Gartner Identifies the Top Change Management Trends for CHROs in the Age of AI

In 2026, more organizations will need to reshape work as they continue to invest heavily in AI. According to a December 2025 Gartner survey of 110 CHROs, 78% agree that workflows and roles will need to change to get the most out of their AI investments.

We spoke with Rebecca Lane, Senior Principal, Research in the Gartner HR practice, about the top trends shaping change management in 2026 and what will happen to organizations that fail to adapt their approaches to meet the current moment.

Journalists who would like to speak with Rebecca regarding this topic can contact mary.baker@gartner.com or gerri.weinberger@gartner.com. Members of the media can reference this material in articles with proper attribution to Gartner. 

A: 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: Organizations 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.

A:  In the past year, just over half of organizations 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 organizations work, regardless of an organization’s AI ambitions.

This will cause high levels of change, and it’s incumbent on CHROs to take the lead in adapting their organization’s enterprise change management strategies. Without a shift in approach, CHROs risk significantly undermining transformation efforts during one of the most pivotal periods for organizational 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, organizations that continuously or regularly adapt change plans based on employee responses are four times more likely to achieve change success. 

A: To ensure organizational 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. 

Gartner clients can read more in the report: AI Has Changed Change: Top Trends Shaping Change Management in 2026.