IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/hal/journl/hal-05145156.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

Transformations in the Roles and Skills of Middle Managers in the Era of Generative AI: An Activity Theory Perspective

Author

Listed:
  • Philippe Jean-Baptiste

    (LEST - Laboratoire d'Economie et de Sociologie du Travail - AMU - Aix Marseille Université - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique)

Abstract

The adoption of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GAI), including tools like ChatGPT, is profoundly reshaping organizational landscapes. These technologies enhance creativity, decision-making, and automation, challenging traditional workflows and managerial practices. Middle managers, positioned between strategic decisions and daily operations, play a pivotal role in bridging these transformations. However, the micro-level dynamics of their evolving roles and competencies remain underexplored, particularly within specific industries like telecommunications or hybrid service firms. This study uses activity theory to analyze the tensions and contradictions arising from GAI adoption, focusing on its impact on middle managers. It identifies key mechanisms such as Bottom-Up innovation dynamics, Shadow IT, and shifts in governance frameworks. Findings from diverse organizational contexts highlight the need for structured approaches to skill development, balancing technical and human-centric competencies. This research contributes to understanding managerial transformation and offers actionable strategies for organizations to navigate the complexities of GAI integration effectively.

Suggested Citation

  • Philippe Jean-Baptiste, 2025. "Transformations in the Roles and Skills of Middle Managers in the Era of Generative AI: An Activity Theory Perspective," Post-Print hal-05145156, HAL.
    • Handle: RePEc:hal:journl:hal-05145156
    Note: View the original document on HAL open archive server: https://hal.science/hal-05145156v1
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    To our knowledge, this item is not available for download. To find whether it is available, there are three options:
    1. Check below whether another version of this item is available online.
    2. Check on the provider's web page whether it is in fact available.
    3. Perform a
    for a similarly titled item that would be available.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:hal:journl:hal-05145156. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: CCSD (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/ .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.