The Friendly Takeover is a leadership book for executives and those navigating the rise of algorithmic management, AI-driven influence, and the governance choices that determine whether technology supports people or silently controls them.

Navigating the future of AI and work

Most AI books are about tools, productivity, or regulation.

The Friendly Takeover is about leadership accountability when influence becomes engineered, performance becomes automated, and “care” can be simulated at scale. The Friendly Takeover provides you with:

1. Clarity on where AI is already “managing” in your organisation and what’s coming next
2. Guardrails for AI in people decisions: transparency, accountability, escalation, employee legitimacy
3. Capability for leaders managing hybrid human and AI teams without eroding trust or agency

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Written for senior leaders and decision-makers who are navigating algorithmic management, workforce planning, and automation, The Friendly Takeover will provide your workplace with a practical framework for balancing efficiency, accountability, and human agency in increasingly automated workplaces.

About the Author

Michael Collins, is a leadership researcher, executive educator, and advisor focused on how AI is reshaping power, trust, and accountability at work.

A former Australian Army officer and PhD-qualified leadership scholar, he has spent decades helping senior leaders strengthen leadership and capability systems across complex public and commercial environments, including public safety, resources,
finance, aviation, government, and defence.

He brings a rare blend of academic rigour and on-the-ground experience to the question at the heart of The Friendly Takeover: what leaders must govern when management and influence become automated.

Follow Michael on LinkedIn

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