# How does Generative AI reshape the roles and skills of middle managers?

Philippe Jean-Baptiste

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## To cite this version:

Philippe Jean-Baptiste. How does Generative AI reshape the roles and skills of middle managers?. ACM Creativity & Cognition 25, Jun 2025, London, United Kingdom. Unpublished, 2025, 10.13140/RG.2.2.27581.99041. hal-05062788

HAL Id: hal-05062788

https://hal.science/hal-05062788v1

Submitted on 10 May 2025

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# «How does the introduction of AGIs change the roles and skills of middle managers?»

## ▼ Introduction▼

This research aims to explore how the introduction of **Generative Artificial Intelligence (AGI)** change the **roles** and **skills** of **middle managers**. Anchored in an epistemological posture of critical realism, it adopts a qualitative methodology based on semi-structured interviews conducted with 60 participants in three companies: Large company (30), ETI (15), and SME (15). The approach mobilizes the **Activity Theory** (*Engeström, 1987*) as a conceptual framework to **analyze the organizational and managerial transformations brought about by AGIs**.

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## ▼ Shadow IT ▶

Behrens et Serena (2004), Rentrop et Zimmermann (2012), Silic et Back (2014), Haag et Eckart (2017)

Shadow IT refers to the use of technologies not validated by the IT department, often motivated by specific operational needs not covered by official solutions (Behrens & Sedera, 2004).

- **Risks:** Data security compromised (Silic & Back, 2014). Loss of legal compliance, including GDPR (Rentrop & Zimmermann, 2012).

- **Opportunities:** Increased flexibility and innovation (Haag & Eckhardt, 2017). Discovery of solutions that are more adapted to operational challenges (Behrens et Sedera, 2004).

## Community
Division of labor

Organizational
tensions:

- **Community:** Collaboration between IT teams and end users (**middle managers**). Tensions between operational needs and governance.

- **Division of labour:** new responsibilities shared between managers and IT teams in the integration of IAGs.

## ▼ Theoretical Framework ▶

This study leverages activity theory (Engeström, 1987) as the primary lens to examine the organizational transformations driven by Generative Artificial Intelligence (GAI). Activity theory provides a systemic framework that explores how individuals, tools, and organizational structures interact within a broader activity system. It is particularly suited to analyze the tensions and contradictions that arise during technological integration. The model is built around six key components:

1. **Subject:** Middle managers, who act as the focal point of change.

2. **Object:** The transformation of roles and competencies prompted by GAI.

3. **Tools:** Generative AI technologies, which mediate actions and reshape workflows.

4. **Rules:** Organizational norms, IT policies, and governance structures that influence GAI adoption (Silic & Back, 2014).

5. **Community:** Stakeholders such as executives, employees, and IT teams who interact within the system.

6. **Division of labor:** The redistribution of responsibilities among organizational actors as a result of GAI implementation.

Activity theory not only explains the existing roles but also anticipates potential contradictions that arise when traditional structures clash with rapid technological advances. For instance, tensions between operational managers and IT departments over the governance of GAI tools often highlight these contradictions.

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## ▼ Skills & Skillings ▶

<table><thead><tr><th>Henri FAYOL<br>1916</th><th>Peter F. DRUCKER<br>1954</th><th>KRAUT, Allen I., et al.<br>1989</th><th>HART, S. L., & QUINN, R. E.<br>1993</th><th>Henry MINTZBERG<br>1973 - 1989 - 2006</th><th>Stefan TENGBLAD<br>2006</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>Industrial and General Administration</td><td>The Practice of Management</td><td>The Role of the Manager: What's Really Important in Different Management Jobs</td><td>Roles Executives Play: CEOs, Behavioral Complexity, and Firm Performance</td><td>The manager in everyday life: the ten roles of the executive</td><td>Is there a 'New managerial work'? A comparison with Henry Mintzberg's classic study 30 years later</td></tr><tr><td>Book</td><td>Book</td><td>The Academy of Management Executive</td><td>Human Relations</td><td>Book</td><td>Journal of Management Studies</td></tr></tbody></table>

<table><thead><tr><th>The roles of managers (Author Merge)</th><th>Kraut, Allen I., et al. (1989)<br>The Role of the Manager: What's Really Important in Different Management Jobs</th><th>Operational Manager</th><th>Middle Manager</th><th>Management (Executive)</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>Resource Planning and Allocation</td><td rowspan="2">The Academy of Management Executive</td><td rowspan="2">+</td><td rowspan="2">++</td><td rowspan="2">++</td></tr><tr><td>Organization Command / Direction / Leadership</td></tr><tr><td>Team coordination</td><td>Team coordination</td><td>+</td><td>++</td><td>++</td></tr><tr><td>Performance monitoring and measurement</td><td>Individual Performance Management</td><td>++</td><td>+</td><td>-</td></tr><tr><td>Employee motivation</td><td>Team Performance Management</td><td>+</td><td>++</td><td>+</td></tr><tr><td>Employee training</td><td>Employee training</td><td>++</td><td>+</td><td>-</td></tr><tr><td>Eve</td><td>Environmental monitoring</td><td>-</td><td>+</td><td>++</td></tr><tr><td>Representation of the organization</td><td>Representation of the organization</td><td>++</td><td>++</td><td>++</td></tr><tr><td>Diffuser (Informational role)</td><td colspan="4"></td></tr></tbody></table>

<table><thead><tr><th colspan="5">Conceptual Skill (Katz (1974) & Peterson & Van Fleet (2004))</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>(Katz (1974) & Peterson & Van Fleet (2004))</td><td>Dweck - 2008</td><td>Enlart et al. - 2013</td><td>Neubauer et al. - 2017</td><td>Watson et al. - 2021</td></tr><tr><td>Conceptual</td><td>-Ethics<br>-Agility<br>-Continuous learning</td><td>-Expressing meaning<br>-Cross-cultural skill<br>-Transdisciplinary</td><td>Visionary</td><td>Continuous learning</td></tr></tbody></table>

<table><thead><tr><th colspan="5">Human Skill (Katz (1974) & Peterson & Van Fleet (2004))</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>(Katz (1974) & Peterson & Van Fleet (2004))</td><td>Dweck - 2008</td><td>Enlart et al. - 2013</td><td>Neubauer et al. - 2017</td><td>Watson et al. - 2021</td></tr><tr><td>Human being</td><td>-Ethics<br>-Agility<br>-Continuous learning</td><td>-Expressing meaning<br>-Cross-cultural skill<br>-Transdisciplinary<br>-Social and relational intelligence<br>-Adapting to changing situations<br>-Design Capability<br>-Managing your own mental load</td><td>- Humility<br>- Adaptability<br>- Engagement</td><td>Continuous learning</td></tr></tbody></table>

<table><thead><tr><th colspan="5">Technical Skill (Katz (1974) & Peterson & Van Fleet (2004))</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>(Katz (1974) & Peterson & Van Fleet (2004))</td><td>Dweck - 2008</td><td>Enlart et al. - 2013</td><td>Neubauer et al. - 2017</td><td>Watson et al. - 2021</td></tr><tr><td>Technique</td><td>-Hard Skills<br>-Data Orientation<br>-Continuous learning</td><td>-Computational thinking (Translating huge amounts of data into information)<br>-New media literacy<br>-Virtual collaboration</td><td>-</td><td>Continuous learning</td></tr></tbody></table>

<table><thead><tr><th>Planning</th><th>Set goals</th><th>Resource Planning and Allocation</th><th>Dispatcher (Decision-making role)</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>Organize</td><td>Organize</td><td>Task Master</td><td>Negotiator (Decision-making role)</td></tr><tr><td>Command</td><td>Command</td><td>Visionary</td><td>Entrepreneur (Decision-making role)<br>Leader (Interpersonal Role)</td></tr><tr><td>Coordinate</td><td>Team coordination</td><td>Individual Performance Management</td><td>Regulator (Decision-making role)<br>Liaison Officer (Interpersonal Role)</td></tr><tr><td>Control</td><td>Measuring performance</td><td>Team Performance Management</td><td>Analyst</td></tr><tr><td></td><td></td><td></td><td>Motivator</td></tr><tr><td></td><td>Motivating your employees</td><td>Employee training</td><td>Environmental monitoring</td></tr><tr><td></td><td></td><td></td><td>Representation of the organization</td></tr><tr><td></td><td></td><td></td><td>Diffuser (Informational role)</td></tr></tbody></table>

<table><thead><tr><th>Resource Planning and Allocation</th><th>+</th><th>++</th><th>++</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>Organization Command / Direction / Leadership</td><td>+</td><td>++</td><td>++</td></tr><tr><td>Team coordination</td><td>+</td><td>++</td><td>++</td></tr><tr><td>Performance monitoring and measurement</td><td>+</td><td>++</td><td>+</td></tr><tr><td>Employee motivation</td><td>+</td><td>+</td><td>-</td></tr><tr><td>Employee training</td><td>+</td><td>+</td><td>+</td></tr><tr><td>Eve</td><td>-</td><td>+</td><td>++</td></tr><tr><td>Representation of the organization</td><td>+</td><td>++</td><td>++</td></tr><tr><td>Diffuser (Informational role)</td><td colspan="4"></td></tr></tbody></table>

<table><thead><tr><th>De-Skilling</th><th>Re-Skilling</th><th>Cross-Skilling</th><th>Multi-Skilling</th><th>Up-Skilling</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>Skill Deskilling/Reduction: Acemoglu & Autor, Adler, Apple, Attewell, Carey, Charles, Coeckelbergh, Davis, Elger, Eliot, Friedman, Rinard, Roberts, Green, Littler, Liu, Manders-Huits, Sinagra, Thompson, Townsend, Tsoukas, Vallor, Whitby, Wood</td><td>Requalification: Ågerfalk, De Mauro, Escobari, Illanes, Kagermann, McKee & Gauch, Mishra, Rangraz & Pareto, Stephany, Sullivan, Wahab</td><td>Combining related skills: Allinson & Hayes, Altonji, Anderson, Bechichii, De Mauro, Hendarman et Tjakraatmadja, Stephany</td><td>Versatility: Carmichael & MacLeod, Itoh, Lee-Wright, Morita, Nygren</td><td>Skills development: Adler, Anderson, Aron, Attewell, Butler, Chen, Daugherty & Wilson, Davenport & Kirby, Gallie, Giraud, Hancock, Jaiswal, Mozur, Nygren, Rajthilak, Stephany</td></tr></tbody></table>

## ▼ Roles ▶

## ▼ Middle managers ▶

Middle managers are at the crossroads of organizational and technological transformations. The introduction of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GAI) is redefining their roles and the skills required to navigate these changes. The tables below illustrate, on the one hand, the key roles of middle managers in this context, and on the other hand, the dynamics of training and skill adaptation necessary to address the challenges posed by GAI.

## ▼ Top-Down to Bottom-Up ▶

Castells (2000), McAfee (2006), Kaplan & Haenlein (2010), Campbell-Kelly et al. (2023), Liu et al. (2024)

The evolution of technology adoption models within organizations highlights a gradual shift from hierarchical, "Top-Down" approaches to more participatory and decentralized "Bottom-Up" dynamics. This transition, accelerated by the introduction of Generative Artificial Intelligence tools, enables employees and middle managers to take an active role in innovation and technology appropriation. These approaches promote more flexible and operationally tailored adoption but also raise tensions with traditional governance structures.

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## ▼ Field ▶

<table><thead><tr><th></th><th>Typology</th><th>Sector of Activity</th><th>Revenue</th><th>Nb of Employees</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>X 30</td><td>Large French enterprise (LE)</td><td>Production and distribution of electricity</td><td>139,7 M€</td><td>179 550</td></tr><tr><td>X 15</td><td>Medium-sized enterprise (MSE)</td><td>IT services and consulting</td><td>552 M€</td><td>540</td></tr><tr><td>X 15</td><td>Small and medium-sized enterprise (SME)</td><td>Telecommunications</td><td>75 M€</td><td>175</td></tr><tr><td>X 30</td><td>Large French enterprise (LE) formed by over 250 SMEs</td><td>Digital services</td><td>1,112 M€</td><td>3 825</td></tr></tbody></table>

The field of this research is based on an in-depth analysis conducted across three types of organizations: large enterprises, medium-sized enterprises (MSEs), and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). This diversity captures a wide range of organizational and managerial dynamics in response to the introduction of GAI. By combining these perspectives, the study provides a representative view of ongoing transformations tailored to the specificities of each type of organization.

## ▼ Results ▶

**Theoretical interests:**

- **Digging deeper into the central question:** How does the introduction of AGIs change the **roles** and **skills** of **middle managers**?

- **Mobilizing the Activity Theory** to analyze the organizational tensions and dynamics induced by the integration of AGIs.

- **Explore the role of the Shadow IT** as a lever for innovation and appropriation of technologies.

**Managerial interests:**

- **Identify transformations of roles and skills** necessary to support technological innovation, with a focus on **human and conceptual skills**.

- **Develop managerial strategies** to drive bottom-up adoption (Bottom-Up) of AGIs while strengthening their strategic integration.

- **Positioning the middle managers** as facilitators of change, playing a key role in organizational transformation.

## Conclusion

These preliminary observations offer the opportunity to refine the analysis to better answer the central question of this research: **How does the introduction of AGIs change the roles and skills of middle managers?** By mobilizing the **Activity Theory** As an analytical framework, this research explores the tensions and

dynamics created by the integration of AGIs in organizational systems. The practices of Shadow IT also emerge as a key element, illustrating how the **middle managers** bypass traditional structures to appropriate these technologies.

The first feedback from the interviews offers an overview of the potential transformations, without claiming to be generalized at this stage. These feedbacks suggest the following dynamics, to be confirmed by a complete analysis of the data collected:

- **Upward adoption:** The AGIs seem to foster a dynamic *Bottom-Up*, challenging some traditional organizational practices.

- **Skills transformation:** A shift towards **human and conceptual skills** seems essential to support technological innovation.

- **Managerial evolution:** **Middle managers** are emerging as potential facilitators of change, playing a key role in integrating AGIs into strategic processes.

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Institut
Créativité et
Innovations
Aix*Marseille Université

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cnrs

am

U

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Philippe JEAN-BAPTISTE

philippejb@icloud.com

Laboratory of Economics and Sociology of Work

UMR 7317 CNRS - Aix-Marseille University