CMI launches AI leadership courses to boost productivity

The Chartered Management Institute has launched a suite of Leadership for AI qualifications after research showed many UK managers are struggling to turn AI investment into productivity gains.

Developed with TechSkills, the new courses are aimed at managers from frontline roles to senior executives. They cover AI literacy, cybersecurity, data and leadership, with separate levels for junior managers, departmental heads and C-suite leaders.

CMI’s survey of 1,019 managers found only 5% had seen transformational productivity gains from AI. By contrast, 26% reported no gains at all, while most described improvements as modest and limited to specific areas.

The findings suggest a gap between spending on AI tools and organisations’ ability to use them effectively. Just 12% of managers feel very confident leading AI adoption, while 38% lack the training to make it work.

Confidence falls further with more advanced systems. Only 10% of managers said they felt confident using agentic AI, and 8% said the same of predictive or analytical AI.

Senior leadership knowledge also emerged as a concern. Only 18% of managers strongly believed senior leaders fully understand the benefits AI can deliver, and fewer than one in ten, 8%, said leadership is actively tracking return on investment from AI.

Leadership gap

The new qualifications are designed to address that problem at different levels of management. Level 3, Managing AI Adoption, is aimed at junior and frontline managers. It focuses on team readiness, basic AI literacy and reducing unsanctioned use of AI tools in departments.

Level 5, Leading AI Transformation, is targeted at operational and departmental leaders. It centres on measuring return on investment, fitting AI into existing workflows and managing the shift to processes where people continue to oversee outputs.

At the most senior level, Strategic Leadership of AI is intended for executives and directors. It focuses on governance, ethics, long-term planning, organisational risk and compliance.

TechSkills said it helped develop specifications across AI, cybersecurity and data that shaped the course content. The work was informed by employer-led groups and senior advisers involved in setting digital skills standards.

The survey also points to broad support among managers for stronger training. Some 85% said employee performance would improve with a better understanding of how to manage AI, and 81% said the same for their own performance.

Lorna Willis, Chief Executive of TechSkills, argued for broader leadership preparation as AI changes workplace structures and expectations.

“AI is not just reshaping what organisations do, and how they do it, it is redefining who leads within them. Leadership is no longer tied to title or tenure, it is becoming a capability expected at every level. Entry level roles are increasingly required to manage and collaborate with teams of AI agents. And as AI introduces greater uncertainty, the need for strong, clear leadership has never been greater.

“In this landscape, technical skills alone are not enough. The qualities that matter most are deeply human: clarity, calm, curiosity, the confidence to challenge and question, and the ability to communicate with purpose and conviction.

“This is why AI-ready leadership demands both speed and care, the courage to act, balanced with thoughtful caution.

“It has been a pleasure to work with the Chartered Management Institute, who have responded with real pace by partnering with TechSkills to shape new tech and AI leadership standards for this new era. With thanks to those who have supported this work, including:

Mayank Jain (Infosys), Associate Professor Ismini Vasileiou (De Montfort University / East Midlands Cyber Security Cluster), Chris Parker MBE (Fortinet), Zeshan Sattar (The Cyber Scheme), Professor Robert Black (UK Cyber Leaders Challenge), Steve Taylor (National Fire Chiefs Council), Daniel Wilson (Amazon), and Gozde Karahan (Place Informatics).

“This reflects what is needed now: collaboration, clarity, and leadership at every level,” Willis said.

Industry view

Others involved in the initiative also argued that management quality will determine whether AI spending delivers measurable benefits. Dr Nicola Hodson, chair of IBM UK and Ireland, said organisations need stronger judgement and oversight rather than relying on technical teams alone.

“Essential skills for managers and leaders today go beyond simply understanding how to use AI, they include using it responsibly, recognising the ethical implications, ensuring decisions remain fair and unbiased, and creating opportunities for employees to get hands-on experience with the technology. Organisations that succeed will be those that build confidence and capability at every level, not just among technical specialists.”

“The rise of AI makes human skills more important, not less. Strong management and leadership, creativity, sound judgement, and the ability to build relationships will be critical differentiators. It is this combination of technical awareness and deeply human capability that will define success in the years ahead,” Hodson said.

Jacky Wright, former chief technology and platform officer at McKinsey, linked AI adoption to leadership and organisational culture as much as software deployment.

“AI is no longer a future ambition, it’s a present-day reality for organisations across every sector. But successful adoption isn’t just a technical challenge. It’s also a leadership and cultural one. Without strong, informed leadership, AI risks being underutilised or delivering uneven results. To truly unlock AI’s potential, leaders need the strategic foresight to know where AI creates value and the ability to bring people along to new ways of working.

“It has been a pleasure to work alongside fellow members of the CMI’s AI Advisory Council to help both identify what needs to be done to get this right and to support the development of workable tools for leaders at every stage in their career journey,” Wright said.

CMI framed the issue as a management problem rather than a technology constraint. Ann Francke, chief executive of the Chartered Management Institute, said many businesses had moved quickly to buy AI tools without giving managers the training needed to use them well.

“The sad truth is that untrained managers are holding back Britain’s AI boom. Businesses have moved quickly to invest in AI, but many are now finding that getting it in the door is the easy part, while making it actually deliver is much harder and comes down to how organisations are led.

“Too often, managers have been handed powerful tools without the training or confidence to properly oversee their use. This risks wasted investment, inconsistent decisions and employees becoming fed up with ad-hoc decision-making. If we want AI to deliver real productivity gains, we need to focus on the people leading it, not the technology itself,” Francke said.