Lazarenko Yuliia, Candidate of Economic Sciences, Associate Professor, Associate Professor of Management Department, Kyiv National Economic University named after Vadym Hetman, Kyiv, Ukraine

ORCID: 0000-0003-0337-8239
e-mail: lazarenko.yuliia@kneu.edu.ua

Transforming Leadership in the Context of Human-AI Complementarity

Abstract. Introduction. The increasing integration of artificial intelligence into organizational processes is reshaping traditional understandings of leadership. While existing studies have extensively explored digital leadership and human-AI collaboration, limited attention has been devoted to explaining how leadership operates across multiple levels in the context of human-AI complementarity.

Purpose. The purpose of the article is to advance the understanding of leadership transformation in the context of human-AI complementarity by developing a multi-level conceptual framework that explains how leadership is enacted across individual, team, and organizational levels in AI-enabled environments.

Results. The article conceptualizes human-AI complementarity as a dynamic process through which the distinct capabilities of humans and artificial intelligence are aligned to generate superior organizational outcomes. Building on this perspective, a multi-level framework of leadership is proposed, encompassing cognitive complementarity at the individual level, hybrid collaboration at the team level, and system design and governance at the organizational level The framework suggests that leadership effectiveness depends on the alignment of these interconnected levels and on the ability of leaders to coordinate cognitive, collaborative, and organizational processes within complex socio-technical systems. The findings further suggest that leadership transformation is characterized by a shift from viewing leaders primarily as sources of expertise and direction toward recognizing their role in creating conditions for the effective alignment and utilization of complementary human and AI capabilities.

Conclusions. Leadership in the context of human-AI complementarity should be understood as a dynamic capability that facilitates the integration of human and artificial intelligence across multiple levels of analysis. The proposed framework contributes to the emerging discourse on leadership transformation by providing a structured perspective on the mechanisms through which human-AI complementarity can be translated into sustainable organizational value and offers a foundation for future theoretical and empirical research in AI-enabled environments.

Keywords: leadership; digital leadership; artificial intelligence; hybrid intelligence; human-AI complementarity; leadership competencies

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