Dan DeFrancesco

Management has been a casualty of AI. Now the tech is reviving it.

by with No Comment Xpandfy

AI’s infusion in businesses means a reconsideration of the traditional org chart, writes BI’s Lakshmi Varanasi.

The “Great Flattening” is still all the rage, but the rise of AI agents requires their management and oversight.

Some see individual contributors having to take on more managerial responsibilities for AI agents. That blurring of lines is becoming common. McKinsey, for example, is looking for “5Xers,” or people who are deep on one topic but can also do a handful of other things well.

Others think it could lead to an era of so-called “megamanagers.”

Before you start dusting off your old management textbooks, understand this is not your parents’ type of manager. When it comes to AI agents, a lot of the management needs are more about hard, technical skills than soft ones. Cyber risk, in particular, remains high on the list of concerns for AI agents.

(Although, as the tech continues to develop, who knows if AI will eventually develop feelings and a consciousness you’ll need to handle.)

There will still likely be some level of human management, but it might be more around understanding how to team up AI agents and real workers effectively.

There’s another reason to lean into AI-agent management.

Companies want employees to go beyond mere AI use. They’re assessing whether workers truly understand the tech, which means they can apply it effectively where needed, writes Lakshmi.

Basically, it’s not enough to know the answers. You now need to show your work.

That might sound like another big hurdle for workers already dealing with an onslaught of change these days. But management of AI agents could be the solution.

Getting hands-on experience overseeing and tweaking these agents gives workers a better understanding of the tech. It’s not just about including an AI tool in your workflow. The constant back-and-forth could help employees better recognize biases or blind spots in agents.

All of that experience is likely to make them more valuable to their company. Maybe just don’t let the agent get too good.

Otherwise, you could be the one reporting into it.




Source link

Jamba-Juices-former-CEO-says-middle-management-is-crucial-for.jpeg

Jamba Juice’s former CEO says middle management is crucial for success.

by with No Comment Xpandfy

In the era of America’s “Great Flattening,” one longtime executive still believes that middle management has an important role to play.

Speaking in a Monday episode of Yahoo Finance’s “Opening Bid” podcast, Jamba Juice’s former CEO, James D. White, said companies should not lose sight of the fact that humans and company culture drive bottom-line growth.

And White said that middle managers are crucial for driving a good company culture.

“It’s really hard to drive culture into an organization if you’re not focused on the middle management of the organization,” he told host Brian Sozzi.

White said one reason for this is because most workers report to middle management.

“If that part of the organization doesn’t have the tools, hasn’t bought into the mission and vision, and they’re not being appropriately rewarded or invested in, you don’t have the best chance of getting that message into the heart of the organization,” White said.

White was the CEO of Jamba Juice from 2008 to 2016 and has held executive roles in Gillette, Coca-Cola, and Nestlé Purina. He now sits on the board of directors for several consumer companies, including Cava Group and Simply Good Foods.

White’s advice contrasts with that of other executives, who have sworn by a flat company hierarchy.

In recent years, companies like Microsoft, Meta, Amazon, Intel, and Google have all slashed their middle management head count in the name of efficiency. But it’s not just Big Tech: retail giants like Walmart have followed suit.

And in November, Keily Blair, the CEO of OnlyFans, said her company was making $7 billion in annual revenue with a staff count of only 42.

She said her company thrives from having only “incredibly senior talent” and “incredibly hungry junior talent.”

“We do not have that sort of squidgy layer of middle management in the middle, because nobody’s ever had a really good middle manager in my experience,” Blair said in the interview during a Web Summit technology conference in Lisbon.




Source link

Erica Sweeney

4 new jobs that AI has created in HR and people management

by with No Comment Xpandfy

More human resources teams are using artificial intelligence for a variety of functions. Amazon and Siemens, for example, use AI for HR to analyze résumés and make job recommendations based on an applicant’s skills.

Indeed, 31% of organizations this year report using some type of AI technology, according to a 2025 survey of nearly 10,000 HR professionals by Sapient Insights Group.

Many companies are also creating new HR job titles that require AI skills, such as data literacy, analytics, large-language model prompt engineering, and workflow redesign.

Moreover, in 2026, many organizations are willing to offer higher salaries for AI-related skills, including data science, data analytics, and business intelligence, according to a Robert Half report.

“Historically, technological shifts have reshaped some jobs and the way we work, but they’ve also opened doors to new roles and skills,” said Christina Giglio, technology hiring and consulting expert at Robert Half. “AI seems to be continuing that trend.”

Here are four new HR job titles that are appearing in the AI age, according to experts.

1. AI adoption and employee experience lead

This role coordinates the adoption of AI tools, helping people understand the technology’s value, how to use it, and how it benefits them, ensuring that AI rollouts go smoothly.

“AI doesn’t eliminate people,” says Anthony Donnarumma, CEO of the recruiting agency 24 Seven. Companies need individuals to manage the relationship between human and machine work to ensure the technology produces consistent outcomes and meets an organization’s needs, he says.

Humans are needed to oversee how teams adopt AI in their daily work, says Lana Peters, chief revenue and experience officer at Klaar, a performance management software.

The job often includes training managers, redesigning workflows, and connecting company culture and technology while helping employees adapt to the changes.

“Without this role, AI use is at risk of being done in silos or improperly, which is why we’re seeing this position pop up across the job market,” Peters adds.

2. AI trainer or coach

This role trains AI systems, such as chatbots, AI agents, and other tools, to ensure the technology works effectively to produce the desired HR outcome. This might include organizing data and reviewing it for bias.

“Part technical, part editorial, part quality control,” Ronni Zehavi, CEO and co-founder of HR tech platform HiBob, says the individual in this role curates and labels data for AI to use, reviews outputs, and teaches AI systems how to respond to data to meet company goals.

This person “improves AI quality through hands-on review and feedback,” he explains.

3. People data and AI insights lead

Turning “raw people data,” such as from performance reviews and manager check-ins, into insights that leaders can act on is this role’s focus, Peters says.

This individual helps leaders make data-based decisions on their workforce strategy and better understand “how employees are performing, when they are ready to be elevated to a new role, and when they may be a flight risk,” she adds.

Data literacy, analytical thinking, and the ability to interpret AI outputs are crucial skills for this role, says Lauren Winans, CEO and principal human resources consultant at Next Level Benefits.

“Additionally, employers will value soft skills such as ethical awareness, critical thinking, collaboration, and the capacity to translate AI capabilities into strategic decisions, especially in roles that bridge technology, policy, and operations,” Winans says.

4. Responsible AI and people governance manager

Policies and oversight are needed to ensure that AI use is safe, fair, and transparent; this role sets those “guardrails,” Peters says. This individual oversees how employee data is used and ensures there’s no bias that could negatively impact them, she says.

Also referred to as an AI governance and risk lead, the job establishes policies to “keep AI use safe and compliant” and focuses on privacy protection and accuracy monitoring, helping organizations manage regulatory shifts and legal or reputational risks, Donnarumma says.

Essentially, Zehavi says, the role “guides teams on fairness, transparency, and compliance, helping companies use AI in ways that support people rather than unintentionally excluding them.”




Source link