AI
The AI fragmentation tax on teams
Atlassian's State of Teams 2026 finds that scattered work and coordination drag carry a real cost, and that AI speed gains for individuals are not yet turning into clear organisation-wide returns for teams.
Mid-market bridge: Treat the dollar total as enterprise context. The operating warning is the same at mid-market: AI speed without shared context, goals and review owners multiplies handoff chaos.
Outcome we help: Stop coordination chaos and restore shared board flow.
What the report found
$161B/year
Estimated cost of the fragmentation tax to the Fortune 500
Atlassian State of Teams 2026 blog
89% / 6%
Executives say AI increases speed, but only 6% are sure they have clear organisation-wide AI ROI
Atlassian State of Teams 2026 blog
24%
Leaders who focus on using AI to improve teamwork, while around 80% of work is team-level
Atlassian State of Teams 2026 blog
87%
Knowledge workers say that with everyone in execution mode they lack time and capacity to coordinate
Atlassian State of Teams 2026 blog
85% / 29%
Knowledge workers use AI at work, but only 29% have embedded it in their flows of work
Atlassian State of Teams 2026 blog
What it means for leaders
- Fragmentation and coordination drag are a strategic cost, not just a tooling inconvenience.
- Speed gains from AI do not automatically become organisation-wide ROI without shared ways of working.
- Most AI effort is still individual. Teamwork is where most work actually happens and where focus is weakest.
What to do on Monday
Start here: Map handoffs on one key workflow and count how many tools or AI outputs sit outside the shared board; pick one handoff to bring into the team flow this week.
- Move one AI use case into the actual shared workflow, with shared context.
- Change the success measure from hours saved to a team outcome, such as cycle time, rework or priority conflicts.
- Close uneven AI adoption at handoff points first.
Try it in an open workspace
Free tools with sample data. No account.
Source
The State of Teams 2026: How top teams avoid the fragmentation tax and use AI to work better together, Atlassian (Teamwork Lab), 2026. Read the original report or Supporting report