For decades, the path to senior leadership within an organization has been fairly linear: a clear ladder from individual contributor to manager to manager of managers. But that ladder is increasingly being reimagined at many organizations. Many younger employees don’t want to move up anymore, creating significant gaps in how teams are managed and obstacles to leadership succession.

A recent study by Robert Walters found that nearly 60% of Gen Z employees surveyed prefer to stay as individual contributors rather than moving into middle management. Similarly, Robert Half research reports that 40% of Gen Zers would only take a promotion if it meant they didn’t have to manage a team.

Why are workers so resistant to managing today? Technology is one factor, says Ryan Starks, vice president of workplace and AI & transformation at AI-powered team performance platform Rising Team.

“Gen Z grew up with tech that lets them multiply their own output solo, so building and leading a team isn’t the default instinct it used to be,” he says.

Equally influential is the burnout individual contributors are witnessing among middle management, particularly as organizations slash middle-management layers to operate more leanly, leaving those who are left worried about job security while struggling to keep up with bigger workloads. One recent study found that more half of managers report experiencing burnout.

“ICs are watching senior leaders get buried in constant org change and some are deciding people leadership just looks like a headache,” Starks says.

In the age of AI, manager support is needed

Another factor weighing heavily on the shoulders of today’s managers is AI.

Unlike previous tech transformations, AI is integrating in workplaces from the bottom-up, instead of top-down, putting more pressure on managers to redesign work and build automation into everyday processes.

“Employees aren’t experiencing AI transformation from the C-suite; they’re experiencing it through their manager,” Starks says.

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