In-person management in the shadow and light of AI — new challenges in leadership

Artificial intelligence challenges the traditional ways of leadership. How does a supervisor stay connected to the realities of day-to-day work, manage the process instead of simply the outcomes, and support the development of employees' skills in an equitable manner?

In-person management under new conditions

In in-person management, supervisors may feel they are losing touch with day-to-day operations as an increasing share of work takes place through interactions between people and AI. The traditional visibility of team work may be impaired and face-to-face encounters may be reduced.

On the other hand, AI also offers new opportunities for supervisors: as AI takes care of routine work and automates repetitive tasks, supervisors have more time to coach their teams through challenges, listen to employees, and focus on leading people — the area where human input is truly needed.

Leading performance in a new era

AI is making traditional quantity-based performance metrics partly obsolete. Instead, the emphasis is placed on the process of doing things, the quality of thinking, the choices made and the results achieved. Knowing how to use AI is becoming a key competence, and supervisors must be able to assess the effectiveness and quality of work in a new way.

This offers an opportunity to move towards more qualitative and strategic performance management. We can move away from just measuring volume and shift towards real value creation.

Managing and developing talent

As AI becomes more prevalent, the development of skills and competencies may increasingly be left to individuals themselves. Self-directed employees take on new topics faster, and skills gaps can become significant. This can lead to inequality and weaken the overall competence of the organisation.

However, AI offers a significant opportunity: opportunities for learning and competence development are now more accessible than ever, with a low threshold for participation. The role of the supervisor is to provide insight, encourage and guide employees to actively take advantage of these opportunities. A good leader ensures that development takes place together, not only as a privilege for a few.

Four highlights for company management

1. Build restorative pauses into the workday. AI speeds up the flow of decisions and tasks. Therefore, the organisation must consciously ensure peaceful moments where the employee can assess direction and recover.
2. Protect concentration and reduce fragmentation. Multitasking increases cognitive load and impairs decision-making. Management must enable a work rhythm in which AI enhances focus instead of disrupting it.
3. Keep the connection between people visible. AI can make work a more solitary activity. Brief sitreps and joint assessment moments have been shown to be protective factors against exhaustion.
4. Establish a clear AI policy. Without shared ground rules, work can gradually expand without anyone noticing. Organisations with a clear AI usage policy manage the load and ensure that AI genuinely supports the work.

The blog post was written by Pekka Tölli, Mehiläinen’s Chief Organisational Psychologist.