Middle Management Anxiety About AI-Driven Org Flattening

Thanks for taking a few minutes for this. We're checking in on how AI-driven changes to management structure are landing for people managers like you — there are no right answers, and your responses are confidential. About 6-7 minutes.

In the last 12 months, how has your organization's use of AI tools changed the number of direct reports or management layers you oversee?

• My span of control increased significantly
• My span of control increased slightly
• No real change
• My role was restructured or narrowed
• My role was eliminated or merged into another position
• Not sure / too early to tell

How concerned are you that AI-driven automation will eliminate your current management role within the next two years?

Thinking about the AI tools your organization has rolled out in the last year, how has each of the following changed for you?

Which of the following causes you the most, and the least, anxiety about AI-driven flattening of the org chart?

• Losing my role entirely
• Being asked to manage more people with less support
• Losing the chance to mentor and develop staff
• Reduced say in strategic decisions
• My skills becoming obsolete
• Unclear expectations from senior leadership
• Shrinking pay or promotion prospects

How well has senior leadership explained the reasoning behind AI-driven restructuring changes to you?

Which best describes how your day-to-day responsibilities have shifted because of AI tools?

• More strategic / cross-team work
• More individual-contributor tasks I used to delegate
• Managing a wider span of people with the same support
• No noticeable shift yet
• Other

How confident are you that you have the skills to succeed in a flatter, more AI-augmented org structure?

Has your organization offered any support (training, coaching, transition planning) to help you adapt to AI-driven changes to your role?

• Yes, extensive support
• Yes, some support
• No support offered
• Not sure

Probe the specific driver behind the respondent's top-ranked anxiety item and their concern score about role elimination. Ask for one concrete recent example of how AI-driven flattening has changed their authority, headcount, or workload. If their concern score is low, distinguish whether that reflects genuine security or quiet disengagement; if they said support was lacking, ask what specific help would have made the transition easier.

Which best describes your current management level? (Prefer not to say is fine.)

• First-line / team manager
• Middle manager (manages other managers)
• Senior manager / Director
• Prefer not to say

How long have you been in your current management role?

• Less than 1 year
• 1-3 years
• 4-7 years
• 8+ years
• Prefer not to say

What industry do you primarily work in?

• Technology
• Financial Services
• Healthcare
• Manufacturing
• Retail
• Government / Public Sector
• Other
• Prefer not to say

Thank you for your honesty — this helps HR and leadership understand what's really changing for people managers, not just what's assumed. Your responses will be aggregated with others' to shape support and communication as these changes continue.