The Myth of the Vanishing Manager

Middle Managers. Some say they are the “patty” of the burger, the glue that keeps everything together, or even the bridge between the leadership and the executors. 

But I’ve also heard that they are bloated, redundant or unnecessary.

So which is true?

Let’s review the facts.

Middle managers oversee 90% of the workforce. Yet, they’re the first to be flattened, the last to be heard, and the most likely to burn out.

In a world that can’t stop talking about AI, automation, and agility, there’s a persistent whisper making its way into boardrooms and budget reviews: “Do we even need middle managers anymore?”

Some think AI is the answer to everything middle managers were hired for: coordination, reporting, performance management. And sure, if you only view managers as glorified traffic controllers, a well-trained AI model might seem like a bargain.

But that narrative misses a bigger, more urgent truth:

Middle managers aren’t obsolete. They’re overloaded.

And with the right redesign, they could be the most strategic layer in the AI-enabled enterprise.

This article is for senior leadership, or anyone in L&D, HR and training positions, who are ready to challenge outdated thinking, embrace new mental models, and reimagine what the middle layer can become in the age of AI.

But of course, if you are a middle manager, or even a first-time manager, you’d find these insights and strategies beneficial for what you’re currently facing, or about to face in the (very) near future.

Stress from every corner.

The Squeeze Is Real — But It’s Not New

Imagine this: Mei, a regional operations manager, walks into the office at 8 a.m. By 10, she’s already reviewed six dashboards, approved four urgent requests, calmed a high-performing team lead on the verge of burnout, and is prepping for back-to-back meetings until 6.

What she doesn’t do today? Coach. Strategize. Reflect.

And it’s not because she doesn’t want to. It’s because she can’t. Not with this load. Her story is more common than most leaders realize.

Middle managers have always carried weight. But today, they’re cracking under the pressure.

• 73% report severe stress levels, up 24% since 2020. Kimon Services, 2025

• 75% received no additional training upon promotion. TechRadar, 2024

• 44% of their week is spent in meetings. TechRadar, 2024

• 43% are experiencing burnout. Growthalista, 2025

They’re stuck in a no-win zone: translating strategy from the top, shielding teams from burnout below, navigating hybrid ambiguity, absorbing change fatigue, and handling workflows that tech hasn’t actually simplified… just rebranded.

We call them the “squeezed middle,” but it’s more accurate to say they’re the structural shock absorbers of the modern organization.

And if there’s one thing the researches are pointing at, it’s this:

Your middle managers are about to snap.

Is firing the real solution?

The Myth of Flattening: Cut or Catalyze?

Let’s talk about Gartner’s favorite stat: “By 2026, 20% of companies will eliminate over 50% of middle management roles using AI.”

Sounds dramatic. Sexifies headlines. Sparks fear.

But here’s the plot twist: middle management roles are actually growing. In an article by Harvard Business Review published just 2 months ago, the author highlighted that in 2022, middle managers made up 13% of the U.S. workforce, up from 9.2% in 1983.

The real question isn’t whether AI will reduce headcount. The question is: what happens to the roles that remain?

Do we flatten blindly and hope for efficiency, risking shadow hierarchies, unclear decision rights, and culture drift? Or do we catalyze capability by elevating those best positioned to translate between tech and teams?

Because if you remove the managers without redesigning the system, you don’t get agility. You get confusion. You get shadow hierarchies. You get chaos.

You and I know no ones like that, especially the leadership. And I’m not even factoring in the negative PR you might suffer with the layoffs!

Changing times call for a change!

The Reinvention Model: What Middle Managers Must Become

Here’s probably something behind-the-scene that you’re not aware of:

The best companies aren’t cutting middle managers. They’re reshaping them into what the AI era truly needs:

• From Gatekeepers to Insight Architects: Interpreting AI outputs, surfacing nuance algorithms can’t see, and converting insights into action.

• From Enforcers to Coaches: Developing talent, nurturing resilience, and managing through empathy, not authority.

• From Doers to Integrators: Connecting dots across silos, aligning tech and talent, and making transformation stick.

This isn’t theory. Deloitte , McKinsey & Company , and Harvard Business Review are all saying the same thing:

McKinsey found that AI can automate over 50% of a manager’s workload, freeing them to lead transformation.

Deloitte reinforces that companies with strong management outperform peers by up to 15%.

Both companies are emphasizing that if you want to make AI work in your org, middle managers aren’t the problem. They’re the multiplier.

But only if you redesign their role, re-skill them intentionally, and measure them by new metrics (coaching, enablement, innovation) instead of old ones (task completion, compliance).

The reinvention of team work

Symbiosis, Not Substitution

The fear is substitution. The future is symbiosis.

Take McKinsey’s Lilli, an internal GPT-based tool that saves consultants up to 30% of their time.

Or Deloitte’s Sidekick, automating admin work so managers can focus on what matters.

Or BCG’s Deckster and GENE, helping teams go from data to decision faster.

These aren’t replacements. They’re reinforcements.

With AI handling the reporting, scheduling, and follow-ups, managers can finally reclaim their time for what actually moves the needle — coaching their people, mentoring rising stars, and building team culture. This isn’t about efficiency for efficiency’s sake. It’s about creating the space for managers to lead like humans again.

But here’s the unobvious fact: the real value isn’t in the tool. It’s in the mindset shift.

Middle managers must be trained not just to use AI tools, but to think with them.

That means:

• Asking better questions.

• Seeing the gaps AI can’t fill.

• Integrating insights into human context.

That’s what separates an AI-enabled manager from a soon-to-be-redundant one.

We need a different perspective, or perhaps, a different mental model!

The Real Gap: Mindset, Not Tools

Now imagine Mei again.

Only this time, she walks into her 10 a.m. with a real-time AI digest already summarizing team blockers. Her 1:1s are sharper. Her check-ins, more human. She’s not firefighting — she’s forward-planning. Coaching isn’t squeezed in. It’s prioritized.

That’s not a fantasy. It’s the future. If we design for it.

One of the biggest misconceptions is that equipping middle managers with AI tools is enough.

It’s not.

In fact, most managers already have access to some form of AI — be it embedded in dashboards, auto-generated reports, or productivity assistants.

But access ≠ adoption.

And adoption ≠ transformation.

The gap isn’t just in technology. It’s in trust. In training. In time. And most importantly — in clarity.

If you want middle managers to coach, lead, and navigate change with AI, you must first help them see their role differently.

Only then can you move from digital access to strategic action.

5 things you can do to future-proof your managers

The 5R Strategic Imperatives for HR & L&D

If you’re in HR, L&D, or senior leadership, here’s your new playbook:

• Redesign middle management roles around value creation, not task coordination. Stop measuring presence; start amplifying impact.

• Retrain managers in coaching, AI literacy, change leadership, and ethical AI use. Equip them not just with tools, but with confidence.

• Reframe success metrics: less on control, more on capability-building. What gets rewarded, gets repeated.

• Reinforce psychological safety so that managers lead, not survive, through uncertainty. Safe spaces create brave leaders.

• Reward those who enable human-AI collaboration, not just top-down execution. These are your new culture carriers.

Because let’s be clear: you can’t automate your way to transformation. You empower your way there.

These aren’t HR nice-to-haves. They’re your bridge from overwhelmed managers to AI-enabled leadership. They’re organizational survival strategies dressed as culture decisions.

Transform the core, transform everything around it!

In Closing: Don’t Remove the Middle. Reinvent It.

The middle isn’t dead. It’s due.

Due for reinvention. Due for recognition. Due for re-skilling.

In the age of AI, middle managers are no longer your bottleneck. They’re your bandwidth.

But only if you give them the frameworks, the tools, and most importantly, the trust to lead the transformation.

Forget flattening. Forget replacing.

If your organization is a garden, middle managers are your gardeners. They don’t just manage. They cultivate.

They spot the early weeds. They nourish high-potential talent. They ensure that transformation doesn’t just sprout… but roots, grows, and lasts.

AI may bring the rain, but without your middle managers, nothing meaningful takes root.

So don’t remove the middle. Reinvent it.

1️⃣ Data Privacy Issues

As AI tools sneak into our workplaces, the potential for data leaks is real. Imagine employees plugging their favorite AI apps into your company’s systems. Sounds great for innovation, but if these tools aren’t vetted, they could open the floodgates to data breaches and compliance headaches.

Capital One’s massive data breach in 2019 was a wake-up call. A simple misconfiguration allowed unauthorised access to millions of customer records. This wasn’t directly about BYOAI, but it shows how easily things can go wrong without proper oversight.

⭐ Quick Recommendations

1. Set the Ground Rules Establish clear policies about which AI tools can be used. Think of it as creating a “bouncer” at the gate of your data to keep out unwanted guests.
2. Regular Security Checks Conduct regular audits to catch vulnerabilities before they become disasters. Think of it like a routine health check for your IT systems.
3. Educate Your Team Train your employees on data privacy best practices. Make sure they know the risks and how to keep your data safe while leveraging AI.