CALL FOR CHAPTERS: Human Centered Sustainability in the AI Age. Transforming Workplaces: Enhancing Wellbeing, Performance and Productivity

Rational and Urgency for Human Centered Sustainability

The debate for effective development strategies of nations and organizations, in developed and developing countries alike, aimed to attain long term high performance and sustainability, continues to be one of the most stubborn concerns of the last century. To the largest extent, trial-and-error intents fail at all levels, micro, meso, macro, when economic and managerial decisions persist focusing on traditional resource-allocation theories and practices. Despite exponential evidence that failure is the norm when people and their wellbeing are overlooked as critical component to optimize resource allocations leading high performance, productivity and long-term sustainability.

Today the concept of sustainability is used with multiple meanings by different sources. This is important to recognize because in Emerald’s Human Centered Sustainability Series and in this book, sustainability is unequivocally anchored in the principle that organizations must prioritize and secure the wellbeing of people in the workplace, as fundamental condition to secure long term sustainability. Otherwise, sustainability is unattainable.

Contributions to this book are intended to add knowledge and innovation to the two basic Human Centered Series developed by these Editors in the last decade. The Series Human Centered Management with Routledge and this Series with Emerald Publishing on Innovation in Human Centered Sustainability.

The rationale for this book is consolidated by a decade of Human Centered Series publications, based on research and evidence of disruptions and deep changes impacting local and global environments.

Human Centered Sustainability and Artificial Intelligence: Areas of Congruency and Discord 

This book places special attention on broad base disruptions caused by Artificial Intelligence, and its effects in the workplace, the workforce, impacting people and their wellbeing. Demand for innovation in management and economics is pressing to attain high performance to be competitive and help organizations adopt and adapt fast to deep disruptions caused by fast growing variety of emerging AI models and applications. In this turbulent environment traditional approaches are failing, and creative visions are needed to help economies and organizations gain benefits and avoid costs of unavoidable disruptions.

A good example showing the urgency to deal more effectively with disruptions on these pressing matters is the 2025 Nobel Award in Economics. Three economists were granted this award: Joel Mokyr, for identifying the prerequisites for sustained growth through technological progress and inclusion of critical sectors commonly overlooked in traditional economic analysis of growth, development and organizational studies; and Philippe Aghion and Peter Howitts for the innovation imperative and the theory of sustained growth through creative destruction. Innovation is an imperative in periods of deep dynamic constant change. Lepeley states that given today’s conditions, creative destruction is indeed creative construction. After conducting extensive research on development and management sustainability that motivated her to start the Human Centered Series, calling for innovative solutions positioning people as the engine of organizations and at the center of management and economic decisions (Lepeley, 2017, 2019a, b). The emphasis is central in all books in Human Centered Management Series.

Pressing demand for solutions

Organizations worldwide face ongoing and increasingly complex disruptions across sectors and industries. In today’s volatile and unpredictable global landscape, advancements in technology, shifts in labor market demands and demographic changes are reshaping organizational cultures affecting wellbeing in the workplace with unprecedented consequences in productivity and long-term sustainability. This book aims to explore innovative solutions addressing these challenges.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is one of the main challenges of affecting modern workplaces, not only for AI implications. But because there is an intricate debate, some view AI as a remedy for ongoing disruptions, while others see it as a threat, and the cause of change due to its complexity and many changing elements. Among them automation and diverse algorithmic systems are transforming work and the workplace through generative AI tools and task automation, with potential to help or hinder traditional organizational decision-making and management practices. Then today, analyzing AI is essential in Human Centered Management becomes a priority to achieve Human Centered Sustainability in a rapidly evolving work environment.

Human wellbeing, performance, productivity leading sustainability

Human wellbeing, performance, productivity, long term sustainability, in this order, is the formula of critical factors this book is targeting. Current research and policy discussions highlight productivity, labor market effects, and changing skill requirements (Eloundou et al., 2024; ILO, 2025; OECD, 2025; Gallup Report, 2025). All relate to growing evidence of risks impacting autonomy, work engagement, job performance and workplace wellbeing; associated with AI systems increasing monitoring, accelerating work pace, or use unknown or unreliable methods for performance assessment (Bowdler, 2026; Nilsson et al., 2025; Kellogg et al., 2020).

This book intends to advance solutions answering this crucial question:

What conditions are necessary for AI to enhance workers’ engagement, performance, and organizational productivity promoting and improving wellbeing in the workplace to secure long term human centered sustainability.

Focus on the human centered approach is critical to achieve long-term sustainability, in contrast with the pursuit of short-term goals with potential to hinder lasting progress. Human Centered Sustainability stands as a fundamental paradigm in organizations of all sectors, industries and nations, facing unavoidable disruptions introduced by AI with deep effects on productivity and innovation. The topics connect with scientific communities studying AI, automation and the future of work.

This book intends to advance human centered sustainability introducing innovative solution strategies to address disruptions caused by AI with notorious impact on work and wellbeing in the workplace and worldwide. The core paradigm states:

Continuous improvement in human performance and organizational productivity is critical for long-term sustainability. Sustainability can be reached synchronizing economic and management principles and practices that foster human learning capabilities, autonomy, work engagement, talent, merit, integrity recognition as central elements that ensure wellbeing in the workplace.

Human capability refers to the efforts and capacities of individuals and teams to learn, collaborate, perform and adapt to changing conditions over time. AI is changing the organization of work, job demands and resource allocations, affecting occupational health and organizational research (Demerouti et al., 2001; Bakker & Demerouti, 2007). These factors impact critical sectors impacting organizational and also national growth, development and progress, such as education that has deep consequences on work performance, improvement, innovation and long terms sustainability (Lepeley, 2019b, Lepeley, 2001).

Assessing benefits and costs of AI in Workplace wellbeing 

AI offers potential to reduce human efforts, expediting human learning and expertise (Noy & Zhang, 2023; Brynjolfsson et al., 2025). But there is growing evidence that AI has potential to introduce negative controls with implications on health and employability (Bowdler, 2026; Nilsson et al., 2025) that impact sustainability.

 This book intends to enhance the value of technology, facilitating precision and continuous improvement, but rejecting technological determinism. Envisioning that the future of work is not caused by, or as the results of, AI alone. It is determined by a variety of designs and human centered management choices, including how organizations learn, configure decision-making, practice accountability, coordination, and coordinate how leaders and essential employee integrate decisions to optimize AI systems supporting log term organizational sustainability (Kellogg et al., 2020; Schmager et al., 2025). 

Purpose of the Volume

The volume is organized around three objectives:

1. Conditions and criteria: Articulate the conditions under which AI supports human centered sustainability, proposing clear assessment criteria for scholars and practitioners applicable in developed and developing countries. 

2. Innovative vision of future workplace. Review key examples in automation, augmentation, emerging new skills, with a focus on workplace wellbeing leading to Human Centered sustainability.

3. Critical assessment: Evaluation of organizational cultures affected by AI, including potential impact on learning new and necessary skills impacting work engagement, autonomy, psychosocial safety, as these may pose long term risks to workplace wellbeing (Bowdler, 2026; Nilsson et al., 2025; Kellogg et al., 2020).

Core Questions for this Volume

Authors are encouraged to address one or more of the following:

1. Under what conditions can AI contribute to stimulating and improving human performance in ways that support long term human centered sustainability, in addition to or over short-term efficiency goals and gains?

2. How does AI affect human learning and skills in workplace environments, including adaptation to new circumstances, effective collaboration between people and teams?

3. How are AI systems impacting the wellbeing of people in the workplace changing job demands, psychological safety, and affecting resource allocation in rapidly changing organizations?

4. Which forms of AI implementation enhance autonomy and promote people’s participation or have the potential to undermine them?

5. What are the key responsibilities of boards and executive leadership when introducing AI into organizational settings?

6. How can organizations redesign work systems to integrate AI while ensuring human centered sustainability, worker employability and ongoing organizational development?

7. How do algorithms influence professional judgement, decision-making, and accountability for workplace wellbeing, and what are their effects on alignment with organizational vision and mission?

8. Which multilevel dynamics—including strategic considerations, system design approaches, and operational practices—account for the differences observed in AI outcomes?

9. How can organizations assess if AI-driven performance gains are sustainable based on specific human capability indicators, such as employee adaptability, digital literacy, and collaboration skills?

10. What criteria and design principles have the potential to guide the development of a “human centered AI paradigm”.

11. What are the ethical implications of AI for leaders across various sectors, especially in healthcare and education, including concerns around privacy, bias, transparency, and accountability?

Types of chapter contributions

• Conceptual chapters (frameworks, criteria, theory integration)

• Empirical research (quantitative, qualitative, mixed- or multi-methods)

• Practice-based case studies (with analytic framing)

• Critical interdisciplinary perspectives

• Other innovative proposals

Submission (Abstracts)

Submit an abstract between 200 and 400 words including:

• (Tentative) Title

• Author(s) names, designations and affiliations, including country.

• 4-6 keywords

• Central question or argument

• Theoretical/empirical approach

• Clear contribution to the Human Centered Sustainability Paradigm

• Chapter abstract submission                          May 15, 2026

• Chapter acceptance announcement             June 15, 2026

• Chapter submission                                         September 15, 2026

• Chapter acceptance                                        October 15, 2026

• Final chapters submission                              November 15, 2026

• Anticipated publication date                          Spring, 2027 

Timeline

AI using Policy Emerald Publishing

Authors are accountable for the originality, validity, and integrity of the content of their submissions. Creating, drafting, or writing any part of a submission using generative AI tools and technology to generate new material is not permitted. Editing, such as correcting, editing, formatting, modifying, or refining of all or part of an author’s own original existing work using generative AI tools and technology to improve its structure and the clarity of the language and grammar is permitted.

Details:
https://www.emeraldgrouppublishing.com/publish-with-us/ethics-integrity/research-publishing-ethics#ai

Submit Abstract here: https://forms.gle/MMes1FGKH1wTsPj68

Send question to Maria-Teresa Lepeley [email protected]

Book Editors 

Maria-Teresa Lepeley (Global  Institute for Quality Education, USA, Catholic University of Chile)

Peter Essens (Essens Organisation Consult, The Netherlands)

Katherina Kuschel (Centrum Graduate Business School and Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú)

Paola Ochoa (ESPAE Graduate School of Management, ESPOL Polytechnic University, Ecuador)

ReferencesBakker, A. B., & Demerouti, E. (2007). The Job Demands–Resources model: State of the art. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 22(3), 309–328.

Bakker, A. B., Demerouti, E., & Sanz-Vergel, A. (2023). Job demands–resources theory: Ten years later. Annual review of organizational psychology and organizational behavior, 10(1), 25-53.

Bardy, R, (2020). Rethinking Leadership: A Human Centered Approach to Management Ethics. Routledge. UK. https://www.routledge.com/Human-Centered-Management/book-series/HUMCM.

Bowdler, M. (2026). Algorithmic management and psychosocial risks at work: An emerging occupational safety and health challenge. Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment & Health, 52(1), 1–5.

Brynjolfsson, E., Li, D., & Raymond, L. R. (2025). Generative AI at work. The Quarterly Journal of Economics, 140(2), 889–942.

Demerouti, E., Bakker, A. B., Nachreiner, F., & Schaufeli, W. B. (2001). The Job Demands–Resources model of burnout. Journal of Applied Psychology, 86(3), 499–512.

Eloundou, T., Manning, S., Mishkin, P., & Rock, D. (2024). GPTs are GPTs: Labor market impact potential of large language models. Science.

Essens, P. Lepeley. M.T. Beutell, N., Ronnie, L., Barbosa da Silva, A. (2023). Human Centered Management and Crisis. Disruptions, Resilience, Wellbeing and Sustainability. Routledge UK USA. https://www.routledge.com/Human-Centered-Management/book-series/HUMCM

ILO (International Labour Organization). (2025). Generative AI and jobs: A refined global index of occupational exposure. ILO Working Paper 140.

Kellogg, K. C., Valentine, M. A., & Christin, A. (2020). Algorithms at work: The new contested terrain of control. Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science.

Lepeley, M.T., Kimakowitz, E., Bardy, R. (2016). Human Centered Management in Executive Education. Global Imperatives, Innovation and New Directions. Palgrave Macmillan. UK.

Lepeley, M.T. (2017). Human Centered Management: The 5 Pillars of Organizational Quality and Global Sustainability. Routledge, UK. https://www.routledge.com/Human-Centered-Management-5-Pillars-of-Organizational-Quality-and-Global-Sustainability/Lepeley/p/book/9781783537907

Lepeley, M.T. (2019a). EDUCONOMY. Unleashing Wellbeing and Human Centered Sustainable Development. Emerald Publishing. UK. https://www.emerald.com/collection/400771/Innovation-in-Human-Centered-Sustainability

Lepeley, M.T. (2019b). EDUQUALITY. Human Centered Quality Management in Education. A Model for Deployment, Assessment and Sustainability. Emerald Publishing. UK. https://www.emerald.com/collection/400771/Innovation-in-Human-Centered-Sustainability

Lepeley, M.T. Kuschel, K., Beutell, N., Pouw, N., Eijdenberg, E. (2020). The Wellbeing of Women in Entrepreneurship. Routledge. UK. https://www.routledge.com/Human-Centered-Management/book-series/HUMCM

Lepeley, M.T., Beutell, N., Abarca, N., Majluf, N. (2021). Soft Skills for Human Centered Management and Global Sustainability. Routledge. UK USA. https://www.routledge.com/Human-Centered-Management/book-series/HUMCM

Lepeley, M.T., Morales, O., Essens, P. Beutell, N., Majluf, N. (2021). Human Centered Organizational Culture. Global Dimensions. Routledge. UK USA. https://www.routledge.com/Human-Centered-Management/book-series/HUMCM

Lepeley, M.T. (2001). Management and Quality in Education. A model for Evaluation. (Original title in Spanish, Gestión y Calidad en Educación. Un Modelo de Evaluación). McGraw Hill.

Majluf, N., Abarca, N. (2021). Sensible Leadership. Human Centered, Insightful and Prudent. Routledge UK USA, https://www.routledge.com/Human-Centered-Management/book-series/HUMCM

Nilsson, K. H., Matilla-Santander, N., Lee, M. K., Brolin, E., Bodin, T., & Håkansta, C. (2025). Algorithmic management and occupational health: A comparative case study of organizational practices in logistics. Safety Science, 187, July 2025, 106863.

Noy, S., & Zhang, W. (2023). Experimental evidence on the productivity effects of generative artificial intelligence. Science. Vol 381, Issue 6654. 187-192.

OECD. (2025). The effects of generative AI on productivity, innovation and entrepreneurship. OECD ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE PAPERS, June 2025 No. 39.

Ochoa, P., Lepeley, M.T., Essens, P. (2019), Wellbeing for Sustainability in the Global Workplace. Routledge. UK.

Schmager, S., Pappas, I. O., Vassilakopoulou, P. (2025). Understanding Human-Centred AI: a review of its defining elements and a research agenda. Behaviour & Information Technology, 44(15), 3771–3810.