With AI transforming the relationship between people and technology at work as well as that between employees and their bosses, traditional assumptions about what managers do—and what they should be doing—are being called into question. In particular, our survey findings show that people think managers and robots are good at decidedly different types of work and tasks.
According to our respondents, managers are better than robots at activities like understanding their feelings (45%), coaching them (33%), creating a work culture (29%), and evaluating team performance (26%). But robots are better than human bosses at tasks such as providing unbiased information (36%), maintaining work schedules (34%), solving problems (29%), and managing a budget (26%).
According to our respondents, managers are better than robots at activities like understanding their feelings (45%), coaching them (33%), creating a work culture (29%), and evaluating team performance (26%). But robots are better than human bosses at tasks such as providing unbiased information (36%), maintaining work schedules (34%), solving problems (29%), and managing a budget (26%).
These differences have important implications for how organizations can get the most value from line managers, as well as how they can best attract, retain, and develop talent. For instance, managers who let AI handle more administration-related coordination and control tasks may free up time, mental bandwidth, and energy to interact more directly with their employees.
This is good news for managers and employees alike. An Accenture study described in Harvard Business Review pointed out that managers now spend over half of each typical work day wrestling with low-value chores like scheduling, budgeting, and compiling reports. This leaves them with precious little time for activities that are far more essential to effectiveness in the managerial role—particularly crafting strategy and engaging one-on-one with their employees. The adoption of AI to relieve their administrative burden should open up more time for them to help direct reports master new skills and to build high-performing teams.
We asked our survey respondents to identify what they see as the three most common ways AI is being used
in their workplace.
Here’s what rose to the top of the list.
31%
28%
24%
22%
21%
17%