Managers and machines, unite!Three things managers must do to make the most of cognitive computingby Ryan Shanks, Sunit Sinha and Robert J. ThomasManagers and machines, unite! | 2Intelligent machines are poised to dramatically shift management roles as we know them. But many organizations arent prepared to take full advantage of the change that lies ahead.The rise of intelligent machinesOrganizations are just starting to use intelligent machines information systems that sense, comprehend, act and learn to automate some of the more routine, rules-based tasks that take up so much of managers time.Coordinating processes, monitoring performance, and scheduling resources and activities are prime candidates for automation. With such applications, companies will save money. But intelligent machines will also free managers to focus on more strategic issues and activities. Thats the game-changing opportunity.Intelligent machines inform better, faster decisions. They enable managers to shift their focus to activities that call for decidedly human traits such as complex thinking and higher-order reasoning. Providing guidance and recommendations, machines complementmanagers expertise, experience and ethics, as well as their ability to experiment and innovate. In all these ways, intelligent machines open the door to “judgment work,” which values intuition as much as, if not more than, know-how. Our discussions with industry leaders on the topic of intelligent machines revealed they are particularly excited by the possibility for machines to augment managers decision-making capabilities.1 For them, the real potential lies in helping managers unleash an organizations creative potential, capture new growth opportunities, and lead a more empowered workforce of the future.Three issues not covered in the owners manualC E O s and their leadership teams are understandably excited by the prospects of a more dynamic managerial workforce. But what do managers think? How do they feel about the incursion of intelligent machines in their work? Are they really prepared for the shift that is under way?The overwhelming majority of managers believe machines will make them more effective and their work more interesting. Thats one of the findings of a first- of- its-kind study of the impact of cognitive computing in management by the Accenture Institute for High P erformance and Accenture Strategy (see Methodologyfor more detail). However, the survey also revealed three issues that might affect an organizations ability to make the most of a manager-machine union. Managers underrate human skillsManagers arent convinced theyre ready to thrive in a workplace with more intelligent machines. Over half (57 percent) responded that their current skills are lacking. More troubling is the fact that managers have an incomplete understanding of what they will need to thrive in a partnership with intelligent machines.A number of them recognize the need for digital skills, creative thinking and strategy development. And thats important, because those are, in fact, skills theyll need to manage business complexity and growth.What they overlook, however, is the importance of the interpersonal skills they will need to manage theirpeople. They ranked social networking, people develop- ment and collaboration 6th, 7th and 8th in importance. Only about a fifth of those we surveyed thought these skills would be important to their roles in the future.Source: Accenture Institute for High P erformance and Accenture Strategy, “The Impact of Cognitive Computing in Management”, 2015.Thats a potential problem because managers will need to inspire their teams and enable them to succeed. They will need to learn how to interpret the analyses and recommendations those machines provide to ask the right questions and improve decision making. And they will need to develop, coach and collaborate with others to drive experimentation and innovation across the organization.Managers believe their roles will need the following skills in 5 years (top 3 skills selected)42%33%31%30%23%21%21%20%20%20%17%Digital/T echnologyC reative thinking and experimentationINTERPERSONAL SKILLSData analysis and interpretationStrategy developmentP lanning and administrationSocial networkingPeople development and coachingC ollaborationQuality management and standardsS harpen skills within my current domain of expertiseP erformance management and reportingManagers and machines, unite! | 3Managers and machines, unite! | 4Resistance is stronger than leaders thinkOur findings suggest a paradox among respondents. On the one hand, managers at all levels (84 percent) believe machines will make them more effective and their work more interesting. Y et only 14 percent of first-line managers and 24 percent of middle managers would readily trust the advice of intelligent systems in making business decisions