In 2026, more organisations will need to reshape work as they continue to invest heavily in AI, according to a December 2025 Gartner survey of 110 CHROs, which says that 78% agree that workflows and roles will need to change to get the most out of their AI investments.
In this Q&A, Rebecca Lane, senior principal: research in the Gartner HR practice, highlights the top trends shaping change management in 2026 and what will happen to organisations that fail to adapt their approaches to meet the current moment.
What trends will impact change management strategies this year?
To successfully lead enterprise change in the AI era, CHROs must adapt their enterprise change management strategies to address several trends – and their implications:
- Trend 1: AI creates catalytic change: AI is creating rapid, high‑stakes shifts that are triggering ripple effects across businesses. Co‑creating every change can slow progress – and frequent pivots increase employee frustration and disengagement.
- Trend 2: Work changes quickly, but unevenly: AI is reshaping work at different speeds across teams, creating workflow friction and leaving some employees struggling to keep up.
- Trend 3: AI is becoming a driver of change, not the destination: Organisations are increasingly using AI to solve business challenges, creating hands-on AI experience that drives more AI use.
- Trend 4: Change management is shifting toward employee opportunity: Employees value the skills and networks gained from change, but this also raises the risk that they “perform” change without truly adopting it to gain access to opportunities.
Why is it important for CHROs to adapt their change management strategies during the current AI era?
In the past year, just over half of organisations have redesigned or redefined roles because of AI, according to a December 2025 Gartner survey of 110 CHROs. As we look ahead, AI is going to play a significant role in the way organisations work, regardless of an organisation’s AI ambitions.
This will cause high levels of change, and it’s incumbent on CHROs to take the lead in adapting their organisation’s enterprise change management strategies. Without a shift in approach, CHROs risk significantly undermining transformation efforts during one of the most pivotal periods for organisational change.
Given this need for more agile and responsive change practices, it’s no surprise that, according to a July 2025 Gartner survey of 313 senior-level respondents, organisations that continuously or regularly adapt change plans based on employee responses are four times more likely to achieve change success.
“In the past year, just over half of organisations have redesigned or redefined roles because of AI.”
What are the top actions CHROs should take to adapt their change management strategies in 2026?
To ensure organisational success in today’s AI era, CHROs should take these immediate actions:
- Use direct employee involvement sparingly. To avoid burning employees out given the high degree of change, engage them directly only for major strategic shifts or when change would likely fail without their input.
- Frame change as a journey. Focus less on the final change vision and more on ensuring employees make progress during change.
- Direct more resources to the HR team. HR must be prepared to manage what Gartner calls the “talent remix” resulting from AI, which may include layoffs, redeployments, or reskilling at scale.
- Strengthen the relationship between HR and IT. Pair AI proficient teams with early pilots and set regular meetings between HR and AI leaders.
- Identify and reduce performative participation. Use adoption data to understand where employees need more support and pair those insights with efforts to strengthen psychological safety.