Google's recommended strategy for a successful generative AI rollout involves a combination of top-down strategic alignment and bottom-up adoption. In this structure, the role of the mid-level manager is critical for driving tangible value within their specific domain.

Securing funding (D) is typically the responsibility of senior leadership or the steering committee.

Creating a robust data strategy (B) is the domain of data governance teams and data scientists.

Continuous testing and refinement (A) is the job of MLOps/engineering teams and end-users.

The primary role of the mid-level manager is to act as the bridge between high-level strategy and daily operations. They possess the domain knowledge to pinpoint pain points. Therefore, their most impactful contribution is to identify specific, high-impact, and feasible use cases (C) for their teams—such as automating report summaries or drafting internal communications—that directly address operational challenges and demonstrate quick wins. This action fuels successful adoption and validates the AI strategy from the ground up.

(Reference: Google Cloud's guidance on Gen AI strategy emphasizes that successful adoption requires strong top-down vision (like defining goals/funding) combined with bottom-up discovery, where functional leaders (mid-level managers) identify and prioritize high-value, feasible solutions within their specific workflows to drive adoption.)