To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily HR Dive newsletter. As more entry-level tasks are given over to artificial intelligence, 78% of senior HR leaders, talent acquisition managers and learning and development experts say they're worried about how this could affect the development of critical leadership skills, according to new research from Talogy, a talent management company. A survey of more than 200 top-level HR and development experts found that there's a growing concern that important managerial skills "may not develop as naturally as they once did" because the number of people entering the leadership pipeline is shrinking, per the research.
In order to offset a decline in organically created managerial talent, companies need to "take a more purposeful approach to replacing natural on-the-job learning opportunities in order to avoid any future leadership skills gaps later in the career journey," according to a Talogy press release. For a separate study on preparing employees for the leadership pipeline, Ali Shalfrooshan, Talogy's director of science strategy, outlined several steps HR leaders can take to help fashion a more intentional development approach. That study, which collected data from more than 6,000 global employees, managers and talent professionals, stressed the need to nurture a learning mindset and the ability to think critically.
The study also stressed the importance of adaptability and resiliency. In addition, it said employees needed to develop the capacity for clear communication and collaborative thinking so they can learn to "turn ideas and effort into meaningful outcomes." These proficiencies can help form the basis for strong leadership pipelines even as AI becomes more pervasive, per the report. Yet the study also stressed that skills and training need to be paired with "deeper psychological foundations, including values and emotional intelligence" in order to stay grounded in human connection.
HR leaders may also need to become better at making the kinds of behavioral assessments that allow them to identify leadership potential early and "map hidden talent." "As organizations rethink employee development, teaching employees how to work alongside AI tools simply isn't enough," Shalfrooshan said in a statement. "We must be far more intentional about cultivating core human capabilities, such as critical thinking, adaptability and collaboration if we are to enable people to take on complex responsibilities over time. Leadership development needs to begin at the early career stage and evolve dynamically throughout the entire career journey." Even workers who are climbing up the corporate ladder may be hiding a skills deficit because many say their roles are changing faster than they can be trained, per a recent report from employee training platform TalentLMS.
The result is that many employees are leaning on AI as a means to cover a learning gap, rather than developing the necessary competencies. Another recent report, from IT firm GoTo, found that this problem may be becoming more intractable, with just under a third of workers now saying they would be unable to function at their jobs without the help of AI. That report found that 39% of all workers and 46% of Generation Z reported that their reliance on AI made them less competent at work and made them feel less intelligent.
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