More management openings, more creative skills
Early predictions said middle management would be the first to become redundant. Here it goes the other way: where adoption is highest, there is more demand for people who know how to deal with others. In other words, the role itself is not at stake, but its administrative part is.
Companies with greater AI adoption have more management openings and demand interpersonal and growth-oriented skills, such as stakeholder management and creativity, rather than routine administrative tasks. This effect is stronger in manufacturing and in companies with high R&D investment.
In the race to build artificial intelligence into their processes, executives are left wondering how the nature of management jobs will change. The pressure to scale emerging technologies is no longer only a technology issue. It is also about the talent that can orchestrate the coordination and adaptation AI demands.
The authors of the paper published in *Strategic Management Journal* analyzed U.S. job postings between 2010 and 2022, using a keyword-based measure from Lightcast to quantify each firm's AI adoption. They then cross-referenced that variable with the number and composition of management openings posted in the same period, controlling for sector, size and R&D spending.
The results show that companies with greater AI adoption post more management-level openings, and a larger share of those openings relative to total positions. The effect intensifies in manufacturing and in firms with high R&D investment. The demand for skills also shifts: routine requirements in budgeting, planning and people management disappear, while stakeholder management, creativity and sales skills emerge, in line with the need to scale and adapt the organization to AI-enabled environments.
Leaders should rethink their talent plans, prioritizing the hiring and development of people with those interpersonal and growth skills. Investing in programs that build creativity and the ability to manage stakeholder ecosystems will be key to staying competitive in a setting where AI redefines the manager's role.
Conclusions
- AI adoption increases the demand for management roles, especially in sectors such as manufacturing and in innovative companies.
- Management skills are shifting toward interpersonal and growth competencies, away from routine administrative tasks.
- Managers need to focus on skills such as coordination, adaptation and scalability in AI-driven environments.