Are organisations becoming more efficient, but more fragile? As companies mandate return-to-office, flatten structures and automate roles, leadership depth, trust and internal mobility may be quietly eroding.

Anthony Raja Devadoss, Country Managing Director of Korn Ferry Malaysia, examines how return-to-office is reshaping the employee deal, the unintended risks of removing middle managers, and why AI-driven restructuring demands more than cost discipline.

The conversation also turns to HR’s own credibility test — whether AI ambition is outpacing capability, and what CHROs must do to earn and sustain a truly strategic seat at the table.