From Human-Centered to Agentic Management: Rethinking Organizational Theory in the Age of AI

Abstract

The rapid advancement of artificial intelligence (AI) is fundamentally reshaping the nature of work, decision-making, and organizational design. Traditional organizational theories have been grounded in human-centered assumptions, emphasizing human cognition, leadership, motivation, and agency as the primary drivers of coordination and value creation. However, the emergence of increasingly autonomous, learning-enabled AI systems challenges these foundations by introducing non-human agents capable of decision-making, adaptation, and goal-directed behavior. This article develops the concept of agentic management, a theoretical framework that reconceptualizes organizations as hybrid systems composed of human and artificial agents. We examine how AI alters core dimensions of organizational theory, including authority, accountability, coordination, knowledge creation, and strategic control. Drawing on interdisciplinary insights from management theory, sociology, information systems, and AI research, we propose a shift from hierarchical, human-centered models toward distributed, algorithmically augmented governance structures. We further discuss the implications of agentic management for leadership, organizational identity, ethics, and institutional legitimacy. By articulating key theoretical tensions and research directions, this article offers a foundation for rethinking organizational theory in an era where agency is increasingly shared between humans and machines.

Keywords: Artificial Intelligence; Agentic Management; Organizational Theory; Human-AI Collaboration; Algorithmic Governance; Digital Transformation; Hybrid Organizations; Autonomous Systems; Organizational Design.