How will AI development reshape the role of managers, and what challenges and opportunities will it bring?

What truly needs rethinking is how enterprises operate: which tasks are worth doing by humans, and which merely involve people shuttling information for systems; which positions require enhanced professional capabilities, and which business growth could originally be absorbed through processes and systems; which expertise should remain embedded in the organization long-term—not resetting to zero each time an employee leaves. An enterprise’s true efficiency should not be measured by whether ‘everyone is getting busier.’ A healthier state is one where, as business volume increases, the enterprise’s capacity to get work done grows faster than its labor costs; and where employees spend more time on judgment, communication, creation, and customer engagement—not endlessly repeating tasks they’ve already performed yesterday. From this perspective, AI is merely a tool. What leaders truly need to upgrade is their understanding of the term ‘enterprise efficiency.’ References and Further Reading 1. Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT): ‘Guidelines for Digital Transformation of Small and Medium Enterprises’ Mainly references the principle that SME digital transformation should start from actual enterprise needs and advance in alignment with specific business scenarios. 2. MIIT & Ministry of Finance: ‘Notice on Implementing the 2025 Pilot Program for Digital Transformation of SMEs in Selected Cities’ Mainly references requirements emphasizing real enterprise needs, demonstrable transformation outcomes, and driving cost reduction, efficiency gains, and competitiveness enhancement. 3. MIIT and three other departments: ‘Special Action Plan for Empowering SMEs through Digitalization (2025–2027)’ Mainly references directions including innovative AI applications, digital upgrading, and scenario-driven SME transformation. 4. OECD: ‘The Effects of Generative AI on Productivity, Innovation and Entrepreneurship’ Mainly references empirical research on generative AI’s impact on productivity, skills, enterprise operations, and innovation—and highlights how outcomes vary depending on task type, worker experience, and human-AI collaboration models. 5. International Labour Organization (ILO): ‘The Impact of GenAI on Jobs, Productivity and Work Organization: A Review of the Empirical Evidence’ Mainly references empirical studies on GenAI’s effects on productivity, employment, and work organization—and notes that realized benefits vary significantly and cannot be simplistically equated with overall labor productivity gains. 6. ILO: ‘Artificial Intelligence Adoption and Its Impact on Jobs’ Mainly references findings that AI is more likely to transform and augment specific tasks across many occupations—not simply replace entire jobs. 7. ILO: ‘Generative AI and Jobs: A Global Analysis of Potential Effects on Job Quantity and Quality’

Our company is implementing AI empowerment to reduce costs and improve efficiency. As one of the responsible personnel, I don’t understand where AI actually improves office productivity.

AI-driven efficiency gains at the company level begin—first and foremost—with safeguarding the CEO. Within any company, the only certainty is the CEO themselves. The greatest source of resistance lies precisely with mid-level managers and department heads like you. The goal is to minimize mid-level management layers. Promote individuals who both understand the business and grasp AI—appointing them as departmental AI Architects. Replace mid-level managers who resist change or lack initiative. For example: dismiss skeptical mid-level managers, and cut half of the frontline staff—the so-called ‘workhorses.’ Retain the remaining half. Increase their salaries by 50%. Double their workload. Mandate the adoption of AI tools across the board. In short: protect the CEO—the sole certainty; reduce and eliminate uncertain mid-level managers; and replace frontline staff with AI-augmented roles. This is the AI-powered new world—chilling, indeed.

EnerSys Names AI and Digital Chief to Drive Efficiency

5 days ago

EnerSys appointed Navi Grewal as chief digital, AI, and information officer to consolidate technology oversight and boost productivity across global operations.

MyChesCo

2026-10-26

EnerSys Names AI and Digital Chief to Drive Efficiency

EnerSys Names AI and Digital Chief to Drive Efficiency

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