Managers Carry Change. But Who Carries the Managers?
This week, while reading Korn Ferry’s Talent Trends 2027 report, one specific number stuck with me: 6%.
The report is based on a survey of over 1,300 senior executives and talent leaders from more than 75 countries. Respondents were asked how prepared their organization's senior leadership is for AI-driven transformation. The proportion of those who said "fully prepared" is only six percent. One-third believe their leaders are unprepared, while the majority view them as "partially prepared." In the report’s "industrial" sector category, the picture is even starker: 43% consider leaders unprepared, and only 3% see them as fully prepared.
Reading these numbers, the first question that came to my mind was this: So, where does this uncertainty go?
In my view, the answer provided by the report is quite clear: uncertainty trickles down to the manager. Two-thirds of respondents expect that in the coming period, managers will spend more time managing change than managing people's day-to-day work. Meanwhile, 91% believe that coaching and human skills will become far more important than they are today.
Cathi Rittelmann, a Korn Ferry expert, explained this situation with a very apt metaphor: Managers will serve as the shock absorbers of the organization! Even if they cannot state exactly where things are headed, they will keep their teams moving forward. It is a brilliant analogy.
I really liked the metaphor. However, we also need to remember how a shock absorber works. It absorbs impacts, and with every hit it takes, it wears down a little. If it is not maintained, one day it simply stops absorbing.
What the report doesn't say
The report offers four recommendations for managers: training that simulates change, evaluating managers based on their speed of adaptation, sharing context alongside decisions, and creating space to say "I don't know." All of these are correct. But I believe an interesting question remains unanswered: If only six percent of leaders are seen as prepared, who will provide that context to the middle manager?
We expect managers to explain the rationale behind change to their teams, yet most of the time they don't fully know that rationale themselves. We expect them to handle their team's anxiety, but we rarely ask where they can carry their own anxiety. Passing the burden downward is easy. The hard part is sending along the capacity to carry that burden.
"I don't know" is a competency
In my opinion, the boldest suggestion in the report is teaching managers that they don't always have to know the answer.
It sounds simple, but it isn't. In many organizations, management is seen as equivalent to having all the answers. Promotions often go to the person who gives the fastest and most definite answers. This is what we look for in assessment centers. A manager who stands in front of their team in a challenging environment and says, "I don't know this yet, but I will share it with you as soon as I learn," worries that this will be read as weakness.
However, if the target is constantly moving, pretending to know the answer erodes trust much faster than admitting you don't know. Teams can handle uncertainty; what they cannot handle is uncertainty being hidden from them.
At this point, I want to return to my own field: HR Business Partnership. I believe this picture redefines the HRBP role—moving from a structure that simply delivers policies and processes to one that carries the burden alongside the manager. This transformation can start with three concrete steps:
Transferring context, not just decisions: When a transformation decision is made, managers should not just receive an announcement text. They should also have the answers to "Why?", "What do we not know yet?", and "When will we know more?"
Turning change into rehearsal: Instead of delivering a tough conversation for the first time in front of the team, practice it in a safe environment first. Pilots practice in simulators; surgeons work on models. Managers also need a space where they can rehearse their hardest conversations.
Acknowledging that managers need support, too: Our wellness programs mostly target general employees. Yet the group carrying the heaviest weight of change is often middle management, who are accountable to both leadership above and teams below.
We mostly discuss the AI transformation through the lens of technology, investment, and productivity. But the ones who will actually implement this transformation on the ground are the managers who face their teams every morning. If we position them as the organization's shock absorbers, we also need to plan their maintenance.
I'm curious: In your organization, who do managers learn about change from? And to whom do they take their own uncertainty?
Source: Korn Ferry, Talent Trends 2027: Skills-Shifting (October 2026).
