Will AI Shrink the New Manager Pipeline?
Great managers don’t grow on trees, nor has the transition to a new manager role ever been easy.
Arguably the most common challenge new managers face is shifting one’s mindset from getting results on your own to getting results through others.
When “others” includes AI bots and agents in addition to flesh-and-blood direct reports, it spells complexity. That complexity could disrupt, or even shrink, the new manager talent pipeline.
For starters, managers have more on their plates than ever.
Rapid evolution of AI capabilities and competitive pressures to deploy AI quickly and effectively have enlarged managers’ scope. Also, many companies seek to flatten their hierarchies by increasing their managers’ number of direct reports.
One can appreciate a busy manager’s challenges with toggling between AI process and output oversight and addressing “people issues” on their teams. Each is demanding – both can be exhausting.
A new buzzword gets to the heart of this issue: “AI Brain Fry.” A Boston Consulting Group study released in January found that AI oversight duties alone often lead to managers experience mental fatigue, impaired decision making and general cognitive overload.
This raises an important question: Will current managers have the bandwidth and patience to help prospective new managers get a jump on developing those all-important people skills?
That guidance is in demand. Deloitte research shows that 86 percent of Gen Z employees (20-to-31-year-olds) feel that so-called soft skills such as empathy and communication are essential to their career advancement. Yet this research shows that Gen Z already feels manager guidance on – and modeling of – those skills is lacking.
Then there’s ample research by INSEAD, Deloitte and Development Dimensions International that management and leadership roles are losing their appeal among early career workers. DDI found that Gen Z was 1.7 times more likely than older generations to “avoid management roles to protect their well-being.”
So, what should organizations do about this new reality? Well, for starters…
Recognize the problem: It’s here and will only get worse as AI adoption accelerates. Forewarned is forearmed.
Prioritize human connection: Don’t put all your eggs in the AI basket. This 21st century technology can solve many things, but not everything. Require, support and reward managers for coaching and mentoring team members who show leadership potential. Certain key management skills can only be learned in real life and in real time.
Get real: Overhaul new manager training to reflect the realities of the AI age. Then, provide ongoing coaching and support during a new manager’s transition year. Neophyte managers will transition more quickly and effectively when you fully prepare them for a span of control that encompasses both man and machine.
There is much at stake with keeping the management pipeline flowing. Current members of the manager ranks will eventually move up or move on. Regardless of how flat organizations become or how many tasks and roles AI takes over, organizations will always need managers.
At the very least, someone will need to manage the bots!