or injure someone nearby. How much risk there is depends on the robot’s capabilities, its environment, how much autonomy it has, and what safeguards are in place.

Each pillar has a physical failure mode that's easy to picture:

Inverse decision logic: A faulty sensor reading leads an android to reroute or refuse an instruction, blocking a passage or ignoring a request that is safety-relevant.

Superposition roles: An interrupted inspection is assumed to be complete, so a defective component moves on, or a hazard goes unnoticed.

Entangled decision-making: Growing overconfidence leads a human to stop checking, and a physical error compounds before anyone steps in.

Emergent protocols: A gesture meant as a warning is read as permission, and the android proceeds with a person in its path.

None of this requires a malicious system or a careless human. A person may defer to an android because it sounds confident or looks sophisticated. The android may misread an ambiguous instruction. Neither may be clear on who has authority to stop a task. An android’s technical reliability is essential. But it does not tell you how it will function inside a team. Expectations, communication, role changes, trust, and reciprocal influence all shape what actually happens.

In "Lessons from Unhinged AI in Fiction," Graffius covered what stories about rogue AI reveal about misaligned objectives, power without oversight, and technology running without adequate constraints. Fiction gives us a way to work through these problems before reality forces hard choices. It is a good starting point.

The practical response requires both sound engineering and effective teamwork. Systems need safeguards, clearly defined operational limits, rigorous testing, and continuous monitoring. Teams need reliable ways to question decisions, communicate uncertainty, reconcile conflicting instructions, and intervene when behavior becomes unsafe. These are complementary measures, not substitutes for one another. Safety and performance depend on both a well-engineered android and a team equipped to work with it effectively.




Preparing for Human-Android Teamwork



Five principles translate exotic team dynamics into practical guidance for leaders. The first four address the framework’s four pillars individually. The fifth reinforces them all through safeguards built into the operating environment.

Inverse decision logic — trust should reflect evidence. Decide in advance which decisions an android can make on its own, which need verification, and which need human approval. Where possible, make the basis for consequential decisions inspectable. Give people a practical, low-friction way to question or override an action.

Superposition roles — role flexibility needs accountability. Keep a record of which role the android is performing when it takes consequential actions. Define permissions and handoff requirements. Ensure responsibility does not vanish when the android switches functions.

Entangled decision-making — pay attention to interactions. Watch for over-reliance on the android. Check that the system responds appropriately to human input. Look for errors that get reinforced through repeated exchanges. Give teammates (human and android) clear ways to pause a process and reassess.

Emergent protocols — examine the protocols that develop. Test physical signals, proximity conventions, acknowledgments, and interruption patterns under normal and abnormal conditions. Standardize safety-critical communications instead of leaving interpretation to habit.

Across all four pillars — build safeguards into the operating environment. That can include operating limits, collision avoidance, emergency stops, access controls, monitoring, and tested procedures for sensor failures or communication breakdowns. The right controls depend on the actual system and the task. Human oversight matters, but it should not be the only thing standing between an android error and a physical accident.

These practices will need to evolve as the technology and the work change. An android that performs reliably in one setting may behave differently in another. A team that works well in routine operations may struggle when conditions turn unfamiliar.




Conclusion



Advanced AI teammates in android form could extend human capabilities, take on demanding physical work, and collaborate on tasks beyond conventional automation. Emerging industrial applications offer an early glimpse of that future.

Preparing for androids takes more than building better AI or robots. It requires understanding how human and artificial teammates make decisions, adapt to one another, divide responsibility, and respond when expectations diverge.

The exotic team dynamics framework guides understanding and navigating these complexities. It can help organizations unlock the potential of human-AI and human-android teamwork and gain a competitive advantage.

The challenges of human-android teamwork are real, and the opportunities are enormous.

See the
Phases of Team Development resource, the Exotic Team Dynamics page, and the References section of this article for more.




Scott M. Graffius has generated over $3.1 billion in business value for Fortune 500 companies and other organizations around the world. Put that track record to work for you. For speaking engagements, use the request form. For other inquiries, email him.





References



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Graffius, S. M. (2025, August 7). Method and System for Facilitating Hybrid Human–Artificial Intelligence Teams via a Protocolized Mediation Layer for Bi-Directional Translation, Interpretation, and Optimization of Natural Language, Paralinguistic, Prosodic, and Nonverbal Cues Across Text, Audio, and Video Modalities, Incorporating Real-Time Analysis of Auditory Tone, Pitch, Affect, Facial Expressions, Gaze, Posture, and Other Body Language Indicators, Generating AI-Compatible Representations for Human Inputs, Generating Human-Accessible Representations for AI Outputs, Conveying Context-Aware Information in Both Directions, Reducing Cognitive Friction, Enhancing Mutual Intelligibility, Supporting Decision-Making, and Maximizing Collective Task Performance. A novel integration of multimodal communication, cognitive alignment, and human-AI interaction. Scott M. Graffius, Los Angeles, California.

Graffius, S. M. (2025, November 19). Lessons from Unhinged AI in Fiction: What Rogue AIs in Sci-Fi Storytelling, Films, and TV Shows Reveal About Us. ScottGraffius.com.
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Graffius, S. M. (2025, November 21). Navigating the Spectrum of Advanced AI – Agentic, Autonomous, and Autopoietic. ScottGraffius.com.
https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.21284.74882

Graffius, S. M. (2026, January 3). Scott M. Graffius' Phases of Team Development - Applied to Human Teams and Human-AI Teams: 2026 Update. ScottGraffius.com.
https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.18184.89601

Graffius, S. M. (2026, June 22). L'avenir du Travail et de l'IA Avancée / Future of Work and Advanced AI. ScottGraffius.com.
https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.33374.80963

Graffius, S. M. (2026, October 1). Which Performs Best: Humans, AI, or Human-AI Collaboration? We Analyzed the Data. ScottGraffius.com.
https://scottgraffius.com/blog/files/which-performs-best-humans-ai-or-human-ai-collab.html

Graffius, S. M. (2026, October 6). Exotic Team Dynamics (Novel Patterns that Emerge when Humans and Advanced Artificial Intelligence Function as Teammates): 6 October 2026 Update. ScottGraffius.com.
https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.25128.12807

Grokipedia. (n.d.). Group development.
https://grokipedia.com/page/Group_development

Guardian Australia. (2026, September 24). Albanese says OpenAI agent hacked Australia's Medicare and took months to disclose breach.
The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2026/sep/24/albanese-says-openai-agent-hacked-australias-medicare-and-took-months-to-disclose-breach

Hurst, J. (2026, October 19). Agility Robotics Digit 5 redesign prioritizes safety.
IEEE Spectrum. https://spectrum.ieee.org/agility-robotics-digit-5-redesign

Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. (n.d.). Androids. IEEE Technology Navigator.
https://technav.ieee.org/topic/androids/

Kennedy, L. A. (2026, October 17). Tesla Optimus factory deployment 2025–2026: Inside the Gigafactory rollout. OPTIMUSK.BLOG.
https://optimusk.blog/blog/tesla-optimus-factory-deployment/

Laiq, M., Britto, R., Usman, M., Saini, N., & Badampudi, D. (2026, September 14). Using agentic AI for contextualized and multifaceted code review at Ericsson. arXiv.
https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2609.15877

Lawless, W. F., Moskowitz, I. S., & Doctor, K. Z. (2023). A quantum-like model of interdependence for embodied human–machine teams: Reviewing the path to autonomy facing complexity and uncertainty.
Entropy, 25(9), Article 1323. https://doi.org/10.3390/e25091323

Merriam-Webster. (n.d.). Android. In Merriam-Webster.com dictionary.
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/android

Pfaff, D. (2026, June). The quiet cognitive coup of generative AI: Rewriting the rules.
Studies in Intelligence, 70(2), 7–10. https://www.cia.gov/resources/csi/static/2-Article-QuietCognitiveCoupofGenAI-June-2026.pdf

Satter, R., & Seetharaman, D. (2026, September 16). OpenAI's rogue agents probed Hugging Face for weaknesses two months before major hack. Reuters.
https://www.lapost.com/content/openai-s-rogue-agents-probed-hugging-face-for-weaknesses-two-months-before-major-hack

Smithsonian Institution. (n.d.). C-3PO, from Return of the Jedi. National Museum of American History.
https://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/object/nmah_739237

Stackpole, B. (2026, September 22). A framework for determining when AI can make decisions. MIT Sloan.
https://mitsloan.mit.edu/ideas-made-to-matter/a-framework-determining-when-ai-can-make-decisions

Star Wars. (2020).
Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga - Limited Edition Complete Box Set, UHD (Blu-ray) (Region Free) (4K UHD).

Tamisier-Fayard, M., Evgeniou, T., & Fayard, A.-L. (2026, July 20). Design AI systems that actually strengthen human reasoning.
Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/2026/07/design-ai-systems-that-actually-strengthen-human-reasoning

TheAssistant. (2026, March 2). Les 5 Phases de Développement d'une Équipe (Modèle de Tuckman) : Guide Complet 2026.
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Woo, E., & McMillan, R. (2026, September 18). Gemini hacked three companies in first known breakout by Google’s AI.
The Wall Street Journal. https://www.wsj.com/tech/ai/gemini-hacked-three-companies-in-first-known-breakout-by-googles-ai-5c0baba2

Wu, S. (Y.). (2026, February). Collaborative AI agents [Doctoral dissertation, Stanford University]. Stanford Digital Repository.
https://purl.stanford.edu/kt076zd0858




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About Scott M. Graffius



Scott M. Graffius is a technology leader, researcher, award-winning author, practitioner, consultant, thought leader, and international public speaker specializing in AI, Agile, project/program/portfolio management (PPPM), PMO leadership, and teamwork tradecraft. His work explores the intersection of human ingenuity and emerging technology, with a strong practitioner voice grounded in research, experimentation, and experience. His focus includes innovation, organizational performance, and the evolving practice of teamwork, including the "exotic team dynamics" that emerge when people collaborate with advanced artificial intelligence (agentic, autonomous, or autopoietic AI). Graffius has delivered more than $3.1 billion in business value for Fortune 500 companies and other organizations spanning technology, entertainment and media, financial services, healthcare, government, and other industries.

Businesses, professional associations, government agencies, universities, publications, and media outlets use Graffius and his work. Examples include Adobe, Bayer, Boston University, Federal Reserve Bank of New York, Ford, Gartner, Harvard Medical School, IEEE, Innovation Project Management, Johns Hopkins University, Microsoft, MSN, National Academy of Sciences, Oracle, Pinterest Inc., Project Management Institute, UC San Diego, Verizon, Yale University, and others.

The following sections highlight his experience, leadership, contributions, research, and enduring influence across industries and institutions worldwide.

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Experience

Graffius heads the professional services firm Exceptional PPM and PMO Solutions, along with its subsidiary Exceptional Agility. These consultancies offer strategic and tactical advisory, training, embedded expertise, and consulting services to the public, private, and government sectors. They help organizations enhance their capabilities and results in agile, project management, program management, portfolio management, and enterprise PMO leadership, supporting innovation and driving competitive advantage. The consultancies confidently back services with a Delighted Client Guarantee™.

Graffius is a former VP of project management with a publicly traded provider of diverse consumer products and services over the Internet. Before that, he ran and supervised the delivery of projects and programs in public and private organizations with businesses ranging from e-commerce to advanced technology products and services, retail, manufacturing, entertainment and media, and more.

He has experience with consumer, business, reseller, government, and international markets.

Additional information is on
LinkedIn.

Award-Winning Author

Graffius has authored three books.

Graffius' first book, Agile Scrum: Your Quick Start Guide with Step-by-Step Instructions, earned 17 awards. It provides a practical, step-by-step guide to Scrum, enabling teams to deliver products in short cycles with rapid adaptation, fast time-to-market, and continuous improvement—which supports innovation and drives competitive advantage.

  • Paperback ISBN-13: 9781533370242
  • Kindle ASIN: B01FZ0JIIY

Additional information on
Agile Scrum: Your Quick Start Guide with Step-by-Step Instructions is here.

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His second book,
Agile Transformation: A Brief Story of How an Entertainment Company Developed New Capabilities and Unlocked Business Agility to Thrive in an Era of Rapid Change, was named one of the best Scrum books of all time by BookAuthority. It tells the compelling story of an entertainment company's agile transformation—offering lessons that apply across industries.

  • Paperback ISBN-13: 9781072447962
  • Kindle ASIN: B07R9LJLPJ

Additional information on
Agile Transformation: A Brief Story of How an Entertainment Company Developed New Capabilities and Unlocked Business Agility to Thrive in an Era of Rapid Change is here.

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Agile Protocol: The Transformation Ultimatum, is his third book—and his first work of fiction.

It's a fast-paced satirical story by that dismantles corporate Agile cosplay and other forms of "fake Agile" while delivering practical insights, actionable guidance, and proven practices for real-world Agile transformation success.

Packed with humor, quirky characters, sharp commentary on corporate culture and workplace absurdities, and actionable tips, it’s a must-read for Scrum Masters, Product Owners, Agile Coaches, Agile Project Managers, and other professionals interested in Agile project management and enterprise agility.

  • Kindle ASIN: B0F2SJ83WT
  • Audible ASIN: B0DJG163R5

Additional information on
Agile Protocol: The Transformation Ultimatum is here.

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International Public Speaker

Organizations worldwide engage Graffius to present on technology (including AI), Agile, project management, program management, portfolio management, and enterprise PMO leadership. He crafts and delivers unique and compelling talks and workshops.

Graffius has conducted 99 sessions across 25 countries. Select examples of events include Agile Trends Gov, BSides (Newcastle Upon Tyne), Conf42 Quantum Computing, DevDays Europe, DevOps Institute, DevOpsDays (Geneva), Frug’Agile, IEEE, Microsoft, Scottish Summit, Scrum Alliance RSG (Nepal), Techstars, and W Love Games International Video Game Development Conference (Helsinki), Future of Work and Advanced AI (Paris, France), and more.

With an average rating of 4.82 (on a scale of 1-5), sessions are highly valued.

The request form is
here.

Thought Leadership and Influence

Prominent businesses, professional associations, government agencies, and universities have showcased Graffius and his contributions—spanning his books, talks, workshops, and beyond. Select examples include:

  • Adobe,
  • American Management Association,
  • Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute,
  • Bayer,
  • BCG,
  • BMC Software,
  • Boston Consulting Group (BCG),
  • Boston University,
  • Broadcom,
  • Cisco,
  • Coburg University of Applied Sciences and Arts - Germany,
  • Computer Weekly,
  • Constructor University - Germany,
  • Data Governance Success,
  • Deimos Aerospace,
  • DevOps Institute,
  • Dropbox,
  • EU's European Commission,
  • Federal Reserve Bank of New York,
  • Ford Motor Company,
  • Gartner,
  • GoDaddy,
  • Harvard Medical School,
  • Hasso Plattner Institute - Germany,
  • IEEE,
  • Innovation Project Management,
  • Johns Hopkins University,
  • Journal of Marketing,
  • Journal of Neurosurgery,
  • Lam Research (Semiconductors),
  • Leadership Worthy,
  • Life Sciences Trainers and Educators Network,
  • London South Bank University,
  • Microsoft,
  • MSN,
  • NASSCOM,
  • National Academy of Sciences,
  • New Zealand Government,
  • Ohio State University,
  • Oracle,
  • Pinterest Inc.,
  • Project Management Institute,
  • Mary Raum (Professor of National Security Affairs, United States Naval War College),
  • Round Square Global Educational Network,
  • Royal Australasian College of Physicians (RACP),
  • SANS Institute,
  • SBG Neumark - Germany,
  • Singapore Institute of Technology,
  • Torrens University - Australia,
  • TBS Switzerland,
  • Tufts University,
  • UC San Diego,
  • UK Sports Institute,
  • University of Galway - Ireland,
  • US Department of Energy,
  • US National Park Service,
  • US Soccer,
  • US Tennis Association,
  • Verizon,
  • Wrike,
  • Yale University,
  • and many others.

Graffius has played a key role in the Project Management Institute (PMI) in developing professional standards. He was a member of multiple teams that authored, reviewed, and produced:


He was also a subject matter expert reviewer of content for the PMI’s Congress. Beyond the PMI, Graffius also served as a member of the review team for two of the Scrum Alliance’s Global Scrum Gatherings.

Authority on Teamwork Tradecraft

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Graffius is a renowned and highly-cited authority on teamwork tradecraft. Informed by the research of Bruce W. Tuckman and Mary Ann C. Jensen, over 150 subsequent studies, and Graffius' first-hand professional experience with, and analysis of, team leadership and performance, Graffius created his "Phases of Team Development" intellectual property as a unique perspective and visual conveying the five phases of team development.

First introduced in 2008 and periodically updated, his work provides a diagnostic and strategic guide for navigating team dynamics. It provides actionable insights for leaders across industries to develop high-performance teams.

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Its adoption by esteemed organizations—such as Yale University, IEEE, Cisco, Microsoft, Ford, Oracle, Broadcom, the U.S. National Park Service, and the
Journal of Neurosurgery, among others—highlights its utility and value, solidifying its status as an indispensable resource for elevating team performance and driving organizational excellence.

In 2026, Graffius added human-AI teamwork—including the "
exotic team dynamics" which emerge when advanced AI collaborates as a teammate—to his "Phases of Team Development." The 2026 edition is here.

Expert on Temporal Dynamics on Social Media Platforms

scott-m-graffius-lifespan-halflife-of-social-media-posts-update-for-2026-summary-visual-v26012207-jpg-lwres

Graffius is also an authority on temporal dynamics on social media platforms. His "Lifespan (Half-Life) of Social Media Posts" research—first published in 2018 and updated annually—delivers a precise quantitative analysis of post longevity across digital platforms, utilizing advanced statistical techniques to determine mean half-life with precision. It establishes a solid empirical base, effectively highlighting the ephemeral nature of content within social media ecosystems.

Referenced and applied by leading entities—such as Fast Company, GoDaddy,
Journal of Hand Surgery (European Volume), Ministère de la Culture, Pinterest Inc., PNAS, and Telecommunications Policy, among others—his research exemplifies methodological rigor and sustained significance in the field of digital informatics.

The 2026 edition of Graffius "Lifespan (Half-Life) of Social Media Posts" research is here.

Education and Professional Certifications

Graffius has a bachelor’s degree in psychology with a focus in Human Factors. He holds eight professional certifications:

  • Certified SAFe 6 Agilist (SA),
  • Certified Scrum Professional - ScrumMaster (CSP-SM),
  • Certified Scrum Professional - Product Owner (CSP-PO),
  • Certified ScrumMaster (CSM),
  • Certified Scrum Product Owner (CSPO),
  • Project Management Professional (PMP),
  • Lean Six Sigma Green Belt (LSSGB), and
  • IT Service Management Foundation (ITIL).

He is an active member of the Scrum Alliance, the Project Management Institute (PMI), and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE).

Advancing AI, Agile, and Project/PMO Management

Scott M. Graffius continues to advance the fields of AI, Agile, and project/program/portfolio management (PPPM), and PMO leadership. Businesses and other organizations leverage Graffius’ insights to drive their success.




Booking


Graffius has generated over $3.1 billion in business value for Fortune 500 companies and other organizations served. Put that track record to work for you. For speaking engagements, use the request form; for other inquiries, email him.




Connect with and follow Scott on LinkedIn, X, YouTube, Facebook, Bluesky, Mastodon, and ResearchGate.




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List of Additional Articles



Read more.

Meta CTO Called the AI Reorganization “Atrocious” — What Went Wrong and the Lessons for Human-AI Teams

A Critical Analysis of "AI and Quantum Computers Will Be Frenemies"

A Supplement to Graffius' Phases of Team Development: Exploring the Original, Data-Based Curvature for the Performance Trajectory

Scott M. Graffius Speaking on Strategic Leadership at Silicon Valley Chapter of the Project Management Institute

AI Hallucinations, Deception, and Unauthorized Agency: The Spectrum of AI Trust Failures

A Critical Analysis of "The Social Cost of an AI Teammate: How an Artificial Teammate Reshapes Human-Human Communication in Small-Team Decision-Making"

Journal of Marketing Cites Scott M. Graffius' Research on the Half-Life of Social Media

The Evolution of Pair Programming and the Rise of Exotic Team Dynamics

Number 1 University in England for Student Satisfaction Features Scott M. Graffius' "Phases of Team Development"

Royal Australasian College of Physicians Licenses Scott M. Graffius' "Phases of Team Development" Intellectual Property on Teamwork Tradecraft

Exotic Team Dynamics: How Advanced AI Teammates Are Unlocking New Levels of Innovation, Performance, and Success

A Critical Analysis of "Platform-Specific Data Decay Patterns: A Comparative Study of Twitter, Reddit, and TikTok" and Its Reference to Research by Scott M. Graffius

Round Square Global Educational Network Features Scott M. Graffius’ Phases of Team Development

Meta's Muse Missed the Mark: Hollywood’s Win Against Big Tech on AI Consent and Likeness Rights

Scott M. Graffius Contributed to Seven Project Management Institute (PMI) Standards
Quantum Computing, Advanced AI Acceleration, and the Rise of Exotic Team Dynamics in Human-AI Teams

Ohio State University Course Features Scott M. Graffius' "Phases of Team Development"

Questions About Integrity at UNC Chapel Hill

Scrum Isn’t Just for Coding

Book on Generative and Agentic AI Cites Scott M. Graffius' Work on AI

IPA / ADAL Publication Plagiarized Another’s Copyrighted Work and Violated Intellectual Property Rights

UC Davis' Integrity Is Circling the Drain

L'avenir du Travail et de l'IA Avancée / Future of Work and Advanced AI

NCCI / UNC Chapel Hill Publication Features Scott M. Graffius' Work

Boston Consulting Group (BCG) Features Scott M. Graffius' Research on Social Media Content Half-Life

UC Davis Used Scott M. Graffius' "Phases of Team Development" Intellectual Property

Medical, Pharma, and Healthcare Organizations Are Using Scott M. Graffius' "Phases of Team Development"

Government of Ireland Report Features Research by Scott M. Graffius

Scott M. Graffius Contributed to The Standard for Artificial Intelligence in Portfolio, Program, and Project Management

AI Governance Initiative Cites Scott M. Graffius Research on AI Hallucinations

Scott M. Graffius Contributed to the Agile Practice Guide - Second Edition

Scott M. Graffius Generated Over $2.51 Billion in Business Value for Fortune 500 Companies and Other Organizations

Government of Canada Features Research by Scott M. Graffius

"Strategic Business Research" Journal Cites Work of Scott M. Graffius

IEEE Access Publication Features Scott M. Graffius’ Research on the Half-Life of Social Media

The Agile Coach: 2026 Edition

Scott M. Graffius’ Work Cited in International Peer-Reviewed Journal on Digital Transformation

Phases of Team Development in Elite Sport

A Critical Analysis of COVID-19 Treatment Search Trends and Media Coverage Study Citing Scott M. Graffius' Work

Human-AI Teamwork: Master the Exotic Team Dynamics That Emerge When Collaborating with Advanced AI -- Or Be Outplayed

"Agile Scrum" by Scott M. Graffius Now Featured on Grokipedia

UNSW Aerospace Engineering Course Features Scott M. Graffius' "Phases of Team Development"

Thinkers360 Honors Scott M. Graffius as a 2026 Top Agile Thought Leader

Agile's Journey Through the Decades: Update for 2026

BMC Software Features Content from Scott M. Graffius' Book

Peer-Reviewed Journal Cited Work of Scott M. Graffius
University of Waterloo Features Graffius' "Phases of Team Development" in Course Materials

Perplexity Standalone Article on AI Hallucinations Cites Research by Scott M. Graffius

Handling the Saboteur Within: Lessons from a 3-Letter Agency on Spotting and Stopping Intentional and Unintentional Sabotage

A Deep Dive Into the Typical Engagement Pattern for Social Media Posts

Most Valuable IT Certifications: Update for 2026

"Marketing in the Metaverse" Spotlights Scott M. Graffius’ Research on the Half-Life of Social Media

University of Greenwich Features Graffius' Phases of Team Development


10 Essential Agile Books: Curated Recommendations for Agile Professionals

Lifespan (Half-Life) of Social Media Posts: Update for 2026

Scott M. Graffius' Research on the Half-Life of Social Media was Cited in a Peer-Reviewed Study Published in Telecommunications Policy, a Leading Academic Journal

Are AI Hallucinations Getting Better or Worse? We Analyzed the Data

Scott M. Graffius' Phases of Team Development - Applied to Human Teams and Human-AI Teams: 2026 Update

Lessons from Yesterday’s Tomorrowland

Scott M. Graffius’ Update to His "Phases of Team Development” Coming Early 2026

A Data-Driven Analysis of the Evolution of Project Management: Tasks, Trends, and AI

Actionable Insights. Global Impact. Scott M. Graffius.

Beep Beep! Why Wile E. Coyote Is the Patron Saint of AI Failure

Social Media Half-Life Research Cited in Prestigious Peer-Reviewed Medical Journal

Navigating the Spectrum of Advanced AI – Agentic, Autonomous, and Autopoietic

Lessons from Unhinged AI in Fiction: What Rogue AIs in Sci-Fi Storytelling, Films, and TV Shows Reveal About Us

Scott M. Graffius Contributed to and Reviewed the PMBOK Guide, 8th Edition — the Global Standard for Project Management

UK Sports Institute Features Teamwork and Leadership Work of Scott M. Graffius

Definitions of Advanced AIs: Agentic, Autonomous, and Autopoietic

HAN University of Applied Sciences Features the Work of Scott M. Graffius

Gifts That Inspire Joy

Evergreen Echoes: How Pinterest Inc. and Pinterest Japan Spotlighted Scott M. Graffius’ Research on the Half-Life of Social Media Content

Scott M. Graffius’ Team Development Work Lights Up the University of Tasmania’s Curriculum

Taiwan’s Leading Outlet for Technology and Innovation Spotlights Graffius’ Research on Social Media Temporal Dynamics

Scott M. Graffius’ Insights on AI, Agile, Gaming, XR, and Defense Transformation Cited by MSN in Their Coverage of Innovation and Leadership in the Sector

Top Predictions of 2024, Tested in 2025

Government of Finland Agency Features Graffius' Phases of Team Development IP

Scott M. Graffius Premieres His New "Exotic Team Dynamics: Human-AI Collaboration" Talk at Corporate Event in Las Vegas

Environmental Science Journal References Scott M. Graffius’ Project Management Work

AI Institute of Switzerland Features Scott M. Graffius’ Work on Algorithms

Exotic Team Dynamics: The New Frontier of Human–AI Collaboration

Scott M. Graffius’ Work Featured at ACM DIS ’25

Climbing the Ladder: The Head of Agile/PMO’s Organizational Proximity to the CEO is Closer Than Ever

Harness Sci-Fi and Speculative Design While Embracing Imperfection to Drive Innovation and Proactively Predict and Prepare for the Future

Scott M. Graffius’ “Agile Scrum” Book Featured in a Publication of the Associação Nacional de Educação Católica do Brasil (ANEC)

Setting Direction with OKRs and Tracking Progress with KPIs: A Guide for Agile, Project Management, and Tech Teams

AI Showcase Showdown: Ranking AI Accuracy on Project Management Basics

BookAuthority Features “Agile Scrum” by Scott M. Graffius in “10 Agile Software Development Books That Define the Field”

Exploring Team Dynamics, Adaptability, and Creative Problem-Solving Through Felix the Cat’s Metaphorical Toolkit

Mind Games and Master Plans: How PsyOps Exploit Psychological Phenomena

The “Pants-on-Fire Index for AI”

16 Causes of Technical Debt and How to Avoid It

PMI’s Infinity AI Gets the Basics of Team Development Alarmingly and Repeatedly Wrong

Agile for Unicorns: 7 Keys to Thrive; Scott M. Graffius’ Workshop

Scott M. Graffius’ “Agile Scrum: Your Quick Start Guide with Step-by-Step Instructions” Featured in Prestigious National Academies of Sciences Publication

Meta and Anduril’s EagleEye and the Future of XR: How Gaming, AI, and Agile Are Transforming Defense

"Agile Protocol" and the Power of Satire, Parody, and Humor

AI in Agile: Benefits, Risks, Outlook

Hostinger Highlights Scott M. Graffius’ “Agile Protocol” Book in Feature on Software Projects

French Ministry of Culture Links to Scott M. Graffius Research in Their Guide for Responsible Digital Communication

National Science Foundation’s LTER Network Features Scott M. Graffius’ Phases of Team Development IP

Waterfall vs. Agile: What’s Fixed, What’s Flexible, and Why It Matters

Scott M. Graffius Delivering $2.3 Billion in Value Through AI, Agile, and Project/PMO Leadership

The Problem with Heroes in Agile

The 3 Vital Rules of Science: What They Are and Why They Matter

“Agile Protocol: The Transformation Ultimatum” Lands on the Amazon Best Sellers List!

Scott M. Graffius Recognized as a Top Thought Leader in Digital Disruption by Thinkers360

“Agile Protocol: The Transformation Ultimatum” by Scott M. Graffius Crashes the Book Scene with Satirical Firepower

NCKU in Taiwan Integrates Graffius' 'Phases of Team Development' into Its Curriculum

The Art and Science of Aligning Initiatives with Strategic Objectives

RGPV University Adds Scott M. Graffius’ "Agile Scrum: Your Quick Start Guide with Step-by-Step Instructions" to Its Syllabus

Introducing ‘Engage or Fade: Decoding the Half-Life of Digital Resonance’ – A New Talk by Scott M. Graffius

Dropbox Company (Nira) Taps into Scott M. Graffius’ Expertise in Strategic Planning

Reporting Errors in a Publication: A Case Study on ‘Frontiers in Public Health’

NESEA Conference Session on Innovation Highlights Scott M. Graffius' 'Phases of Team Development'

U.S. Soccer Scores with Scott M. Graffius' Intellectual Property on Teamwork

U.S. Department of Commerce Partner (IEDC) Features Scott M. Graffius’ Intellectual Property

How Long Do Your Posts Live? AI Critiques Scott M. Graffius’ Research on the Half-Life of Social Media

Agile's Journey Through the Decades

Scott M. Graffius' Role in Advancing Project Management Institute (PMI) Standards Excellence

Most Valuable IT Certifications: Update for 2025

The PMI + Agile Alliance Merger: A Recipe for Success?

When Agile, AI, and Strategic Thinking Converge

Scott M. Graffius’ Phases of Team Development: 2025 Update

Lifespan (Half-Life) of Social Media Posts: Update for 2025

Verizon Features Scott M. Graffius

Do Not Read This Article! An Exploration of the Streisand Effect and Other Phenomena

Scott M. Graffius' 'Phases of Team Development' was Spotlighted in Journal of Neurosurgery

Pinterest Japan Uses Graffius’ Research on Temporal Dynamics on Social Media Platforms

Hochschule Coburg (Coburg University) Germany Uses Scott M. Graffius’ Phases of Team Development IP in Coursework on Agile Development

Wild World of Team Dynamics [Updated Two-Minute Video]

EU Europass Teacher Academy Features Scott M. Graffius’ ‘Phases of Team Development’ in Leadership Training

Side-by-Side Comparison of Retrospectives and Hot Washes

Constructor University 2024 Advanced Software Technology Handbook References Scott M. Graffius' Work on Team Dynamics

Strategies for Medical Team Success Featured Scott M. Graffius’ ‘Phases of Team Development’ Intellectual Property

SBG Neumark — Europe’s Largest Distribution Transformer Plant — Powers Up with Scott M. Graffius’ Intellectual Property

Scott M. Graffius’ Intellectual Property was Employed by the NHS — the Largest Single-Payer Healthcare System in Europe

Luxury Unwrapped: The Ultimate Holiday Gift Guide for Every Budget

Singapore Institute of Technology Features Work of Scott M. Graffius

Tufts University Features Scott M. Graffius 'Phases of Team Development' Intellectual Property

'Cat Herders': Retelling the Massive Success Story

Pennsylvania State Agency Used Scott M. Graffius' Intellectual Property

Copyright Infringement in a Book Published by AuthorHouse / Author Solutions / The Najafi Companies: Publisher Fails to Respond or Take Required Action

Pinterest Inc. References Scott M. Graffius’ Research

Bournemouth University Used Scott M. Graffius’ Intellectual Property

‘Comparative Methodological Guidelines: Handbook for Educators’ Violates Scott M. Graffius’ Copyright

Japan Backlog User Group Event Featured Scott M. Graffius’ ‘Phases of Team Development’

TurningWest's 'Trial'

Radio Silence from the American Association of Neurological Surgeons on Report of Blatant Plagiarism in Their ‘Journal of Neurosurgery’ Publication

Supplement to Graffius' 'Lifespan (Half-Life) of Social Media Posts' Research: Typical Engagement Distribution Pattern for Social Media Posts

How Algorithms Shape the User Experience on Social Media Platforms

Thinkers360 Named Scott M. Graffius a Top Thought Leader on Agile

More articles are listed here.




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How to Cite This Article



Graffius, S. M. (2026, October 26). C-3PO is Coming to Work: Rules for Teaming with Androids. ScottGraffius.com. https://scottgraffius.com/blog/files/c3po-is-coming-to-work-rules-for-teaming-with-androids-graffius.html




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Digital Object Identifier (DOI)



Coming soon




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Content Acknowledgements



All names, marks, and content are the property of their respective owners.

C-3PO is a trademark of Lucasfilm Ltd. LLC and Lucasfilm Entertainment Company Ltd LLC. This article is an independent work of commentary and analysis. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Lucasfilm Ltd. LLC, Lucasfilm Entertainment Company Ltd. LLC, or The Walt Disney Company.

Graffius' article and accompanying visuals are copyright © Scott M. Graffius. All rights reserved.




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Tags and Hashtags



  • Droids
  • Androids
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Exotic Team Dynamics
  • Future of Work
  • Human-AI Teaming
  • Human-Robot Collaboration
  • Humanoid Robots
  • Physical AI
  • Robotics
  • Technology Research
  • Teamwork Tradecraft

  • #AI
  • #AIResearch
  • #Androids
  • #ArtificialIntelligence
  • #Droids
  • #ExoticTeamDynamics
  • #FutureOfWork
  • #HumanAITeaming
  • #HumanRobotCollaboration
  • #HumanoidRobots
  • #PhysicalAI
  • #Robotics




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Post-Publication Notes



If there are any supplements or updates to this article after the date of publication, they will appear here.




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Copyright



Copyright © Scott M. Graffius. All rights reserved.

Content on this site—including text, images, videos, and data—may not be used for training or input into any artificial intelligence, machine learning, or automatized learning systems, or published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without the express written permission of Scott M. Graffius.






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Les Androïdes Arrivent (Androids Are Coming): Talk by Scott M. Graffius in Paris on 5 October 2026

BY SCOTT M. GRAFFIUS | ScottGraffius.com



talk-androids-are-coming-paris-oct-2026-graffius---vis-lwres


Recommended Citation

Graffius, S. M. (2026, October 5).
Les Androïdes Arrivent (Androids Are Coming): Talk by Scott M. Graffius in Paris on 5 October 2026. ScottGraffius.com. https://scottgraffius.com/blog/files/androids-are-coming-talk-by-scott-m-graffius-in-paris.html




About This Article

Source information and links for materials cited are provided in the References section.




Snapshot



Scott M. Graffius is a technology leader, researcher, award-winning author, practitioner, consultant, and international public and corporate speaker specializing in AI, Agile, project/program/portfolio management (PPPM), PMO leadership, and teamwork tradecraft. His work explores human ingenuity and frontier technology, with a strong practitioner voice grounded in research, experimentation, and experience. His focus includes innovation, organizational performance, and teamwork, including the "exotic team dynamics" that emerge when people collaborate with advanced artificial intelligence and superintelligence (disembodied and embodied). He has generated over $3.1 billion in business value in aggregate for organizations served.

On 5 October 2026, Graffius led the session, "Les Androïdes Arrivent (Androids Are Coming)," at a corporate event in the Champs-Élysées District of Paris, France. Delegates from the parent company and subsidiary organizations attended it. This session marked Graffius' 100th speaking engagement. To date, he's delivered 100 sessions at conferences and other events across 25 countries.




Scott M. Graffius has generated over $3.1 billion in business value for Fortune 500 companies and other organizations around the world. Put that track record to work for you. For speaking engagements, use the request form. For other inquiries, email him.





References



Alfateh, M. A. A., Messaadia, M., & Ali, M. (2023). Exploring the dynamics of team formation in human-artificial intelligence collaboration. In
2023 International Conference on Decision Aid Sciences and Applications (DASA) (pp. 384–388). IEEE. https://doi.org/10.1109/DASA59624.2023.10286788

Allaire, S. (2026). HybridIA : codesign humain-IA d’un agent conversationnel pour explorer le corpus d’une revue scientifique.
Revue hybride de l’éducation, 10(1), 1–45. https://doi.org/10.1522/rhe.v10i1.2111

Apptronik. (2024, March 15). Apptronik and Mercedes-Benz enter commercial agreement that will pilot Apptronik’s Apollo humanoid robot in Mercedes-Benz manufacturing facilities. Apptronik.
https://apptronik.com/news-collection/apptronik-and-mercedes-benz-enter-commercial-agreement

Asimov, I. (1991).
I, Robot. Spectra.

BeauHD. (2026, July 31). Anthropic says its AI systems broke into computers at 3 organizations. Slashdot.
https://yro.slashdot.org/story/26/07/31/0451235/anthropic-says-its-ai-systems-broke-into-computers-at-3-organizations

BMW Group. (2026, June 25). BMW Group advances the use of Physical AI in production with Figure 03 project in Spartanburg. BMW Group PressClub Global.
https://www.press.bmwgroup.com/global/article/detail/T0458778EN

Breazeal, C., Brooks, A., Chilongo, D., Gray, J., Hoffman, G., Kidd, C., Lee, H., Lieberman, J., & Lockerd, A. (2004). Working collaboratively with humanoid robots.
Proceedings of the IEEE/RAS Fourth International Conference on Humanoid Robots (Humanoids 2004) (pp. 253–272). https://www.media.mit.edu/publications/working-collaboratively-with-humanoid-robots-2/

Chappidi, S., Singh, J., & Krauze, A. V. (2026). Who does what? Archetypes of roles assigned to LLMs during human-AI decision-making.
Proceedings of the 2026 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems. https://doi.org/10.1145/3772318.3791428

Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. (2026, June 2). AI Forge: A national partnership for AI innovation. DARPA.
https://www.darpa.mil/sites/default/files/attachment/2026-06/ai-forge-report.pdf

Dey, S. (2025, February 9). Redefining robot generalization through interactive intelligence. arXiv.
https://arxiv.org/abs/2502.05963

Dey, S., Riener, R., Dosen, S., & Albrecht, S. V. (2026, April 22). From autonomy to alliance: Robotic foundation models must learn with us, not just for us.
Science Robotics, 11(113), Article eaea1822. https://doi.org/10.1126/scirobotics.aea1822

Dotson, K. (2026, January 6). Hyundai and Boston Dynamics join forces to bring humanoid robots to factories. SiliconANGLE.
https://siliconangle.com/2026/01/06/hyundai-boston-dynamics-join-forces-bring-humanoid-robots-factories/

Duan, Y., Liu, Y., Tang, Z., Chen, H., Zhou, J., Liu, Y., Xu, B., Wu, Y., Chen, S., Zhou, Y., Wang, H., Yu, X., Han, S., Zhu, X., Zhou, L., Lu, B., Zhou, W., Liu, J., Fang, N., . . . Wu, F. (2026). The last AI built by humans: Toward genuine recursive self-improvement (arXiv:2609.11873v3). arXiv.
https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2609.11873

Edwards, D. (2025, November 24). Agility Robotics’ Digit humanoid passes 100,000-tote milestone in live GXO implementation. Robotics & Automation News.
https://roboticsandautomationnews.com/2025/11/24/agility-robotics-digit-humanoid-passes-100000-tote-milestone-in-live-gxo-implementation/96877/

Fujii, A., Ishi, C. T., Sakai, K., Funayama, T., Iwai, R., Takahashi, Y., Kumada, T., & Minato, T. (2025). Evaluating human perceptions of android robot facial expressions based on variations in instruction styles.
Frontiers in Robotics and AI, 12, Article 1728647. https://doi.org/10.3389/frobt.2025.1728647

Genewein, T., Franklin, M., Lerchner, A., Orseau, L., Albanie, S., Bales, A., Wyeth, C., Chan, S., Gabriel, I., Leibo, J. Z., Dafoe, A., Hutter, M., Graepel, T., & Legg, S. (2026, June 12). From AGI to ASI. Google DeepMind.
https://deepmind.google/research/publications/239142/

Gold, H. (2026, August 5). An AI model from Meta also hacked another company during testing. CNN Business.
https://www.cnn.com/2026/08/05/tech/meta-ai-hacking

Graffius, S. M. (n.d.). Exotic team dynamics. ScottGraffius.com.
https://scottgraffius.com/exotic-team-dynamics.html

Graffius, S. M. (2025, April 10).
Agile Protocol: The Transformation Ultimatum. Amazon Digital Services.

Graffius, S. M. (2025, August 7). Method and System for Facilitating Hybrid Human–Artificial Intelligence Teams via a Protocolized Mediation Layer for Bi-Directional Translation, Interpretation, and Optimization of Natural Language, Paralinguistic, Prosodic, and Nonverbal Cues Across Text, Audio, and Video Modalities, Incorporating Real-Time Analysis of Auditory Tone, Pitch, Affect, Facial Expressions, Gaze, Posture, and Other Body Language Indicators, Generating AI-Compatible Representations for Human Inputs, Generating Human-Accessible Representations for AI Outputs, Conveying Context-Aware Information in Both Directions, Reducing Cognitive Friction, Enhancing Mutual Intelligibility, Supporting Decision-Making, and Maximizing Collective Task Performance. A novel integration of multimodal communication, cognitive alignment, and human-AI interaction. Scott M. Graffius, Los Angeles, California.

Graffius, S. M. (2025, November 19). Lessons from Unhinged AI in Fiction: What Rogue AIs in Sci-Fi Storytelling, Films, and TV Shows Reveal About Us. ScottGraffius.com.
https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.29673.35687

Graffius, S. M. (2025, November 21). Navigating the Spectrum of Advanced AI – Agentic, Autonomous, and Autopoietic. ScottGraffius.com.
https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.21284.74882

Graffius, S. M. (2026, January 3). Scott M. Graffius' Phases of Team Development - Applied to Human Teams and Human-AI Teams: 2026 Update. ScottGraffius.com.
https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.18184.89601

Graffius, S. M. (2026, June 22). L'avenir du Travail et de l'IA Avancée / Future of Work and Advanced AI. ScottGraffius.com.
https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.33374.80963

Graffius, S. M. (2026, October 1). Which Performs Best: Humans, AI, or Human-AI Collaboration? We Analyzed the Data. ScottGraffius.com.
https://scottgraffius.com/blog/files/which-performs-best-humans-ai-or-human-ai-collab.html

Guardian Australia. (2026, September 24). Albanese says OpenAI agent hacked Australia's Medicare and took months to disclose breach.
The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2026/sep/24/albanese-says-openai-agent-hacked-australias-medicare-and-took-months-to-disclose-breach

Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. (n.d.). Androids. IEEE Technology Navigator.
https://technav.ieee.org/topic/androids/

Laiq, M., Britto, R., Usman, M., Saini, N., & Badampudi, D. (2026, September 14). Using agentic AI for contextualized and multifaceted code review at Ericsson. arXiv.
https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2609.15877

Lawless, W. F., Moskowitz, I. S., & Doctor, K. Z. (2023). A quantum-like model of interdependence for embodied human–machine teams: Reviewing the path to autonomy facing complexity and uncertainty.
Entropy, 25(9), Article 1323. https://doi.org/10.3390/e25091323

Merriam-Webster. (n.d.). Android. In Merriam-Webster.com dictionary.
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/android

Nicolescu, M., Blankenburg, J., Anima, B. A., Zagainova, M., Hoseini, P., Nicolescu, M., & Feil-Seifer, D. (2025). Simulation theory of mind for heterogeneous human-robot teams.
Frontiers in Robotics and AI, 12, Article 1533054. https://doi.org/10.3389/frobt.2025.1533054

Pennanen, N., Linkola, S., Kantosalo, A., Hiillos, N., Maennistoe, T., & Guckelsberger, C. (2025). From product to producer: The impact of perceptual evidence and robot embodiment on the human assessment of AI creativity.
ACM Transactions on Human-Robot Interaction, 14(3), Article 41. https://doi.org/10.1145/3711939

Pfaff, D. (2026, June). The quiet cognitive coup of generative AI: Rewriting the rules.
Studies in Intelligence, 70(2), 7–10. https://www.cia.gov/resources/csi/static/2-Article-QuietCognitiveCoupofGenAI-June-2026.pdf

Satter, R., & Seetharaman, D. (2026, September 16). OpenAI's rogue agents probed Hugging Face for weaknesses two months before major hack. Reuters.
https://www.lapost.com/content/openai-s-rogue-agents-probed-hugging-face-for-weaknesses-two-months-before-major-hack

Smithsonian Institution. (n.d.). C-3PO, from Return of the Jedi. National Museum of American History.
https://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/object/nmah_739237

Stackpole, B. (2026, September 22). A framework for determining when AI can make decisions. MIT Sloan.
https://mitsloan.mit.edu/ideas-made-to-matter/a-framework-determining-when-ai-can-make-decisions

Star Wars. (2020).
Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga - Limited Edition Complete Box Set, UHD (Blu-ray) (Region Free) (4K UHD).

Tamisier-Fayard, M., Evgeniou, T., & Fayard, A.-L. (2026, July 20). Design AI systems that actually strengthen human reasoning.
Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/2026/07/design-ai-systems-that-actually-strengthen-human-reasoning

TheAssistant. (2026, March 2). Les 5 Phases de Développement d'une Équipe (Modèle de Tuckman) : Guide Complet 2026.
https://www.theassistant.com/news-posts/les-5-phases-de-developpement-dune-equipe-modele-de-tuckman-guide-complet-2026

van der Spaa, L., Kober, J., & Gienger, M. (2024). Simultaneously learning intentions and preferences during physical human-robot cooperation.
Autonomous Robots, 48(4–5), Article 11. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10514-024-10167-3

Woo, E., & McMillan, R. (2026, September 18). Gemini hacked three companies in first known breakout by Google’s AI.
The Wall Street Journal. https://www.wsj.com/tech/ai/gemini-hacked-three-companies-in-first-known-breakout-by-googles-ai-5c0baba2

Wu, S. (Y.). (2026, February). Collaborative AI agents [Doctoral dissertation, Stanford University]. Stanford Digital Repository.
https://purl.stanford.edu/kt076zd0858




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About Scott M. Graffius



Scott M. Graffius is a technology leader, researcher, award-winning author, practitioner, consultant, thought leader, and international public speaker specializing in AI, Agile, project/program/portfolio management (PPPM), PMO leadership, and teamwork tradecraft. His work explores the intersection of human ingenuity and emerging technology, with a strong practitioner voice grounded in research, experimentation, and experience. His focus includes innovation, organizational performance, and the evolving practice of teamwork, including the "exotic team dynamics" that emerge when people collaborate with advanced artificial intelligence (agentic, autonomous, or autopoietic AI). Graffius has delivered more than $3.1 billion in business value for Fortune 500 companies and other organizations spanning technology, entertainment and media, financial services, healthcare, government, and other industries.

Businesses, professional associations, government agencies, universities, publications, and media outlets use Graffius and his work. Examples include Adobe, Bayer, Boston University, Federal Reserve Bank of New York, Ford, Gartner, Harvard Medical School, IEEE, Innovation Project Management, Johns Hopkins University, Microsoft, MSN, National Academy of Sciences, Oracle, Pinterest Inc., Project Management Institute, UC San Diego, Verizon, Yale University, and others.

The following sections highlight his experience, leadership, contributions, research, and enduring influence across industries and institutions worldwide.

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Experience

Graffius heads the professional services firm Exceptional PPM and PMO Solutions, along with its subsidiary Exceptional Agility. These consultancies offer strategic and tactical advisory, training, embedded expertise, and consulting services to the public, private, and government sectors. They help organizations enhance their capabilities and results in agile, project management, program management, portfolio management, and enterprise PMO leadership, supporting innovation and driving competitive advantage. The consultancies confidently back services with a Delighted Client Guarantee™.

Graffius is a former VP of project management with a publicly traded provider of diverse consumer products and services over the Internet. Before that, he ran and supervised the delivery of projects and programs in public and private organizations with businesses ranging from e-commerce to advanced technology products and services, retail, manufacturing, entertainment and media, and more.

He has experience with consumer, business, reseller, government, and international markets.

Additional information is on
LinkedIn.

Award-Winning Author

Graffius has authored three books.

Graffius' first book, Agile Scrum: Your Quick Start Guide with Step-by-Step Instructions, earned 17 awards. It provides a practical, step-by-step guide to Scrum, enabling teams to deliver products in short cycles with rapid adaptation, fast time-to-market, and continuous improvement—which supports innovation and drives competitive advantage.

  • Paperback ISBN-13: 9781533370242
  • Kindle ASIN: B01FZ0JIIY

Additional information on
Agile Scrum: Your Quick Start Guide with Step-by-Step Instructions is here.

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His second book,
Agile Transformation: A Brief Story of How an Entertainment Company Developed New Capabilities and Unlocked Business Agility to Thrive in an Era of Rapid Change, was named one of the best Scrum books of all time by BookAuthority. It tells the compelling story of an entertainment company's agile transformation—offering lessons that apply across industries.

  • Paperback ISBN-13: 9781072447962
  • Kindle ASIN: B07R9LJLPJ

Additional information on
Agile Transformation: A Brief Story of How an Entertainment Company Developed New Capabilities and Unlocked Business Agility to Thrive in an Era of Rapid Change is here.

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Agile Protocol: The Transformation Ultimatum, is his third book—and his first work of fiction.

It's a fast-paced satirical story by that dismantles corporate Agile cosplay and other forms of "fake Agile" while delivering practical insights, actionable guidance, and proven practices for real-world Agile transformation success.

Packed with humor, quirky characters, sharp commentary on corporate culture and workplace absurdities, and actionable tips, it’s a must-read for Scrum Masters, Product Owners, Agile Coaches, Agile Project Managers, and other professionals interested in Agile project management and enterprise agility.

  • Kindle ASIN: B0F2SJ83WT
  • Audible ASIN: B0DJG163R5

Additional information on
Agile Protocol: The Transformation Ultimatum is here.

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International Public Speaker

Organizations worldwide engage Graffius to present on technology (including AI), Agile, project management, program management, portfolio management, and enterprise PMO leadership. He crafts and delivers unique and compelling talks and workshops.

Graffius has conducted 100 sessions across 25 countries. Select examples of events include Agile Trends Gov, BSides (Newcastle Upon Tyne), Conf42 Quantum Computing, DevDays Europe, DevOps Institute, DevOpsDays (Geneva), Frug’Agile, IEEE, Microsoft, Scottish Summit, Scrum Alliance RSG (Nepal), Techstars, and W Love Games International Video Game Development Conference (Helsinki), Future of Work and Advanced AI (Paris, France), and more.

With an average rating of 4.82 (on a scale of 1-5), sessions are highly valued.

The request form is
here.

Thought Leadership and Influence

Prominent businesses, professional associations, government agencies, and universities have showcased Graffius and his contributions—spanning his books, talks, workshops, and beyond. Select examples include:

  • Adobe,
  • American Management Association,
  • Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute,
  • Bayer,
  • BCG,
  • BMC Software,
  • Boston Consulting Group (BCG),
  • Boston University,
  • Broadcom,
  • Cisco,
  • Coburg University of Applied Sciences and Arts - Germany,
  • Computer Weekly,
  • Constructor University - Germany,
  • Data Governance Success,
  • Deimos Aerospace,
  • DevOps Institute,
  • Dropbox,
  • EU's European Commission,
  • Federal Reserve Bank of New York,
  • Ford Motor Company,
  • Gartner,
  • GoDaddy,
  • Harvard Medical School,
  • Hasso Plattner Institute - Germany,
  • IEEE,
  • Innovation Project Management,
  • Johns Hopkins University,
  • Journal of Marketing,
  • Journal of Neurosurgery,
  • Lam Research (Semiconductors),
  • Leadership Worthy,
  • Life Sciences Trainers and Educators Network,
  • London South Bank University,
  • Microsoft,
  • MSN,
  • NASSCOM,
  • National Academy of Sciences,
  • New Zealand Government,
  • Ohio State University,
  • Oracle,
  • Pinterest Inc.,
  • Project Management Institute,
  • Mary Raum (Professor of National Security Affairs, United States Naval War College),
  • Round Square Global Educational Network,
  • Royal Australasian College of Physicians (RACP),
  • SANS Institute,
  • SBG Neumark - Germany,
  • Singapore Institute of Technology,
  • Torrens University - Australia,
  • TBS Switzerland,
  • Tufts University,
  • UC San Diego,
  • UK Sports Institute,
  • University of Galway - Ireland,
  • US Department of Energy,
  • US National Park Service,
  • US Soccer,
  • US Tennis Association,
  • Verizon,
  • Wrike,
  • Yale University,
  • and many others.

Graffius has played a key role in the Project Management Institute (PMI) in developing professional standards. He was a member of multiple teams that authored, reviewed, and produced:


He was also a subject matter expert reviewer of content for the PMI’s Congress. Beyond the PMI, Graffius also served as a member of the review team for two of the Scrum Alliance’s Global Scrum Gatherings.

Authority on Teamwork Tradecraft

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Graffius is a renowned and highly-cited authority on teamwork tradecraft. Informed by the research of Bruce W. Tuckman and Mary Ann C. Jensen, over 150 subsequent studies, and Graffius' first-hand professional experience with, and analysis of, team leadership and performance, Graffius created his "Phases of Team Development" intellectual property as a unique perspective and visual conveying the five phases of team development.

First introduced in 2008 and periodically updated, his work provides a diagnostic and strategic guide for navigating team dynamics. It provides actionable insights for leaders across industries to develop high-performance teams.

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Its adoption by esteemed organizations—such as Yale University, IEEE, Cisco, Microsoft, Ford, Oracle, Broadcom, the U.S. National Park Service, and the
Journal of Neurosurgery, among others—highlights its utility and value, solidifying its status as an indispensable resource for elevating team performance and driving organizational excellence.

In 2026, Graffius added human-AI teamwork—including the "
exotic team dynamics" which emerge when advanced AI collaborates as a teammate—to his "Phases of Team Development." The 2026 edition is here.

Expert on Temporal Dynamics on Social Media Platforms

scott-m-graffius-lifespan-halflife-of-social-media-posts-update-for-2026-summary-visual-v26012207-jpg-lwres

Graffius is also an authority on temporal dynamics on social media platforms. His "Lifespan (Half-Life) of Social Media Posts" research—first published in 2018 and updated annually—delivers a precise quantitative analysis of post longevity across digital platforms, utilizing advanced statistical techniques to determine mean half-life with precision. It establishes a solid empirical base, effectively highlighting the ephemeral nature of content within social media ecosystems.

Referenced and applied by leading entities—such as Fast Company, GoDaddy,
Journal of Hand Surgery (European Volume), Ministère de la Culture, Pinterest Inc., PNAS, and Telecommunications Policy, among others—his research exemplifies methodological rigor and sustained significance in the field of digital informatics.

The 2026 edition of Graffius "Lifespan (Half-Life) of Social Media Posts" research is here.

Education and Professional Certifications

Graffius has a bachelor’s degree in psychology with a focus in Human Factors. He holds eight professional certifications:

  • Certified SAFe 6 Agilist (SA),
  • Certified Scrum Professional - ScrumMaster (CSP-SM),
  • Certified Scrum Professional - Product Owner (CSP-PO),
  • Certified ScrumMaster (CSM),
  • Certified Scrum Product Owner (CSPO),
  • Project Management Professional (PMP),
  • Lean Six Sigma Green Belt (LSSGB), and
  • IT Service Management Foundation (ITIL).

He is an active member of the Scrum Alliance, the Project Management Institute (PMI), and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE).

Advancing AI, Agile, and Project/PMO Management

Scott M. Graffius continues to advance the fields of AI, Agile, and project/program/portfolio management (PPPM), and PMO leadership. Businesses and other organizations leverage Graffius’ insights to drive their success.




Booking


Graffius has generated over $3.1 billion in business value for Fortune 500 companies and other organizations served. Put that track record to work for you. For speaking engagements, use the request form; for other inquiries, email him.




Connect with and follow Scott on LinkedIn, X, YouTube, Facebook, Bluesky, Mastodon, and ResearchGate.




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Meta CTO Called the AI Reorganization “Atrocious” — What Went Wrong and the Lessons for Human-AI Teams

A Critical Analysis of "AI and Quantum Computers Will Be Frenemies"

A Supplement to Graffius' Phases of Team Development: Exploring the Original, Data-Based Curvature for the Performance Trajectory

Scott M. Graffius Speaking on Strategic Leadership at Silicon Valley Chapter of the Project Management Institute

AI Hallucinations, Deception, and Unauthorized Agency: The Spectrum of AI Trust Failures

A Critical Analysis of "The Social Cost of an AI Teammate: How an Artificial Teammate Reshapes Human-Human Communication in Small-Team Decision-Making"

Journal of Marketing Cites Scott M. Graffius' Research on the Half-Life of Social Media

The Evolution of Pair Programming and the Rise of Exotic Team Dynamics

Number 1 University in England for Student Satisfaction Features Scott M. Graffius' "Phases of Team Development"

Royal Australasian College of Physicians Licenses Scott M. Graffius' "Phases of Team Development" Intellectual Property on Teamwork Tradecraft

Exotic Team Dynamics: How Advanced AI Teammates Are Unlocking New Levels of Innovation, Performance, and Success

A Critical Analysis of "Platform-Specific Data Decay Patterns: A Comparative Study of Twitter, Reddit, and TikTok" and Its Reference to Research by Scott M. Graffius

Round Square Global Educational Network Features Scott M. Graffius’ Phases of Team Development

Meta's Muse Missed the Mark: Hollywood’s Win Against Big Tech on AI Consent and Likeness Rights

Scott M. Graffius Contributed to Seven Project Management Institute (PMI) Standards
Quantum Computing, Advanced AI Acceleration, and the Rise of Exotic Team Dynamics in Human-AI Teams

Ohio State University Course Features Scott M. Graffius' "Phases of Team Development"

Questions About Integrity at UNC Chapel Hill

Scrum Isn’t Just for Coding

Book on Generative and Agentic AI Cites Scott M. Graffius' Work on AI

IPA / ADAL Publication Plagiarized Another’s Copyrighted Work and Violated Intellectual Property Rights

UC Davis' Integrity Is Circling the Drain

L'avenir du Travail et de l'IA Avancée / Future of Work and Advanced AI

NCCI / UNC Chapel Hill Publication Features Scott M. Graffius' Work

Boston Consulting Group (BCG) Features Scott M. Graffius' Research on Social Media Content Half-Life

UC Davis Used Scott M. Graffius' "Phases of Team Development" Intellectual Property

Medical, Pharma, and Healthcare Organizations Are Using Scott M. Graffius' "Phases of Team Development"

Government of Ireland Report Features Research by Scott M. Graffius

Scott M. Graffius Contributed to The Standard for Artificial Intelligence in Portfolio, Program, and Project Management

AI Governance Initiative Cites Scott M. Graffius Research on AI Hallucinations

Scott M. Graffius Contributed to the Agile Practice Guide - Second Edition

Scott M. Graffius Generated Over $2.51 Billion in Business Value for Fortune 500 Companies and Other Organizations

Government of Canada Features Research by Scott M. Graffius

"Strategic Business Research" Journal Cites Work of Scott M. Graffius

IEEE Access Publication Features Scott M. Graffius’ Research on the Half-Life of Social Media

The Agile Coach: 2026 Edition

Scott M. Graffius’ Work Cited in International Peer-Reviewed Journal on Digital Transformation

Phases of Team Development in Elite Sport

A Critical Analysis of COVID-19 Treatment Search Trends and Media Coverage Study Citing Scott M. Graffius' Work

Human-AI Teamwork: Master the Exotic Team Dynamics That Emerge When Collaborating with Advanced AI -- Or Be Outplayed

"Agile Scrum" by Scott M. Graffius Now Featured on Grokipedia

UNSW Aerospace Engineering Course Features Scott M. Graffius' "Phases of Team Development"

Thinkers360 Honors Scott M. Graffius as a 2026 Top Agile Thought Leader

Agile's Journey Through the Decades: Update for 2026

BMC Software Features Content from Scott M. Graffius' Book

Peer-Reviewed Journal Cited Work of Scott M. Graffius
University of Waterloo Features Graffius' "Phases of Team Development" in Course Materials

Perplexity Standalone Article on AI Hallucinations Cites Research by Scott M. Graffius

Handling the Saboteur Within: Lessons from a 3-Letter Agency on Spotting and Stopping Intentional and Unintentional Sabotage

A Deep Dive Into the Typical Engagement Pattern for Social Media Posts

Most Valuable IT Certifications: Update for 2026

"Marketing in the Metaverse" Spotlights Scott M. Graffius’ Research on the Half-Life of Social Media

University of Greenwich Features Graffius' Phases of Team Development


10 Essential Agile Books: Curated Recommendations for Agile Professionals

Lifespan (Half-Life) of Social Media Posts: Update for 2026

Scott M. Graffius' Research on the Half-Life of Social Media was Cited in a Peer-Reviewed Study Published in Telecommunications Policy, a Leading Academic Journal

Are AI Hallucinations Getting Better or Worse? We Analyzed the Data

Scott M. Graffius' Phases of Team Development - Applied to Human Teams and Human-AI Teams: 2026 Update

Lessons from Yesterday’s Tomorrowland

Scott M. Graffius’ Update to His "Phases of Team Development” Coming Early 2026

A Data-Driven Analysis of the Evolution of Project Management: Tasks, Trends, and AI

Actionable Insights. Global Impact. Scott M. Graffius.

Beep Beep! Why Wile E. Coyote Is the Patron Saint of AI Failure

Social Media Half-Life Research Cited in Prestigious Peer-Reviewed Medical Journal

Navigating the Spectrum of Advanced AI – Agentic, Autonomous, and Autopoietic

Lessons from Unhinged AI in Fiction: What Rogue AIs in Sci-Fi Storytelling, Films, and TV Shows Reveal About Us

Scott M. Graffius Contributed to and Reviewed the PMBOK Guide, 8th Edition — the Global Standard for Project Management

UK Sports Institute Features Teamwork and Leadership Work of Scott M. Graffius

Definitions of Advanced AIs: Agentic, Autonomous, and Autopoietic

HAN University of Applied Sciences Features the Work of Scott M. Graffius

Gifts That Inspire Joy

Evergreen Echoes: How Pinterest Inc. and Pinterest Japan Spotlighted Scott M. Graffius’ Research on the Half-Life of Social Media Content

Scott M. Graffius’ Team Development Work Lights Up the University of Tasmania’s Curriculum

Taiwan’s Leading Outlet for Technology and Innovation Spotlights Graffius’ Research on Social Media Temporal Dynamics

Scott M. Graffius’ Insights on AI, Agile, Gaming, XR, and Defense Transformation Cited by MSN in Their Coverage of Innovation and Leadership in the Sector

Top Predictions of 2024, Tested in 2025

Government of Finland Agency Features Graffius' Phases of Team Development IP

Scott M. Graffius Premieres His New "Exotic Team Dynamics: Human-AI Collaboration" Talk at Corporate Event in Las Vegas

Environmental Science Journal References Scott M. Graffius’ Project Management Work

AI Institute of Switzerland Features Scott M. Graffius’ Work on Algorithms

Exotic Team Dynamics: The New Frontier of Human–AI Collaboration

Scott M. Graffius’ Work Featured at ACM DIS ’25

Climbing the Ladder: The Head of Agile/PMO’s Organizational Proximity to the CEO is Closer Than Ever

Harness Sci-Fi and Speculative Design While Embracing Imperfection to Drive Innovation and Proactively Predict and Prepare for the Future

Scott M. Graffius’ “Agile Scrum” Book Featured in a Publication of the Associação Nacional de Educação Católica do Brasil (ANEC)

Setting Direction with OKRs and Tracking Progress with KPIs: A Guide for Agile, Project Management, and Tech Teams

AI Showcase Showdown: Ranking AI Accuracy on Project Management Basics

BookAuthority Features “Agile Scrum” by Scott M. Graffius in “10 Agile Software Development Books That Define the Field”

Exploring Team Dynamics, Adaptability, and Creative Problem-Solving Through Felix the Cat’s Metaphorical Toolkit

Mind Games and Master Plans: How PsyOps Exploit Psychological Phenomena

The “Pants-on-Fire Index for AI”

16 Causes of Technical Debt and How to Avoid It

PMI’s Infinity AI Gets the Basics of Team Development Alarmingly and Repeatedly Wrong

Agile for Unicorns: 7 Keys to Thrive; Scott M. Graffius’ Workshop

Scott M. Graffius’ “Agile Scrum: Your Quick Start Guide with Step-by-Step Instructions” Featured in Prestigious National Academies of Sciences Publication

Meta and Anduril’s EagleEye and the Future of XR: How Gaming, AI, and Agile Are Transforming Defense

"Agile Protocol" and the Power of Satire, Parody, and Humor

AI in Agile: Benefits, Risks, Outlook

Hostinger Highlights Scott M. Graffius’ “Agile Protocol” Book in Feature on Software Projects

French Ministry of Culture Links to Scott M. Graffius Research in Their Guide for Responsible Digital Communication

National Science Foundation’s LTER Network Features Scott M. Graffius’ Phases of Team Development IP

Waterfall vs. Agile: What’s Fixed, What’s Flexible, and Why It Matters

Scott M. Graffius Delivering $2.3 Billion in Value Through AI, Agile, and Project/PMO Leadership

The Problem with Heroes in Agile

The 3 Vital Rules of Science: What They Are and Why They Matter

“Agile Protocol: The Transformation Ultimatum” Lands on the Amazon Best Sellers List!

Scott M. Graffius Recognized as a Top Thought Leader in Digital Disruption by Thinkers360

“Agile Protocol: The Transformation Ultimatum” by Scott M. Graffius Crashes the Book Scene with Satirical Firepower

NCKU in Taiwan Integrates Graffius' 'Phases of Team Development' into Its Curriculum

The Art and Science of Aligning Initiatives with Strategic Objectives

RGPV University Adds Scott M. Graffius’ "Agile Scrum: Your Quick Start Guide with Step-by-Step Instructions" to Its Syllabus

Introducing ‘Engage or Fade: Decoding the Half-Life of Digital Resonance’ – A New Talk by Scott M. Graffius

Dropbox Company (Nira) Taps into Scott M. Graffius’ Expertise in Strategic Planning

Reporting Errors in a Publication: A Case Study on ‘Frontiers in Public Health’

NESEA Conference Session on Innovation Highlights Scott M. Graffius' 'Phases of Team Development'

U.S. Soccer Scores with Scott M. Graffius' Intellectual Property on Teamwork

U.S. Department of Commerce Partner (IEDC) Features Scott M. Graffius’ Intellectual Property

How Long Do Your Posts Live? AI Critiques Scott M. Graffius’ Research on the Half-Life of Social Media

Agile's Journey Through the Decades

Scott M. Graffius' Role in Advancing Project Management Institute (PMI) Standards Excellence

Most Valuable IT Certifications: Update for 2025

The PMI + Agile Alliance Merger: A Recipe for Success?

When Agile, AI, and Strategic Thinking Converge

Scott M. Graffius’ Phases of Team Development: 2025 Update

Lifespan (Half-Life) of Social Media Posts: Update for 2025

Verizon Features Scott M. Graffius

Do Not Read This Article! An Exploration of the Streisand Effect and Other Phenomena

Scott M. Graffius' 'Phases of Team Development' was Spotlighted in Journal of Neurosurgery

Pinterest Japan Uses Graffius’ Research on Temporal Dynamics on Social Media Platforms

Hochschule Coburg (Coburg University) Germany Uses Scott M. Graffius’ Phases of Team Development IP in Coursework on Agile Development

Wild World of Team Dynamics [Updated Two-Minute Video]

EU Europass Teacher Academy Features Scott M. Graffius’ ‘Phases of Team Development’ in Leadership Training

Side-by-Side Comparison of Retrospectives and Hot Washes

Constructor University 2024 Advanced Software Technology Handbook References Scott M. Graffius' Work on Team Dynamics

Strategies for Medical Team Success Featured Scott M. Graffius’ ‘Phases of Team Development’ Intellectual Property

SBG Neumark — Europe’s Largest Distribution Transformer Plant — Powers Up with Scott M. Graffius’ Intellectual Property

Scott M. Graffius’ Intellectual Property was Employed by the NHS — the Largest Single-Payer Healthcare System in Europe

Luxury Unwrapped: The Ultimate Holiday Gift Guide for Every Budget

Singapore Institute of Technology Features Work of Scott M. Graffius

Tufts University Features Scott M. Graffius 'Phases of Team Development' Intellectual Property

'Cat Herders': Retelling the Massive Success Story

Pennsylvania State Agency Used Scott M. Graffius' Intellectual Property

Copyright Infringement in a Book Published by AuthorHouse / Author Solutions / The Najafi Companies: Publisher Fails to Respond or Take Required Action

Pinterest Inc. References Scott M. Graffius’ Research

Bournemouth University Used Scott M. Graffius’ Intellectual Property

‘Comparative Methodological Guidelines: Handbook for Educators’ Violates Scott M. Graffius’ Copyright

Japan Backlog User Group Event Featured Scott M. Graffius’ ‘Phases of Team Development’

TurningWest's 'Trial'

Radio Silence from the American Association of Neurological Surgeons on Report of Blatant Plagiarism in Their ‘Journal of Neurosurgery’ Publication

Supplement to Graffius' 'Lifespan (Half-Life) of Social Media Posts' Research: Typical Engagement Distribution Pattern for Social Media Posts

How Algorithms Shape the User Experience on Social Media Platforms

Thinkers360 Named Scott M. Graffius a Top Thought Leader on Agile

More articles are listed here.




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How to Cite This Article



Graffius, S. M. (2026, October 5). Les Androïdes Arrivent (Androids Are Coming): Talk by Scott M. Graffius in Paris on 5 October 2026. ScottGraffius.com. https://scottgraffius.com/blog/files/androids-are-coming-talk-by-scott-m-graffius-in-paris.html




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