The Future Of Work: When Everyone Becomes A Manager

InnovationThe Future Of Work: When Everyone Becomes A ManagerByIgor Rikalo,Forbes Councils Member.for Forbes Technology CouncilCOUNCIL POSTExpertise from Forbes Councils members, operated under license. Opinions expressed are those of the author. | Membership (fee-based)Jun 02, 2026, 10:15am EDTIgor Rikalo is President and COO at o9 Solutions. gettyTraditionally, the workplace hierarchy was organized in the shape of a pyramid. A select group of executives was at the top, managers responsible for coordinating teams were in the middle and individual contributors who executed tasks made up the base of the pyramid. This structure worked for many years because organizations needed large groups of people to perform operational work and serve as the primary unit of productivity. ​​​This model has shifted over the years. At my company, as with others, we've aimed to keep as close to a flat hierarchy as possible to empower our employees to take ownership of their roles and innovate. As AI begins to reshape the workplace, I imagine the flattening of the pyramid will continue, as hyper-connected organizations rely on both humans and AI. In the near future, many individual knowledge workers will operate portfolios that include AI agents that monitor signals, perform analysis, generate scenarios and execute basic operational tasks. One employee may coordinate dozens or even hundreds of AI agents. ​​When this occurs, the traditional role of "individual contributor" begins to disappear, and every employee will have a managerial function. But instead of managing people, they are managing a digital workforce. ​Management is no longer a promotion. Traditionally, management was treated as a step in career advancement. Employees would spend years developing expertise as individual contributors before moving into managerial roles. However, only a small percentage of the workforce receives formal training in how to manage others in this model. ​AI challenges this model bec...