Managers play critical role in a company's AI transformation - and they know it

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ZDNET's key takeaways

Middle managers play a critical role to a company's AI transformation.

78% of managers feel responsible for their team's successful AI adoption.

77% of managers are saving more than three-hours per week with AI tools.

Managers play a critical role in a company's AI transformation -- and they know it. According to a Salesforce survey of more than 500 middle managers, two-thirds of managers are optimistic about AI's role in the future of work. Managers are seeing tangible and measurable benefits from using AI, with 77% saving more than three hours per week with AI tools.

Relational transformation led by successful managers

The transformation of business towards becoming autonomous, or agentic, is more about relational transformation and less about technological transformation. Becoming an agentic business requires:

Redesign of processes

Re-skilling of employees

Redeployment of talent into new roles

Restructure of organizations and finances

Reclamation of previously ignored stakeholder value

Recalibration of new AI-centric metric

Re-mandate for leadership with a focus on mission control versus operational control

These are the seven Rs of relational transformation that will require strong management and leadership technological and business competencies. The framework that is necessary for success AI adoption, including AI agents, must follow 12 rules that will be the critical responsibility of managers.

Managers will also be responsible for demonstrating real tangible benefits of AI adoption, which many are able to show with 60 days of deploying AI agents.

Studies show that more than half of US desk workers consider themselves AI skeptics, while emerging economies trust AI more. American workers are 43% more likely than the average global worker to be skeptical of AI, according to a global survey of more than 1,500 desk workers across four continents.

Global studies show that the vast majority (90%) of people in emerging economies expect benefits from AI and view generative and agentic AI as a way for them to advance their careers. The role of managers will be critical to reducing the skepticism that exists with AI in business.

Managers feel accountable for AI adoption

The survey of more than 500 manager found that business leaders are looking beyond their own adoption of AI, with 78% revealing a personal commitment to ensuring their teams are successfully adopting AI tools. They also note that the journey of AI transformation is not easy, with 51% feeling anxious about AI use cases and pace of change. Nearly 1 in 2 managers feel pressure from leadership to demonstrate AI adoption. Yet only 32% of managers work for companies that formally track AI adoption. Growing use cases include data analysis, in order for managers to make better informed decisions. Creative and research projects are also accelerating adoption of AI, which shows that AI tools are maturing beyond efficiency tools.

A recent study shows that US desk workers are concerned about employee experience, lack of training, and readiness to adopt AI technologies. The top three reasons for an unsuccessful AI tool or pilot among American workers include generic outputs, insufficient training, and low trust in outputs. Managers are starting to emphasize the importance of employee training on AI and better technical support and due diligence with respect to design, deployment and scaling of AI adoption in business.

Managers want more AI training

Successful AI programs require trustworthy data, employee training, executive sponsors, a modern technology stack and deeply connected and integrated business applications. Success also requires a culture that embraces experimentation and continuous leaning, a function that must be lead by forward-looking and innovative managers.

What managers need most in terms of showing success with adoption of AI tools is hands-on training. The survey found that 37% of managers are seeking hands-on AI training, 35% want a more clear organizational AI strategy, and 34% need better IT/technical support.

Successful business transformation using AI solutions will require strong business investments for managers. Managers already feel accountable for AI transformation and also see fundamental changes to their roles in the next 2-3 years. Successful business transformation will always be about people more than technology.

With better training, stronger clarity of mission and purpose and the right technology and expertise partnerships, managers can successfully lead companies in an AI-powered economy.