“AI will free up staff to focus on strategic work.”
We’ve all heard it. Maybe we’ve even said it ourselves, nodding along in meetings while wondering what this magical “strategic work” really means.
It sounds perfect in theory. But then someone asks the question that makes the room go quiet:
What strategic work, exactly?
The Awkward Success Story Nobody Talks About
Here’s what’s really happening in our local governments: AI is working. It’s taking over permit processing, FOIA redactions, and invoice handling. Research from our work in St. Joseph and Van Buren Counties, MI, backs up what staff already see. These tools are saving lots of time, often equal to adding half or even a full employee per department in our small rural governments.
But here’s the hard truth that no one likes to admit: that extra time often just disappears.
It doesn’t turn into community work. It doesn’t create new programs. It simply gets sucked up by daily tasks because nobody planned what should replace the automated work.
When “Efficiency” Becomes a Threat
If we can’t clearly explain what better government work looks like, AI will never be seen as helpful. Instead:
- Staff will naturally see automation as the first step to losing jobs
- Leaders will have trouble justifying AI spending beyond vague promises
- Citizens will only notice slightly faster paperwork, not better service
Let’s be honest: if we don’t define strategic work, we’re not moving forward. We’re just processing forms faster while staying in the same place.
Finding Your Strategic Layer: A Simple Guide
If “strategic work” is where we want to go, we need to stop treating it like a mystery and start making a clear map. Here’s how to begin:
1. Find the Always-Postponed Projects
What work has been at the bottom of your to-do list for years? What ideas get excited nods in meetings but never happen? These always-delayed items are often your most strategic chances. They cross departments, serve the community, and are too important to forget but too time-consuming to do now.
2. Follow Problems Back to Their Source
When people complain about the same things or departments fight over the same issues, there’s usually a bigger problem behind it all. That deeper planning or coordination issue might be exactly the strategic work your team should handle once they’re freed from routine tasks.
3. Ask the “Thinking Time” Question
Ask your team simply: “What would you fix if you had time to think about it?” This isn’t just talk. It shows what matters. If the only answer is “process more forms,” you have a culture problem. But most government workers, when given time to think, will point out real needs: forgotten neighborhoods, outdated rules, or possible partnerships.
4. Look for Work That Leads Instead of Follows
Strategic tasks don’t just carry out orders. They help decide how your organization uses its resources. They involve weighing options, testing new approaches, and building support rather than just handling requests.
5. Focus on What Computers Can’t Do
Automation is great at following rules but bad at handling values. The most strategic work often means dealing with unclear situations, balancing different needs, or building trust. If it needs human judgment, political awareness, or caring, that’s not “extra” work. That’s the future of public service.
6. Play the “What’s Left?” Game
Imagine AI handled every routine task in your department perfectly. What jobs would still need humans with local knowledge, relationships, and problem-solving skills? Whatever remains is your strategic core, if you’ve built one.
From Drifting to Direction
This isn’t about making up work to keep people employed. It’s about seeing that the strategic side of local government has been starved while we’ve been buried in paperwork. AI gives us a rare second chance, but only if we plan for it.
So before claiming that “AI frees staff for strategic tasks,” let’s do the harder, more honest work:
Define those tasks. Fund them. Staff them. Track them. Celebrate them.
Otherwise, we’re just doing what AI already does too well: creating nice-sounding words that don’t actually change anything.