Josh Bersin Company Defines the New Role of Management in the Age of AI

• The Rise of the Supermanager, the next report in the Josh Bersin Company's AI research series, reframes management for the AI Age
• Findings to be unveiled at UNLEASH World, October 20–22, Paris, during Josh Bersin's keynote
• Launch includes a new readiness tool and supermanagers course on Galileo Learn™, delivering actionable insights and learning for business leaders, with additional support from the AI agent Galileo® for Managers.

OAKLAND, Calif., Oct. 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The Josh Bersin Company, the world's most trusted HR advisory firm, today announces the release of a special new report, People Management in the Age of AI: The Rise of the Supermanager. According to the research, keeping pace with technological innovation and driving sustained success in the AI era requires a new kind of manager.

The report explores the evolution of people management, the changing role of managers in the intelligence age, and the emergence of the "supermanager"—a manager that leads with AI to:

• Listen to, support, and engage teams
• Inspire creativity, experimentation, and AI-driven job redesign, and
• Create high-performing, highly productive teams by fostering continuous skills development and individualized growth.

In 2025, organizations are projected to spend nearly $800 billion on infrastructure and capital investments—roughly 2.5–3% of total U.S. GDP—across AI, voice, image, video, and messaging technologies.

Yet questions are growing about how quickly these investments are translating into bottom-line productivity, alongside employee concerns about potential displacement. To bridge the gap between AI adoption and workforce uncertainty, managers—who serve as the first line of leadership—will play a critical role. This imperative is central to a new Josh Bersin Company initiative designed to support CHROs in preparing leaders to navigate the AI-driven workplace.

The report builds on the earlier January 2025 Josh Bersin Company analysis, The Rise of the Superworker, which introduced the concept of a workplace where AI supports every employee. That research highlighted a new generation of AI-supported superworkers who, by mastering the use of AI systems, are dramatically increasing their value, productivity, and output.

The Rise of the Supermanager report features case studies of organizations reimagining leadership in the AI era, including:

• A U.S. public benefit corporation fostering AI-enabled empowerment and inclusive experimentation
• A multinational chemical producer using AI-based coaching to deliver personalized insights.
• An energy management company leveraging AI-powered talent marketplaces to accelerate development, and
• Microsoft HR exemplifying a human-centered approach, using AI to enhance transparency, engage employees, personalize experiences, and model leadership by example.

According to the research, what sets supermanagers apart isn't just using technology—it's how they lead with it. They elevate decision-making, boost engagement, and create space for innovation. Grounded in empathy and guided by data, they empower teams through AI, not just directing its use. Supermanagers also foster cultures of AI experimentation, celebrating successes and valuable failures to normalize learning and drive continuous improvement.

The report concludes with a clear call to action: HR and leadership must redefine traditional management paradigms to empower the next generation of supermanagers and unlock the full potential of AI-driven performance. To support this shift, The Josh Bersin Company has launched a raft of practical resources designed to help organizations navigate the next critical step in their AI transformation—developing and enabling not just AI-powered superworkers, but the AI-enabled supermanagers who will lead them.

This includes a special new Supermanager Readiness Tool available exclusively to corporate members and Galileo agent users, to help CHROs assess where their organizations currently stand on the supermanager readiness scale, and what they need to do to accelerate their progress.

Galileo for Managers , a dedicated manager-specific AI agent within the Galileo Suite, provides all people leaders, including those outside HR, with an AI-powered mentor. It helps streamline day-to-day tasks, navigate complex management challenges, and thrive in unique circumstances, enabling users to apply the supermanager approach in real-time.

The launch will also include The Rise of the Supermanager: The AI Transformation Architect training, which focuses on the challenges and opportunities the supermanager role presents. The course will be available through Galileo Learn™, and the research enriches the Galileo corpus for immediate on-the-job application of this new management ethos.

An organization at the forefront of building supermanagers is Japanese water and housing products leader LIXIL, led by Chief People Officer Jin Montesano, who says: "Our approach to HR, leadership, learning, and AI experimentation reflects many of the principles this research highlights—human-centered leadership, empowerment, continuous learning, agility, and a culture of experimentation and trust.

"With these resources, we can take our efforts to the next level and accelerate execution at both the team and senior leadership levels."

Delegates at UNLEASH World (October 20–22, Paris, France) will learn more about the report during Josh Bersin's morning keynote on October 22, The Disruption Never Stops: How AI is Radically Transforming HR, from 8.55am to 9.45am CEST (Central European Summer Time).

Josh Bersin Company Associate Director, Research, Julia Bersin says:

"AI transformation is a process of business reinvention. It requires more than technology implementation; people are at the core.

"Managers, as the first line of leadership, are a critical driver of success—not only in driving AI adoption but in creating adaptive, resilient teams. Supermanagers are those who inspire, encourage, and support their teams—combining human-centered leadership with AI excellence."

Josh Bersin Company co-founder and CEO Josh Bersin says:

"The pace of AI technology is accelerating yet organizations are operating with job roles, structures, and management processes never designed for this speed of automation.

"The result is a widening gap in productivity and skills coupled with a need to redesign jobs, roles, and business processes.

"The solution comes down to managers. Our new concept of Supermanager describes a class of business leaders who use AI to not just supervise work, but to redesign work by helping teams adapt, experiment, and learn new skills.

"Far from being replaced by AI, managers are the ones who learn how to use, leverage, and scale AI to deliver value."

To download the People Management in the Age of AI: The Rise of the Supermanager report visit joshbersin.com/supermanager. To build management capabilities tailored to the AI age and adopt the supermanager approach, explore the Galileo Suite at getgalileo.ai

About The Josh Bersin Company

The Josh Bersin Company is the world's most trusted human capital advisors, providing research-based insights on talent, leadership, and organizational performance.

Unlike traditional consultancies, we capture our integrated models, research, and guidance in a structured, scalable knowledge base—Galileo™—making trusted advice and decades of expertise accessible to anyone, anywhere, in real time.

With a dedicated team constantly tracking market change, testing ideas, and applying a unique business lens, we help over a million HR and business leaders address their most pressing people challenges—aligning work, knowledge, and skills for maximum impact. For more information, visit joshbersin.com.

SOURCE The Josh Bersin Company