Harvard Business Review LogoJune 26, 2026Illustration by Clara San MillánSummary. Researchers conducted 18 semi-structured interviews with partners, managers, and junior consultants at two major consulting firms to understand how people at each level how they were actuallyMost organizations treat AI adoption as a technology challenge—a software rollout to be managed by IT and celebrated by the C-suite. Some even see it as a fast track to headcount reduction.
AI Adoption Is Overloading Your Middle Managers
Researchers conducted 18 semi-structured interviews with partners, managers, and junior consultants at two major consulting firms to understand how people at each level how they were actually using AI, what support they received, and where the friction was. They found that senior leaders are leaning into AI’s strategic potential, expanding scope, accelerating delivery with leaner teams, and reimagining services. Consultants reported dramatic productivity gains. But middle managers were overloaded with new responsibilities—validating AI outputs, identifying errors, coaching their teams in AI skills—all while facing unchanged or even increased delivery pressure and lacking formal support structures. The research identifies three ways in which the middle layer is failing under the weight of AI adoption and offers strategies to prevent this critical bottleneck from slowing transformation efforts.
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