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The New Management Reality: AI, Engagement and the Invisible Work of Managers

The New Management Reality: AI, Engagement and the Invisible Work of Managers

Managers are working harder than ever, but employees may not see it. AMA’s 2026 Management Research Study, based on responses from more than 1,000 global professionals, reveals a persistent gap between how managers perceive their own engagement and how employees experience it. As AI reshapes decision making, delegation and productivity expectations, managers are spending more time on increasingly invisible cognitive work. The findings highlight why communication, coaching, critical thinking and the ability to make managerial judgment visible are becoming essential capabilities for stronger engagement and performance.

Ambitious Employees. Underprepared Managers. A Growing Organizational Risk.

Ambitious Employees. Underprepared Managers. A Growing Organizational Risk.

Employees today are ambitious and eager to build new skills, but many are not receiving the development opportunities they need to thrive. AMA’s 2026 Talent Development Research Study, based on responses from more than 1,000 global professionals, reveals a growing gap between employee motivation and organizational readiness. The findings highlight why manager capability, communication, coaching, leadership development and learning in the flow of work are becoming critical priorities for organizations seeking stronger performance and adaptability.

Leadership Development in a Transforming Workplace:
Emerging Demands, Gaps and Opportunities for Today’s Organizations

Leadership Development in a Transforming Workplace: Emerging Demands, Gaps and Opportunities for Today’s Organizations

The bar for leadership keeps rising and most organizations aren't reaching it. AMA surveyed 1,249 professionals to understand what’s changing. Leaders are being asked to navigate constant disruption while also developing talent and driving stronger results. Yet many feel unprepared, and organizations lack properly updated systems to support them. This Whitepaper unpacks where the gaps are widest, what high-performing organizations do differently, and how to build leadership capacity that actually meets the moment.

AI Becomes a Daily Workplace Tool with Employees Trying to Stay Ahead Whitepaper

AI Becomes a Daily Workplace Tool with Employees Trying to Stay Ahead

AI has moved from experimentation to everyday use, but employees and leaders are experiencing the shift very differently. AMA’s 2025 survey of 1,365 professionals reveals rapid growth in daily AI use, stalled governance, rising independent adoption and widening confidence gaps. The research highlights why many workers feel both excited and behind, and offers practical steps to build trust, strengthen readiness and support responsible AI integration.

The Manager–Employee Disconnect on Engagement and Effectiveness

The Manager–Employee Disconnect on Engagement and Effectiveness

While managers often see hitting goals as their top role, employees emphasize the need for communication. Drawn from the perspectives of more than 1,300 global professionals, this AMA research highlights striking gaps between how managers and employees view priorities, engagement, and workplace challenges. The study also reveals shared struggles around workload and collaboration, along with actionable strategies for closing perception divides and building stronger alignment across your organization.

AMA’s Annual AI Survey: Organizations Make Progress Adopting AI, But Many Employees Feel Left Behind

AMA Survey: Employees Value Training, but Many Feel Overlooked

As technology continues to transform the way we work, organizations must prioritize upskilling and career advancement to stay competitive. To explore how well companies are meeting this challenge, AMA surveyed over 1,100 people worldwide. The findings, revealed in our latest Whitepaper—Employees Value Training, but Many Feel Overlooked—highlight critical insights into today’s learning and development landscape.

AMA’s Annual AI Survey: Organizations Make Progress Adopting AI, But Many Employees Feel Left Behind

AMA’s Annual AI Survey: Organizations Make Progress Adopting AI, But Many Employees Feel Left Behind

While Artificial Intelligence won’t necessarily take a knowledge worker’s job, someone at ease with harnessing the technology might—so businesses need to capitalize on AI’s efficiencies now. Despite progress in this area, our research reveals that organizations need to catch up with supporting their people’s usage and confidence in adopting AI. In addition, many survey respondents feel anxious that their AI skills are not up to speed. Explore the detailed results of AMA’s study into how organizations and individuals are currently navigating AI.

Why Managers Are Failing to Execute Strategy, and How Organizations Can Help

Why Managers Are Failing to Execute Strategy, and How Organizations Can Help

A company can have a great strategy, but if the managers aren’t able to harness the talent of their teams and effectively execute it, that strategy will fail. When AMA asked 1100+ professionals who supervise others about their roles in determining strategy, results showed that most managers spend less than half their time implementing strategy. Read about the serious concerns these findings raise for organizations who must meet their strategic goals in order to succeed.

How Hybrid Work Affects Career Advancement with Disparities Based on Gender and Age

Management Styles: Are You the Manager You Think You Are?

If you’re a manager, you’ve spent time thinking about your management style. Would you categorize your predominant style as autocratic, democratic, laissez-faire or facilitative? And do you really have a strong sense of what these styles are, and when it’s appropriate to use them? AMA surveyed over 1,000 managers and staff members and managers may not be using their style as effectively as they think.

How Hybrid Work Affects Career Advancement with Disparities Based on Gender and Age

How Hybrid Work Affects Career Advancement with Disparities Based on Gender and Age

The rise of hybrid and remote work options impacts millions of workers, significantly changing office culture, not to mention employees’ potential prospects for advancement. To get a better idea of the effects—particularly on women, but on workplace dynamics in general, —AMA conducted a survey of 1,000 US knowledge workers. The results are reported and analyzed in this comprehensive and timely whitepaper.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is Booming, But Companies Are Not Ready

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is Booming, But Companies Are Not Ready

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is advancing at lightning speed and will soon impact almost every aspect of our personal and professional lives. To learn how organizations are currently positioned regarding AI, AMA surveyed 457 business professionals in a wide range of industries to ask their thoughts on AI and its impact on their companies. We’ve summarized the complete results in a special complimentary whitepaper

Developing Skills For The Modern Workplace

Creating an Engaged and Equitable Workforce Is Everyone’s Responsibility

AMA urges leaders and organizations to realize how eliminating the engagement disparity between men and women is not only the right thing to do, collectively, it benefits the entire organization and should be embraced across all departments and genders. In this report we help visualize ways you can get started and navigate implementation at every level—including a list of characteristics that give the spectrum of employees something to aim for.

Developing Skills For The Modern Workplace

Developing Skills for The Modern Workplace

While flexibility has increased, so has the need for specific skills to support the new ways of working. It’s not enough to only provide mandatory compliance training and industry-specific skills. Managers and individual employees also need adaptable, technology-focused, resilience-building and key people skills that help them succeed with new responsibilities in their changing work environments.

Workplace Engagement: Fixing ‘The Broken Rung’ Requires Engagement at Every Level

Workplace Engagement: Fixing ‘The Broken Rung’ Requires Engagement at Every Level

Today’s professionals have choices—so it’s most important that they feel a sense of engagement in order to perform with optimal effectiveness and sustain interest in their work. AMA’s recent survey reveals some alarming findings about engagement that should be examined in detail.

The Future of Corporate Culture: What’s Changed and Why It Matters

The Future of Corporate Culture: What’s Changed and Why It Matters

Corporate culture is a critical aspect of an organization’s day-to-day operation and long-term success—and these days, it’s more at risk than ever. Organizations need to determine how to repair or realign their culture to maximize employee retention, engagement and productivity.

Innovation: A Critical Necessity

Innovation: A Critical Necessity

AMA surveyed nearly 6,000 global business professionals to uncover practical strategies to help them maximize their innovative potential. Despite the fact that an organization’s own employees are its number one resource for innovation, the responses indicate many businesses are missing opportunities to identify and act on their innovative ideas.

New Skills for the New Workplace

New Skills for the New Workplace

AMA recently surveyed a wide range of professionals asking for their input on how changing business demands have impacted their jobs, and what new skills are needed for the new workplace.

5 Skills Every Virtual Manager Needs to Succeed

5 Skills Every Virtual Manager Needs to Succeed

Being a virtual manager comes with a whole new set of challenges you’ve never been trained for. Beyond your own work, you’re now charged with helping others succeed and develop to help meet your organization’s goals without being face-to-face with them.

Developing Skills For The Modern Workplace

The Future of HIGHER EDUCATION

Integrate career-ready content within your existing curriculum to add greater focus on the areas of learning corporations are prioritizing and help shape a more skilled workforce.

Learn five strategies schools are using to help their students enhance employability, transition seamlessly into careers and thrive in the business community.

Meeting Critical Employee Needs to Re-Engage and Retain Today’s Workforce

Meeting Critical Employee Needs to Re-Engage and Retain Today’s Workforce

For many people and organizations, the pandemic’s disruption was an awakening. The convergence of a tight job market, rapidly advancing digital communication and automation, and the emergency measures stemming from Covid-19 prompted employees at all levels to increasingly reevaluate their relationship with work.

Beyond Diversity & Inclusion: Lead Meaningful Change in Your Organization

Beyond Diversity & Inclusion: Lead Meaningful Change in Your Organization

In the past, organizations looking to counter discrimination focused primarily on recruitment or on having sound policies to protect all employees. While these are crucial first steps, organizations need to go beyond check-the-box policies.

Workplace Strategies for the Road to Recovery

Workplace Strategies for the Road to Recovery

Since the earliest days of the pandemic, professionals have needed to quickly adapt to new work environments and circumstances. They may have found themselves navigating different positions, shifting strategic goals—and getting up to speed with new skills in order to meet these changing demands.

The Case for AMA Management Certification

The Case for AMA Management Certification

There are about 24 million managers in the U.S. workforce, and research suggests that there is great opportunity to improve their effectiveness—and the impact they make on business.

5 Simple Steps to Successful Project Management

5 Simple Steps to Successful Project Management

Being a good project manager requires a variety of skills—from keeping track of technical details to communicating progress, to influencing key team members who don’t report to you, to sometimes resolving conflict or delivering bad news.

6 Simple Steps to Killer Presentations

6 Simple Steps to Killer Presentations

Command attention and confidently present your ideas with poise and control. Whether it’s presentations at work or public speeches, learning how to create compelling, persuasive presentations (and get past the jitters) is a powerful way to demonstrate your leadership potential.

The Essential Guide to Communicating With Tact & Credibility

The Essential Guide to Communicating with Tact & Credibility

The best idea is worth nothing if others can’t hear it. Success at work depends largely on how well you communicate.

5 Skills Every New Manager Needs to Succeed

5 Skills Every New Manager Needs to Succeed

As a superstar on your team, you’ve just been promoted and will take on management responsibilities for the first time in your career.

5 Ways Leaders Get Results

5 Ways Leaders Get Results

To lead well, one must communicate well.

The Four Critical Abilities

The Four Critical Abilities

A fresh look at the skill gaps of employees at all levels of organizations.

Success Skills for the Digital Age

Success Skills for the Digital Age

In a worldwide study of 11,624 employees, AMA examined the confidence these employees have in specific areas of knowledge, skills and experience that are critical for business success in the digital age.

Do You Set the Bar? How Executives Are Defining HiPo

Do You Set the Bar? How Executives Are Defining HiPo

What is the number one characteristic you look for when identifying high potential (HiPo) talent?

Improving Your Communication Skills: AMA's Essential Guide For Business Leaders

Improving Your Communication Skills: AMA’s Essential Guide For Business Leaders

Regardless of the goals you set as a manager, your ability to communicate and connect with others is of key importance in getting results—and in helping your business thrive.

AMA Research Striving for Excellence: Mastering the Skills That Drive Performance

AMA Research Striving for Excellence: Mastering the Skills That Drive Performance

Mastering the Skills that Drive Performance AMA surveyed over 2,000 professionals, at all organizational levels, across more than 20 industries.

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