‘Shock absorbers’: Korn Ferry says managers are carrying AI change that executives aren’t ready to lead

Korn Ferry's Talent Trends 2027 report reveals that only 6% of talent and senior leaders believe their organization's top executives are fully prepared to lead AI-driven transformation. Managers are now expected to fill the knowledge gap, with 66% anticipating they will spend more time helping teams navigate change rather than focusing on daily tasks.

The survey, conducted across over 1,300 leaders from 75+ countries, also found that capability gaps, not talent shortages, pose the greater challenge, with 78% of respondents believing too few people are prepared for future work. Middle managers are caught in the middle, juggling executives' aspirations and the practicalities of implementation, often taking on additional responsibilities that strain their capacity and team size.

Korn Ferry's Cathi Rittelmann describes managers as "the shock absorbers of the organization," tasked with keeping teams moving despite unclear paths forward. Susan De La Vega, senior vice president of global tech market and client experience at Korn Ferry, emphasized that AI transformation requires a workforce redesign rather than just implementing new technology.

This necessitates adaptability as the skills required for many roles evolve. De La Vega noted that managers often find themselves defending and communicating AI mandates they did not create, leading to confusion and disengagement when leadership changes direction. Clear communication of AI plans is crucial for employee engagement, with Gallup's May 2023 survey showing that 25% of U.S. employees reported receiving a clear plan for AI integration, while 47% had already begun using AI tools.

Companies that fail to communicate a clear AI integration strategy risk lower employee engagement, with 43% of employees in organizations with clear plans reporting high engagement, compared to 28% in those without clear communication. For effective AI implementation, leaders must take the initiative by learning the tools themselves and providing job-specific training, while managers should receive adequate briefing on leadership decisions to answer employee questions about AI integration.