Managers Carry AI Change as Few Executives Feel Ready
Companies are rolling out AI, and the people who must explain it to staff are middle managers. A new Korn Ferry report finds that few leaders think their top executives are ready to guide the change.
Managers in the middle
Cathi Rittelmann, a senior client partner at Korn Ferry, said in the report: "Managers will become the shock absorbers of the organization."
Fortune reported in October that the extra duties are straining managers and teams with little spare capacity. After years of thinner management layers, many of these managers also run bigger teams.
Susan De La Vega, a senior vice president of global tech market and client experience at Korn Ferry, told Fortune that AI is a question of how the workforce is built, and tools are only one part. Many jobs now need other skills, she said, and the ability to adapt grows in value.
Asked if managers are left to deal with AI-driven uncertainty with little direction from the top, she answered, "Oftentimes, yes."
In her words, managers end up defending and communicating AI mandates they had no say in and little context for. When leaders later change course, employees redo their work. She warned that weak communication costs trust and engagement and can lose the company valuable staff.
What Gallup data adds
Gallup also measured the effect of the manager. Where employees said their manager actively backs the team's AI use, 48% were engaged, against 30% among those who said their manager does not.
A July Gallup analysis covered employees at organizations that have adopted AI. Among those whose employers shared a clear plan, 43% were engaged at work. Among those whose employers had not, or who did not know of one, the share was 28%.
As of May, a quarter of U.S. employees said their organization had laid out a clear AI integration plan. At the same time, 47% said their employer had begun to bring in AI tools.
A readiness gap at the top
The Korn Ferry findings come from its Talent Trends 2027 report, published on Oct. 22. The survey reached more than 1,300 talent and senior leaders in more than 75 countries, from CHROs to CEOs and board members.
Just 6% believe their top executives are fully prepared to lead AI-driven transformation. Another 66% expect managers to spend more time guiding teams through change than overseeing daily work.
Capability worries run wider. 77% say capability gaps will be a bigger challenge than talent shortages, and 78% see too few people ready for the future shape of work.
What De La Vega says leaders should do
She argues the responsibility starts at the top. Leaders should go first and learn the tools themselves, she said, so their words about what AI will and will not change carry weight.
Training should fit the role, she said, since a finance team and a data science team need different things. Staff should get time to learn and space to try things, including attempts that fall short.
Managers also need the reasoning behind a decision explained to them first, so they can answer their teams' questions. Leaders do not need a flawless master plan. They can say plainly what is known and what is not.
Her own summary is that managers can carry the transition only if a system stands behind them.
Source: Fortune