The Josh Bersin Company

In this week’s podcast I give you some insights on HR tech in 2025, perspectives on jobs, and what you’ll be dealing with in 2025. We just had two weeks of HR Tech announcements and next week you’ll see a big one from us! (The biggest product announcement in my career, to be a little hyberbolic!).

Topics include: the verticalization of AI, whey OpenAI will compete with Microsoft, how agents will change our jobs, and the implications of the low unemployment rate on pay equity, DEI, talent density, recruiting, and organization design.

For those of you who agree with me on Organization Design in 2025, here is the Org Design SuperClass, which is a “must consume” offering for the coming year.

Watch this space for our Big Reveal next Tuesday!

Additional Information

Understanding The Job Market (video)

The Org Design SuperClass

How To Create Talent Density

The Definitive Guide to Building a Dynamic Organization

Galileo, the world’s AI-powered expert assistant for HR.

Aimbridge manages 1100 hotels around the US and employs more than 45,000 employees. In this podcast, Conrad Riddle, VP of HR Shared Services at Aimbridge Hospitality, discusses how the company empowers employees (“Uberizing the Workforce”) and delivers a flexible, highly engaged workforce with dynamic workforce scheduling. The company leverages UKG Workforce Management to give employees a centralized app that lets an employee manage their schedule dynamically.

As you’ll hear, Ambridge employees can now “bid and ask” for new shifts without going through management.

Through schedule sharing across locations and bidding on shifts in an online platform, employees have more flexibility in their schedules and empowers them to manage their own shifts. It also enables managers to easily approve requests and effectively manage labor to avoid costly contractors.

Additional Information

Employee Experience: The Definitive Guide

New Research: Cloud-Based HCM Can Redefine Employee Experience

Join The Employee Experience Workshop: A Certificate Program In The Josh Bersin Academy

In this week’s podcast I go through the 30 HR Technology AI Trailblazers in some detail. You’ll hear about all the companies in the Trailblazer Report, as well as some of my personal thoughts on their leadership teams, centers of innovation, and differentiating capabilities.

My keynote at HR Tech was 75 minutes long and you can hear it or get access to the materials if you join our corporate membership (or come back to HR Tech 2025 next March!). For those of you in Europe, I will be speaking at Unleash Paris on Thursday October 17 and I will also be discussing many of these topics at Workday Rising EMEA on Wednesday December 11 at the RAI Conference Center in Amsterdam.

In the meantime, I hope you enjoy hearing about these 30 amazing companies, each of which is delivering on AI in high-value, high-ROI solutions. I also spent some time talking about the COST of AI and why and how you can work on a business case for these new AI capabilities and make sure you have a clear use-case and implementation plan for these new, exciting, high-value innovations.

AI in HR has reached a tipping point: it’s here and it’s delivering real value. Now we all have to figure out what to buy, which major players to standardize on, and which use-cases to address first.

Vendors Discussed

ADP Lyric HCM, Arist Creator and Teammate, Cornerstone Galaxy, Disprz Learning System, Draup Talent Intelligence, Deel Employment of Record Platform, Docebo Creator, Eightfold Career Navigator and Talent Intelligence, Galileo: The Expert AI Assistant for HR, Gloat Workforce Agility, Growthspace Precision Skilling, Heidrick & Struggles Navigator, HiBob, Lattice, LinkedIn Learning, Lightcast Skills, Medallia, Oracle HCM, Oyster Global Employment Platform, Paradox, Rippling Talent Signal, Sana Labs, SAP SuccessFactors and Joule, SeekOut, ServiceNow, SHL Global Assessments, UKG Bryte, Visier Vee, Workday Illuminate AI Platform (and HiredScore), Workera Skills System. 

Additional Information

The Trailblazer and HR Tech 2025 Report

Josh Bersin Company Announces 30 AI HR Tech Trailblazer Vendors the CHRO Really Needs to Know About

This podcast details what Workday’s new AI platform, Workday Illuminate, and also describes Workday’s momentum coming out of Rising. I also discuss why Salesforce slams Microsoft, the new tsunami of Agents, including Microsoft, Salesforce (who is charging $2 per conversation), SAP, Workday, UKG, ServiceNow, and others. I also discuss the near-term job disruption we’re seeing from Agents and what you should do to prepare.

Then I discuss the strikes at Boeing and why “growth at any cost” is such a dangerous business strategy, and how we may avoid this problem in our companies. Read Irresistible to learn more.

Additional Information

What Is Workday Illuminate?

Galileo Selected As Workday Innovation Partner

Benioff Slams Microsoft as he Promotes Salesforce Agents

Irresistible: The Seven Secrets of the World’s Most Enduring, Employee-Focused Organizations

In our latest WhatWorks podcast, Samantha Garvie, HR Safety and Compliance Director at Rowley’s Wholesale, speaks with Kathi Enderes from The Josh Bersin Company.

Rowley’s Wholesale, a Michigan-based distributor of automotive and industrial products, has been in business for over 100 years and is currently in its third generation of ownership. With 125+ employees across three locations, the company utilizes UKG-Ready for its HRIS system, covering benefits, timekeeping, payroll, succession planning, and learning management.

The mobile app has been widely adopted by employees, enabling them to access important information and complete tasks remotely. Samantha shares insights on how technology is transforming the employee experience and discusses her plans to explore AI to enhance fatigue management, stress management, retention, and succession planning. This episode offers valuable lessons on leveraging HR technology to support a distributed workforce and drive organizational success.

Interviewee: Samantha Garvie, HR Safety and Compliance Director, Rowley’s Wholesale

Company: Rowley’s Wholesale, a US-based distributor of automotive and industrial products with 125 employees

This week Klarna, a buy-now pay-later company in Sweden, announced plans to terminate its Workday and Salesforce relationships and build it themselves. A bunch of tech pundits are big fans, but I have my doubts. As you’ll hear in the podcast, many big companies (much bigger than Klarna) have tried this, only to retreat to vendor solutions. And I do question the business strategy of putting high-powered engineering talent on mature, enterprise products like HCM and CRM.

Obviously AI is getting smarter and more capable by the minute. As I explain in the podcast, there are better ways to think about this problem, and this conversation opens up the door to a big discussion about the future of enterprise apps, agentic AI, and the role of large-scale incumbent vendors in our corporate IT stacks.

Additional Information

Klarna Cuts 50% of Workforce, Ends Partnerships with Salesforce and Workday Amid Generative AI Overhaul

Klarna Plans to ‘Shut Down SaaS Providers’ and Replace Them With Internally Built AI. The Tech World Is Pretty Skeptical

AI Agents, The New Workforce We’re Not Quite Ready For (Agentic AI)

Agentic AI is the next big wave in AI, where AI systems and chatbots can take actions on our behalf. These agents can perform tasks such as composing emails, creating documents, building courses, and even recruiting. They can be seen as virtual employees or teammates that can be trained and managed. These agents will change the technology landscape and the stack of tools in our organizations. They will require onboarding, training, and governance to ensure they are effective and secure. And Agentic AI has the potential to improve productivity and provide measurable ROI.

Keywords agentic AI, AI systems, chatbots, virtual employees, virtual teammates, training manager, recruiting agent, technology landscape, productivity improvement, measurable ROI

Takeaways

• Agentic AI allows AI systems and chatbots to take actions on our behalf, performing tasks such as composing emails, creating documents, building courses, and recruiting.
• These agents can be seen as virtual employees or teammates that can be trained and managed.
• Agentic AI will change the technology landscape and the stack of tools in organizations, requiring onboarding, training, and governance.
• These agents have the potential to improve productivity and provide measurable ROI.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Agentic AI 01:11 Agentic AI in Training Management 05:56 Agentic AI in Recruiting 09:03 Onboarding and Training Agentic AI 12:08 Changing the Technology Landscape with Agentic AI 16:31 Measuring the ROI of Agentic AI

Additional Information

AI Agents, The New Workforce We’re Not Quite Ready For

Artificial Intelligence in HR: Certificate Course From The Josh Bersin Academy

Introducing Galileo, The World’s First AI-Powered Expert Assistant For HR

Autonomous Corporate Learning Platforms: Arriving Now, Powered by AI

In this podcast I discuss the ever-changing role of Labor in our economy, our companies, and our own personal lives. The word “labor” is really an old-fashioned idea, but we still have the US holiday, so I wanted to unpack what it now means.

As you’ll learn Labor Day is a time to think about hiring, pay, development, and diversity as well as productivity, labor unions, the impact of tips and income inequality, and the enormous role of HR as an ombudsman between “labor” and “management.” And yes, AI is going to force us to think deeper about what “people” do in our companies.

Remember that we’re all “labor” and every employee is a human being. So while US Labor Day was originally a way to celebrate unions and organized labor, let’s also think broader about all the value-based investments we make in every person in our companies.

Keywords:

Labor Day, labor movement, workers, economy, automation, technology, labor shortage, skills shortage, investment in employees, unions, fair pay, benefits, working conditions, income inequality, HR professionals, Boeing, Starbucks, employee activation

Chapters:

00:00 The Importance of Workers in the Economy 02:11 Automation and the Changing Labor Force 04:07 Investing in Employees to Attract and Retain Talent 14:37 The Role of Unions in Advocating for Fairness 17:48 Addressing Income Inequality 20:08 The Role of HR in Supporting Employees

Additional Information

When Will The Trillions Invested In AI Pay Off? Sooner Than You Think.

With Thoughtful Design And Culture, Dropbox Proves Remote Work Is A Winner

AI in HR Certificate Program in The Josh Bersin Academy

Learn about Galileo: The World’s AI Assistant for HR

In this WhatWorks podcast I interview Andy Bradshaw, the CEO of SHL.  SHL is one of the world’s largest psychometric assessment vendors, bringing together psychology, skills assessment, and other forms of measurement to identify the capabilities, and potential of an individual at work.

These highly scientific assessments are widely used for pre-hire screening, job-fit analysis, development planning, leadership development, and succession planning. But in a world of AI, where large HR platforms are “inferring” skills and capabilities, where do they fit?

Andy, who has led SHL for many years, explains how psychometric assessment fits into the new world of AI and Talent Intelligence. He also shares how SHL itself has amassed a large data set on skills and roles that makes SHL a big data vendor as well.

Keywords

SHL, talent intelligence, assessments, AI, talent acquisition, talent management, leadership assessment, benchmarking, data-driven decisions

Episode Chapters

00:00 Introduction 00:57 SHL: A Talent Intelligence Business 02:21 Psychometric Assessments and Tailored Solutions 03:47 Customization and Defensibility of Assessments 06:37 Consolidation in the Assessment Market 07:07 The Complementary Role of AI and Assessments 08:56 Assessments vs. AI: The Value of Insights 12:49 Assessing Leaders: Experience, Ability, and Potential 16:09 Benchmarking and Data-driven Decisions 19:03 Talent Intelligence: Aggregating Data for Better Decisions 21:17 Conclusion

Additional Information

Introducing the HR Career Navigator

The Talent Intelligence Primer

When Will The Trillions Invested In AI Pay Off? Sooner Than You Think.

In this week’s podcast I describe the HR Career Navigator and the role of HR skills and capabilities in HR and business transformation. Then, as we approach HR Tech season, I give you my three steps to evaluating HR Tech vendors.

Additional Information

Introducing The HR Career Navigator

Why Is It So Hard To Be A Chief HR Officer (CHRO)?

Research Shows That High Growth Large Companies Have Distinct HR Skills

This week I recap the idea of a “Corporate Learning Architecture” and give you some of my historic perspectives on why this is so important in the age of AI. A Learning Architecture is a constrained approach to corporate L&D that gives employees a clear and memorable approach to learning, and also gives you the “freedom within a framework” to use AI without creating chaos.

We are in the middle of deep interviews, case studies, and vendor research on the impact of AI on L&D, so as I discuss here if you’d like to talk with us please let us know. Some of this podcast will be a good overview of the basics, but this is important because we don’t want our business training environments to look like TikTok!

Contact us at https://joshbersin.com if you’d like to join in our Pacesetter program for Corporate L&D.

Additional Information

Oldie: The Need For A Learning Architecture

Autonomous Corporate Learning Platforms: Arriving Now, Powered by AI

The $340 Billion Corporate Learning Industry Is Poised For Disruption

AI in HR Certificate Program in The Josh Bersin Academy

In this episode, Susan Podlogar, former CHRO at MetLife, talks with Kathi Enderes about the transformative impact of an AI-based talent marketplace (powered by Gloat). You’ll learn what a talent marketplace is, how to implement, and why these solutions are rapidly growing around the world.

Podlogar explains how they implemented this solution and how it unleashes energy for individuals and the organization. MetLife’s talent marketplace democratizes access to projects, mentoring, and roles, fostering an inclusive culture and enhancing skill development. She also explains how this HR solution drives critical skills development (ie. actuaries) for competitive advantage.

As Susan explains, today 60% of employees participate and more than 400,000 of work hours have been saved – driving productivity, engagement, and financial returns.

Additional Information

The Mad Scramble To Lead The Talent Marketplace Market

The Definitive Guide to Building a Dynamic Organization

Career and Talent Mobility: Certificate Program In The Josh Bersin Academy

The NYT published an article explaining how hard it is to be an HR professional.  “The job has become an exasperating ordeal. People hate us.”

While many people don’t know this, HR is a complex, difficult, and highly strategic profession. And given that HR professionals are caught between leadership and employees, it can often be very frustrating.

Despite the challenges, HR is more important than ever. I hope this podcast (and the NYT article) is an inspiration for HR professionals to build your sense of confidence and professional capabilities. (Learn more about Systemic HR.)

Additional Information

NYT Article “So, Human Resources Is Making You Miserable?”

Redefining HR’s Role As A Consultant, Value-Driver, And Center of Innovation: Systemic HR

The Josh Bersin Academy: Upping The Game of Thousands of HR Professionals Every Day

In this conversation, I discuss three main topics: the battle in the enterprise chatbot space, the transformation of talent acquisition, and the new “sticky” state of the job market.

How to make sense of enterprise AI Copilots? Workday and Salesforce team up, Apple Intelligence is coming, how do you make sense of it all?

In talent acquisition, there is a shift from a thin model focused on speed and efficiency to a thick model focused on growth and strategic decision-making (Systemic Talent Acquisition).

Finally, to address the more “sticky” job market, companies need to improve their workforce planning to navigate the changing economic landscape and leverage alternative sources of talent.

Additional Information

Workday Salesforce Partnership: Teaming Up For Enterprise AI

Here Come The Copilots!

Artificial Intelligence in HR Certificate Course

The Organization Design SuperClass

In this podcast I summarize a series of high-level meetings I’ve had with HR leaders in the EU, where companies are very focused on preparing for tectonic shifts in employee expectations, skills, and work rules. While articles and podcasts continue to talk about “the future of work,” I believe that narrative is over. The industrial work model has ended and the future has arrived, and I describe it clearly in this episode.

Takeaways

• The industrial model of work is decomposing, and the traditional job structure is being replaced by more flexible and agile work arrangements.
• Employees are changing jobs and industries frequently, and skills have become transportable.
• Gig, contract, and part-time work is now mainstream, and the 4-day week is coming.
• Companies need to focus on reskilling employees and promoting learning agility to adapt to the changing workforce.
• Continuous performance feedback and accountability are becoming more important than annual performance appraisals.
• High-performing companies have a clear mission, strong leadership, and a focus on employee development and support.
• AI is transforming the workplace, and HR professionals need to upskill in AI to stay relevant.

Additional Information

Welcome To The Post-Industrial Age

Understanding Galileo, The World’s AI-Powered Expert for HR

AI in HR: Certificate Courses in The Josh Bersin Academy

Today I broadcast again from Ireland, where I discuss why I disagree with SHRM’s position on DEI, how DEI is undermined and why it remains important, the unfortunate decline in civility in the American workplace, and how we afford the $2 Trillion investments in #AI. (Read our research report Elevating Equity to understand the real-world business case for DEI and pay equity.)

Keywords DEI, equity, fairness, civility, values at work, political discourse, ROI of AI, SHRM

Takeaways

• Equity is a crucial aspect of DEI, representing fairness and justice in the workplace, and lives on for many business reasons.
• Civility is essential for effective communication and collaboration at work.
• The lack of civility in the United States is a concerning issue that needs to be addressed.
• The ROI of AI is still uncertain, and organizations need to carefully evaluate the value it brings.
• Already AI provides time-saving benefits, enables new capabilities, and enhance learning and problem-solving.

Additional Resources

SHRM’s Problematic DEI Pivot

Elevating Equity: Josh Bersin Academy Certificate Course on DEI

Civility in the Workplace (research)

Goldman Sachs MIT ROI of AI Analysis

In this podcast I discuss the recent layoffs at UKG and Intuit and how AI played a role quite different than we expected. In both cases the CEOs tell us that AI is the future and that they need large amounts of capital to invest in this new capability, thus they are “pre-replacing” human capital with technology.

In addition to this, as I discuss, both companies (Intuit in some detail) describe how “underperformers” were the first to go. So these are somewhat strategic moves to “re-hire” their teams and upgrade skills. And this also points out the very large cost of AI, which forces CEOs to redeploy financial resources from labor to capital.

Lots of subtle implications here, and I have to believe other CEOs will look at this and consider the same moves.

Additional Information

UKG and Intuit Reductions In Force: Both Growth Moves

AI in HR Professional Certificate Program, from The Josh Bersin Academy

This is the inaugural podcast in our new WhatWorks Series, focused on stories and case studies of the world’s most interesting and creative HR teams.

In this podcast, Kathi Enderes, SVP and Global Analyst, interviews Allan Calonge, CHRO, and Levi Loverkamp, Chief Workforce Planning Officer, describe how Bon Secours Mercy Health’s systemic HR integrates cross-functional collaboration, data-driven decisions, and career pathways through a partnership with Guild.

Led by CHRO Joe Gage, the HR team emphasizes trust, long tenures, and a robust people insights and analytics capability, transforming talent management and organizational culture. Listeners can learn about Systemic HR and how to transform HR in this podcast.

The WhatWorks Series will include interviews with pacesetter HR leaders, teams, and vendors. If you have a story you’d like to share, please contact us.

Additional Information

The Systemic HR Initiative

Why Is It So Hard To Be A Chief HR Officer (CHRO)?

Learn about Galileo, the World’s AI Expert Assistant for HR

Special Josh Bersin Academy Course: AI in HR (highly acclaimed)

In this podcast I discuss the four huge transformations taking place in corporate learning & development, all driven by AI. Join me in the discussion here and you can learn more in The Josh Bersin Academy, where we just launched our AI in HR Course and two mobile-learning micro-courses on AI use cases and Generative AI best-practices.

Outline:

• The learning and development industry is going through a significant reinvention driven by AI and other emerging technologies.
• AI is disrupting the traditional instructional delivery paradigm by automating content creation and personalizing learning experiences.
• The learning and development technology stack is undergoing radical changes, with learning management systems being commoditized and learning experience platforms struggling to define their role.
• The consumption of learning is becoming hyper-personalized, and learning and knowledge management are converging.
• The roles in L&D will totally change.

Additional Information

Introducing Galileo, The World’s First AI-Powered Expert Assistant For HR

HR Predictions for 2024: The Global Search For Productivity

Why Do Companies Hire Too Many People?

In this podcast I walk through a few of the findings from our CHRO Insights® research, explaining why the CHRO role has become more complex and difficult than ever.

This podcast episode discusses the challenges, issues, drivers, success factors, and derailers of being a head of HR or CHRO. I share early insights from a massive research project that studied 47,000 heads of HR from various industries and sectors.

The research reveals that many CHROs did not come from their own company, indicating a lack of succession management and internal development. It also highlights the complex and multifunctional nature of the CHRO role, requiring HR domain expertise, C-level executive skills, systemic thinking, comfort with data and technology, and a good understanding of human nature.

If you are hiring a CHRO or aspiring to a senior HR role, listen in. And read my in-depth article on the topic.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction: The Success and Frustrations of Being a CHRO or Head of HR 04:10 Insights from a Massive Research Project on CHROs 09:21 The Challenges of Moving into a CHRO Role 16:06 The Complex and Multifunctional Nature of the CHRO Role 21:53 Conclusion: Opportunities for CHROs to Learn and Connect

Additional Information

The Ever Expanding Role of the CHRO (YouTube)

Introducing The Systemic HR Initiative

Learn about Galileo, the World’s AI Expert Assistant for HR

Special Josh Bersin Academy Course: AI in HR (highly acclaimed)

Arist, a fascinating new company in corporate learning, is reinventing how we develop, deliver, and consume content. And yes, these guys are bringing Autonomous Learning to companies today, in a very special format.

In this podcast I interviewed Michael Ioffe, Ryan Laverty, and Maxine Anderson, the three founders. Not only is the technology fascinating, this is also an example of how a strong, integrated management team can build a business quickly. Arist was founded in 2019 and is quickly becoming a category leader in micro-learning and what I call “learning in the flow of work.”

If you’re trying to reinvent your slow, clunky, expensive, training process, this podcast will give you some amazing new ideas. And you can experience this amazing experience in the two free courses below!

Additional Information (And Experience the Content!)

Autonomous Corporate Learning Platforms: Arriving Now, Powered by AI

Arist Course: Becoming a Gen AI Savvy HR Professional (Free)

• SMS: Text “GENAI” to 20202 via SMS (US only)
• WhatsApp: Text “GENAI” to +1 903-459-6893

Arist Course: Josh Bersin’s HR Predictions for 2024 (Free)

• SMS: Text JBA2024 to 20202
• WhatsApp: Text JBA2024 to +1 903-459-6893

Join The Josh Bersin Academy for more!

In this episode I explain what’s happening in the Chatbot or “Intelligent Agent” market as vendors produce Copilots and we start to figure out how they’ll work together. I discuss our own plans for Galileo and explain how SAP Joule is partnering with Microsoft to integrate these agents. It’s early days and vendors like ServiceNow, Workday, and others are actively working here.

Then I give you some insights on our massive new research program in corporate L&D. Yes, AI is the big disruptor hitting corporate training and I explain why this is far bigger than the e-learning era we experienced 24 years ago.

Additional Information

Learn about Galileo, the World’s AI Expert Assistant for HR

Special Josh Bersin Academy Course: AI in HR (highly acclaimed)

Autonomous Learning Platforms: Arriving Now, Powered by AI

Galileo Availability With Four New Trusted Content Partners

In this podcast I describe the new, transformed role of HR Business Partner. This pivotal position, which was defined 25+ years ago as an “HR Generalist,” has now become pivotal to a company’s successful people strategy. If you want to learn more, check out our most popular course in the Josh Bersin Academy, the HR Consulting Masterclass, or call us for advice.

Of all the things we deal with in business, none are as important as having the right level of management, leadership, and HR expertise at the point of need. This is the new role for the HRBP, and this podcast gives specific examples.

This topic is part of our complete Systemic HR advisory program, which has been rolling out over the last year. If you’re trying to make your HR team or HR department more effective, please give us a call.

Additional Information

Introducing the Systemic HR Initiative

Introducing Galileo, The World’s First AI-Powered Expert Assistant For HR

Overview of Systemic HR: The Four Levels Of Maturity (podcast)

Globalization Partners (G-P), a company specializing in global employer of record services (EOR), discusses the complexities and opportunities in the global employment market. They emphasize the importance of compliance, automation, and the human touch in their approach. In this podcast I interview Nicole Sahin, Founder and CEO, and Nat Nataranjan, Chief Product Officer.

The EOR space is massive: including providers like G-P, Deel, Oyster, Remote, Papaya Global, Rippling, and others. In this interview Nicole and Nat explain the history of the market and how G-P has built its highly service-centric, technology-agnostic, partner-centric approach to global hiring and growth.

Additional Information

The Global Workforce Intelligence Project

EOR Provider Deel Expands Into HCM (and Payroll)

Given this week’s political news, I wanted to share my thoughts on “Citizenship,” the way we as employees and individuals work together to help our company and our society make decisions the benefit everyone. We live in a world of shatteringly fast change, with two global wars, a rising sense of mistrust of political systems, and enormous changes to our working and family lives.

Despite all this change, and the difficult decisions we must make, there is a process for continuous improvement. And this process, which I label Citizenship, applies to our companies, our teams, as well as our cities, states, and societies. This podcast discusses this issue and is here to convince you that you, as an individual manager, employee, or leader, have an enormously important role in creating a positive, high-performing community in your company.

Citizenship: the character of an individual viewed as a member of society; behavior in terms of the duties, obligations, and functions of a citizen: e.g. an award for good citizenship. (Dictionary.com, based on Oxford English Dictionary.)

Sound Bites

• “The reason we have political systems in the world is to find a way for individuals and businesses to legislate, debate, argue, and negotiate the resource allocation of a country, of a state, or a city.”
• “A company is essentially a small society. We have to make decisions on how we allocate resources as well.”
• “Citizenship to me is a really wonderful word because what it tends to mean is you as an individual, we as individuals have two fundamental roles in society.”

Keywords politics, citizenship, resource allocation, organizations, internal citizenship, diversity, financial performance, Workday, DEI, Starbucks, society, government

Additional Information

World-Class Diversity and Inclusion: Elevating Equity (Josh Bersin Academy Certificate Course)

The Voice of the Employee (Certificate Course)

Giving Voice to Values (Certificate Course)

Citizenship On The Rise: What This Means To Business and HR

This week, coming off our amazing Irresistible 2024 conference, I recap what we learned and discuss the evolution of enterprise talent intelligence. I explain the Skyhive-Cornerstone deal, update you on SAP and Workday’s AI efforts, and give you a preview of what’s going to happen as we get our hands on OpenAI GPT4o (Omni).

Next year’s Irresistible will be May 19-22, 2025 so put it on your calendar. And if you’re ready to revolutionize your HR team and entire HR function, Galileo is now fully available – you can learn more here.

Additional Information

Galileo Goes Live, Expands Its Power With New Trusted Content

YouTube video of Galileo Launch

In this podcast I discuss Microsoft’s exciting new internal skills strategy, with a focus on Viva Skills, the role of the Microsoft Copilot, and how Microsoft is “inventing new products for HR” as Customer Zero. Customer Zero is Microsoft’s way of “eating their own dogfood” and making sure their new products are well designed before the hit the streets.

Video version of podcast: https://youtu.be/6VuOYUBT2KA

Takeaways

• Microsoft is a role model for HR, with an innovative and experimental approach.
• They are leveraging the Microsoft Graph to gather skills and HR data for better decision-making.
• Viva Skills and Eightfold are being used to build a skills infrastructure and provide personalized recommendations.
• Microsoft is integrating AI agents like Galileo into the Microsoft Copilot, showcasing the importance of AI in HR.
• Companies need to develop their own AI strategies to stay competitive in the evolving HR technology landscape.

Chapters 00:00 Introduction to Microsoft and their HR Function 02:06 Building a Skills-Based Employee Experience 05:34 Challenges of Skills Platforms in HR Technology 10:38 Integrating AI Agents into Tools and Systems 15:36 The Significance of AI Technologies in HR Redesign

Additional Information:

Building A Skills-Based Organization: The Exciting But Sober Reality

Enterprise Talent Intelligence Arrives, Disrupting The HR Tech Market

Here Come The Copilots!

Today’s podcast, recorded in Vegas after a series of conferences (ServiceNow Knowledge and Unleash), talks all about how ServiceNow is making a major play to dominate the space and how Enterprise Talent Intelligence is going mainstream.

I also discuss what we covered in our AI in HR workshop and how to evaluate the massive number of tools are coming (including Galileo® from us).

I also give you my thoughts about why Business Insider was a bit unfair to Workday and how the HCM market will soon change existentially.

Additional Information

Enterprise Talent Intelligence Has Arrived: Disrupting The HR Tech Market

ServiceNow Boldly Introduces AI Solution For Skills, Learning, And Growth

Why I’m Still Bullish On Workday

Here Come The Copilots: Microsoft’s GenAI Strategy For The Enterprise

AI in HR: Certificate Course in The Josh Bersin Academy (join the more than 30,000 people who love it!)

Takeaways

• Employee experience is a more expansive and refreshed approach compared to traditional employee engagement.
• Understanding the specific needs and experiences of different employee groups is crucial for creating inspiring employee experiences.
• Operational aspects such as training, inclusion, belonging, pay, and benefits play a significant role in employee experience.
• Employee activation empowers employees to make local changes to improve their work experience.

Sound Bites

• “Employee experience is the core mission of HR”
• “Self-directed and coach-oriented career development is a massive driver of organizational performance”
• “Be careful not to threaten employees inadvertently with AI”

Additional Resources

Employee Activation: An Essential Big Idea For 2024

Why The 4-Day Week? Because 33 Year-Olds Now Run The World.

Surprising Results From The World Happiness Report: What It Means To You

Microsoft’s Co-Pilot, powered by AI, is being widely used by Fortune 500 companies and has become the largest and most prevalent corporate AI tool in the world. A research report by CompTIA shows that 94% of professional users have used some form of AI, including Microsoft’s Co-Pilot. The company is deploying AI at a massive scale, which is improving productivity and saving users hours per day.

And there’s more. The integration of AI into enterprise applications, such as Workday and SAP, is transforming the way users interact with these systems. Talent intelligence, powered by AI, is becoming an enterprise-class system that goes beyond sourcing and selecting candidates to include internal mobility, pay equity, and performance management. The learning and development space is also experiencing a significant transformation with the use of AI to generate and personalize content. The implementation of AI in the HR tech market is expected to disrupt the industry and companies that adapt quickly will thrive.

Keywords

Microsoft, Co-Pilot, AI, Fortune 500, CompTIA, productivity, enterprise applications, Workday, SAP, talent intelligence, learning and development, HR tech market

Takeaways

Microsoft’s Co-Pilot, powered by AI, is the largest and most prevalent AI tool in the world, used by Fortune 500 companies. AI is being integrated into various applications, improving productivity and saving users hours per day. Enterprise applications, such as Workday and SAP, are incorporating AI to transform user interactions. Talent intelligence, powered by AI, is expanding beyond sourcing and selecting candidates to include internal mobility, pay equity, and performance management. The learning and development space is undergoing a significant transformation with the use of AI to generate and personalize content. The implementation of AI in the HR tech market is expected to disrupt the industry, and companies that adapt quickly will thrive.

Sound Bites

“Microsoft’s Co-Pilot is now in use by 60% of the Fortune 500.” “61% of companies are already using AI in their corporate infrastructure.” “Microsoft is deploying AI at a scale that’s just spectacular.”

Additional Information

Why I’m Bullish On Workday: News From The Innovation Summit

Enterprise AI At Work: The Talent Intelligence Primer

Will Chatbots Take Over HR Tech? Paradox Sets The Pace.

A Peek Under The Covers Of SAP SuccessFactors’ AI Strategy

This week I attended the Workday Innovation Summit and there’s a lot to discuss. Having just celebrated its 19th birthday, the company is embarking on a major transformation. And it’s not just product innovation that’s happening, the company is greatly expanding its business model.

Additional Information

Workday Innovation Summit: What’s New and Workday’s AI Architecture

Enterprise AI At Work: The Talent Intelligence Primer

Will Chatbots Take Over HR Tech? Paradox Sets The Pace.

The Labor Market Has Totally Changed: Are You Really Ready?

In this podcast I discuss the rapid, unprecedented changes taking place in corporate L&D, and how we have to rethink our entire training strategies. Not only is AI radically changing the landscape, we also have to rethink how we blend training solutions with knowledge management and legacy content too. In many ways this is the dawn of a new era in L&D!

Additional Information

The $340 Billion Corporate Learning Industry Is Poised For Disruption

How To Take A Pragmatic (and winning) Approach To Skills

BetterUp Manage: Pioneering AI-Powered Platform For Leaders

Is Google’s search monopoly over? In this podcast I give you some striking insights we’ve learned from our Galileo rollout, and explain how AI is about to radically change the HR Tech and consumer landscape. It’s not as scary as it seems, but it’s clear to me that HR Tech vendors, analytics experts, and all information companies are going to have a lot of disruption ahead. And for HR and leadership teams, the opportunities are even bigger than we realized.

And I explain why deep vertical AI systems, not broad “expansive” ones, are the future. And “Mixture of Experts” is where we’re going.

*This podcast was recorded outside so I apologize for some wind noise*

Additional Information

Introducing Galileo, The World’s First AI-Powered Expert Assistant For HR

AI in HR Certificate Course – The Josh Bersin Academy

HR Technology Traiblazers: Vendors Who Are Reinventing HR Through AI

In this podcast I discuss the Q1 2024 jobs report and what it tells us about the post-industrial economy. I also not that CHRO pay is rising, talent intelligence is taking over core HR technology, and AI is not, despite John Stewart’s monologue, taking all our jobs away. Lots to think about here, some important resources below.

Additional Information

The Post-Industrial Age research

Nick Bloom Research on CHRO Pay

Talent Intelligence Primer

Join The Research Study on people analytics and talent intelligence (you’ll get the results)

Our Newest Academy Course: AI in HR – join us.

Believe it or not, chatbots are taking over the world. And they’re much more powerful, integrated, and intelligent than ever. In this podcast I talk with Adam Godson, CEO of Paradox. Through its pioneering focus, Paradox has radically changed the way we think about recruiting technology, making the complex process orders of magnitude easier for job seekers, recruiters, and hiring managers.

As you’ll learn about in this podcast, these “narrow but deep” Conversational AI systems are extremely powerful, but they’re not as simple as you think. Use this podcast to learn about Paradox and also as a guide to help you think about Conversational AI in many of your HR strategies.

Additional Information

Understanding AI in HR

Our New AI in HR Certificate Course – #1 In The Josh Bersin Academy

The Role Of Generative AI In HR Is Now Becoming Clear

This was such a fun discussion: Lynda Gratton, who wrote The Hundred Year Life, and I discuss the new world of work, careers, and policy issues we face. As I discuss in the beginning, the changing demographics and demands workers are essentially forcing companies to become what we call “Dynamic Organizations.” Note that this week Bayer jumped into this new world, following companies like Telstra, Unilever. Schneider Electric, HSBC, and many others.

Additional Information

About Lynda Gratton

Bayer adopts the Dynamic Organization model – cutting bosses

The Dynamic Organization Research

Understanding the Pixelated Workforce

The New Deal of Work (Diane Gherson)

This podcast was just published on YouTube, so you can watch the video.

Companies all over the world are buying and implementing skills technology throughout HR. But how do we know what to buy and make sure it’s all going to add value? In this video I unpack a different approach: the pragmatic approach to skills, and how this approach will unlock you from vendor paralysis and make sure your investments really drive tremendous value.

Much more to come on this topic, stay tuned for our upcoming research study on Enterprise Talent Intelligence.

(Bonus episode authored between my normal Friday afternoon publishing.)

This week the World Happiness Report was published, an encyclopedic look at happiness for the year. The results are surprising, disappointing, and very important. In this podcast I unpack the findings and show you the six factors that correlate to global happiness and what they mean for you as a leader, employer, or HR professional. Once again there are lots of important lessons here for corporate culture, remote work, pay, and management.

Additional Information

What The World Happiness Report Teaches Us About Work (article)

Irresistible: The Seven Secrets of the World’s Most Enduring, Employee-Focused Organizations

Employee Activation: An Essential Big Idea For 2024

Citizenship On The Rise: What This Means To Business and HR

Why are we having a national discussion about the 4-day week? Because the workforce has radically changed, and 33 Year-olds now run the world.

In this podcast I talk about how and why the workforce has radically changed and what this means to managers, leaders, and HR. I also discuss why talent density, talent activation, and empowered leadership are the management secrets for the future.

I also describe my discussion with the head of HR at OpenAI, the 4-day week legislation in Washington (Bernie Sanders), and The Infinite Game in business.

Lots of food for thought.

Additional Resources

It’s Me, Hi, I’m the Problem. I’m 33

The Four-Day Work Week: An Idea Whose Time Has Come

32-Hour Week Discussion In US Senate

How To Create Talent Density

Finite and Infinite Games

In this podcast I discuss our meetings in NYC with senior HR leaders about our Dynamic Organization research, and how “Talent Density” is becoming one of the key strategies for growth. I also discuss how “change has changed” and why we have to take advantage of front-line employees and managers in our organizational development and growth strategies. I also discuss what change leaders do and why a new model of leadership is emerging, as well as why financial systems and DEI programs have to adapt to these new models. Examples include Netflix, Boeing, ServiceNow, US military, and others.

Additional Information

How To Build A Dynamic Organization (new research)

Introducing The Organization Design SuperClass

Irresistible 2024: Join Us This May

This week Workday announced plans to acquire HiredScore and while it may seem tactical, this deal could have bigger implications. In this podcast I discuss M&A in HR Tech and why we may be entering a new AI-fueled cycle of M&A activity.

Additional Information

Workday To Acquire HiredScore, A Potential Shakeup In HR Technology

Introducing Galileo, The World’s First AI-Powered Expert Assistant For HR

HR Predictions for 2024: The Global Search For Productivity

Understanding AI in HR

The Talent Intelligence Primer

As companies shift heavily towards “skills-based hiring” to remove bias, we now see the unintended consequence. Half of all US college graduates are now “underemployed” and 52% of college grads never use the skills they studied in school.

This new study, which looks at 10-year job histories of college graduates in the US found that “of the graduates in non-college-level jobs a year after leaving college, the vast majority remained underemployed a decade later.” This study included college grads from 2012 to 2021, conducted by Burning Glass Institute and Strada Education.

What’s going on? Hundreds of studies continue to show that college graduates outperform non-grads. The Social Security administration itself states.

Men with bachelor’s degrees earn approximately $900,000 more in median lifetime earnings than high school graduates. Women with bachelor’s degrees earn $630,000 more.

The Burning-Glass/Strada report also points out that students have seen this coming. College applications are down and students are moving away from liberal arts toward trade-oriented degrees in computer science and engineering.

Is this a big wakeup call to Colleges? It sure is. Listen to my explanation about what’s going on.

Additional Information

Autonomous Corporate Learning Platforms: Arriving Now, Powered by AI

Irresistible 2024: Join Us This May!

Introducing Our New “AI in HR” Certificate Course

This week I introduce a big idea: Employee Activation. This idea, which comes from important work we’re doing with Medallia, shows you how to move “beyond engagement” to a whole new world of employee listening and action-taking based on feedback.

In the new world of labor shortages, high turnover, unions, and general employee stress, Employee Activation might be the big answer.

Here’s a definition:

“Employee Activation means designing the company so that managers, line executives, and employees can adjust, change, and redesign work around worker’s needs, suggestions, and demands.”

(This week’s podcast was recorded on a walk, so I apologize for some of the “animal sounds” in the background)

Additional Information

Is DEI about to DIE?

Welcome to The Post-Industrial Age (Labor shortages as far as the eye can see)

Why AI Projects Are More Like Traditional IT Projects Than You Think

This week and next we're going to see some big news from the three biggest companies in HR Technology. In this podcast I explain what Workday announced last week and give you a sneak preview (nothing confidential) about what's coming from SAP and LinkedIn.

The message is pretty clear: Gen AI is not only here but it's about to add massive value to these systems. There are some threats to come, but generally thinking you'll see how creative and solution-oriented these offerings are. (Definitely nothing to be afraid of.) I also discuss what Gen AI means to you and your IT department, and give you a preview of the three big research studies coming out soon: The Dynamic Organization, Systemic HR, and Irresistible Leadership. See you all at the upcoming conferences.

Additional Resources

Understanding AI in HR: Research Study

The Role Of Generative AI In HR Is Now Becoming Clear

People Analytics Evolved: Systemic Analytics Powered by AI

The HR Tech Workshop, Certificate Program By The Josh Bersin Academy

In this podcast I discuss the ongoing UAW strike and why it feels strangely out of sync with the economy, EV revolution, growth of Tesla, and emergence of AI. And I also give you my experience with the "true costs" of AI, which you have to reflect in your rosy expectations for productivity. Also some great resources below.

Additional Resources

What Are The Three Generations Of AI In The HR Market?

Why Union Workers May Be Better Paid But More Unhappy (research)

How AI Impacts Organizational Productivity (what I call Organizational Ingenuity)

HR in the Age of AI: Certificate Course from Josh Bersin Academy  

In this podcast I discuss what we've learned about building the Skills-Based Organization, what's happening with skills-tech, and I also give you some thoughts on the management issues behind the "Twitter vs. Threads" war going on in social media. 

The podcast is based on the article below, and also discusses many best practices to consider as you build out your skills solutions, technology stack, and strategy.

The NEW Josh Bersin Academy: https://bersinacademy.com

The Josh Bersin Company: https://joshbersin.com

Resources:

Building A Skills-Based Organization: The Exciting But Sober Reality

Career and Talent Mobility: A New Certificate Program From The Josh Bersin Academy

The Global Workforce Intelligence Project: Skills Gaps Industry by Industry

Adapting To AI: The New World Of Organizational Ingenuity

• The continuing debate about remote work, and why I believe it's still a good option, despite CEOs who feel otherwise
• My great conversation with Scott Galloway, discussing remote work and more
• Why Amazon workers may walk out
• Review of AI solutions from the ERP vendors and update on 2nd Generation AI
• The big issue of talent scarcity and what to do about it
• Why does it take so long to hire people and what's the answer
• The AI safety law in New York City and why it could create some chaos.

• Why we have talent shortages
• Why skills are so important to companies
• Why high performing companies have fewer employees
• Why old-style leadership is holding companies back.

• Emerging: AI features added on
• First Generation: AI capabilities built-in
• Second Generation: Platforms built on AI

This week we saw the US unemployment rate drop to 3.4%, a 53 year low. Yet many large companies are announcing layoffs. Is this "the big shift" from Tech to Retail, Hospitality, Healthcare, And Travel? Or is this just the new normal: too many jobs and not enough people? In this podcast I'll explain what's going on.

Additional Resources

Labor Shortage In The Middle Of A Business Slowdown? It All Makes Sense.

Were All These Layoffs Inevitable? Perhaps, But Here’s How It Happened.

Predictions for 2023: Redefining Work, The Workforce, And HR

Understanding Chat-GPT, And Why It’s Even Bigger Than You Think (*updated)

The January 2023 BLS Jobs Report (itself) Want More?

Join The Josh Bersin Academy!

Irresistible: The Seven Secrets Of The World's Most Enduring, Employee-Focused Organizations (my book)

In this week's podcast I cover a bunch of topics. Here they are:

• More proof that Chat-GPT is immature and yes, it's biased
• The unexpected impact of pay transparency laws
• Why the economy is experiencing a "slow motion car crash"
• The ever-tighter labor market and shortage of workers
• Why gig workers are happier than wage slaves and what you can do about it
• Microsoft research on the inadequacy of productivity tools (& why ServiceNow is hot)
• What 10 HR execs agree on the "secrets of high performance hiring"
• Why car sales people are great folks to hire!
• What to do AFTER the layoff
• Why Amazon is a very tough place to sell a book (sob)
• The new operating model for HR, which we call Systemic HR
• Predictions for 2023: it's all about Activation!!!

Additional Links

Predictions for 2023: Work, Workforce, and HR

Understanding Chat-GPT, And Why It’s Even Bigger Than You Think (*updated with many links)

A New Generation Of Mastery-Based Learning Platforms Has Arrived (*Updated)

The Josh Bersin Academy: Even Bigger And Better In 2023

Understanding HR Capabilities: Mandate for 2023 and Beyond  

Want More? Join The Josh Bersin Academy!

Now that we've all had a chance to hear about CHAT-GPT we're all scratching our heads. Is this real? Is it going to transform our education and our lives? Or is it a tool for job displacement, information warfare, and abuse?

Well I've learned a lot about this over the last several years and in this podcast I give you a simple explanation about what's going on. And I will try to convince you that Chat-GPT (and it's many cousins and competitors) are likely to have a massively positive impact on business, leadership, and HR... to say nothing about our normal lives as consumers and individuals.

Additional Resources

Chat-GPT: Try It Out Yourself

Chat-GPT vs. Sparrow: Battle of the Chatbots (worth watching)

Six AI Chatbots Threatening OpenAI (From TheInformation)

Why Microsoft's Investment in OpenAI Threatens Google (Fortune)

Listen to Satya Nadella Describe Microsoft's View of OpenAI

Get to know Olivia, Paradox.ai For Recruiting

In this podcast I discuss our new research program on Irresistible Leadership, a topic which will be essential in the year ahead. As you’ll hear, I packed the podcast with stories and ideas, but focused my attention on the big narrative: why a new model of leadership is needed in the year ahead. Productivity, sustainability, growth, and human-centered leadership must come together. If you’re interested in joining us in this research, please click here or contact us to set up an interview.

Additional Resources

The Art And Science Of Irresistible Leadership, by Nehal Nangia

Productivity Paranoia: The Leadership Challenge Ahead

Join The Irresistible Leadership Research Program

Irresistible: The Seven Secrets Of The World’s Most Enduring, Employee-Focused Organizations (best-seller)

• The growth of the HR Tech market and "the best stock in HR technology"
• The new HR Tech architecture
• Why investors are changing their strategy in HR Tech
• How Employee Experience is flipping the market upside down
• The Next Gen HCM market
• Growth and disappointments in SkillsTech
• The emergence of Talent Intelligence
• Incredible growth and consolidation in Recruiting Tech
• Category creation of Talent Marketplace
• New world of corporate learning and the role of the Metaverse, Capability Academies
• Why the Creator Market will disrupt L&D
• A new world of People Analytics and Employee Listening
• The six things you have to know to manage HR Tech well.

Facebook’s rebrand to Meta is even bigger than you think. Here are my perspectives on this deal, along with some discussion about Nextdoor, DAOs, STRIVR, Mursion, and why I think Facebook is missing a big opportunity. This is a risky move for the company, and it may take them away from the biggest opportunity they have – fixing the existing business we all know.

And also, that Facebook sees the Metaverse as a massive advertising strategy, learning more about you as a consumer than you ever wanted them to know.

“Let’s not build the Metaverse with the plan to help other Platforms accumulate and retain consumers,” Rubin wrote. “Let’s build the Metaverse to keep them from being in the VR business in a meaningful way at all.”

“Revenue would also come from ads, the market Facebook knows best. Rubin imagines Coca-Cola paying for prime placement of a pavilion, Ford paying for its virtual cars to be usable or Procter & Gamble promoting its brands on digital billboards. Gucci could open a virtual store and Comcast (owner of CNBC parent NBCUniversal) would pay for “a giant sign that says, ‘Comcast: Get Better MetaSpeed!’”

Interesting Resources

The Metaverse Is Mark Zuckerberg’s Escape Hatch (my general thinking)

Facebook Meta Was Our Game To Lose (the real Advertising strategy here)

The Metaverse May Be Coming But Don’t Expect It From Zuckerberg (WaPo)

What The Metaverse Could Be (A positive view from VR fans)

Meta the Business (good business perspective)

Facebook Employees Think The Name Is a Brand Tax

Definitions of Meta

One definition of this Greek word is transcending or going above and beyond. In the computer field, it defines things that embrace more than usual. For example, a metafile contains all types of data. Meta-data describes other data. See metafile, metadata, and meta tag.

In this podcast, I discuss the massive trend for CEOs, CFOs, and CHROs to invest in the education of their workers. Amazon, Wal-Mart, Target, Disney, and hundreds of other companies are investing many billions of dollars to help employee obtain degrees, certificates, and educational credentials. What’s behind this huge trend? In this podcast I describe the trend and explain why this is one of the highest ROI programs in business today.

Additional Resources

Build vs. Buy: The Days Of Hiring Scarce Technical Skills Are Over

Let’s Stop Calling It Labor: We’re All In The Services Business Now

The Capability Academy: Where Corporate Learning Is Going

Talent Acquisition At A Crossroads: New Certificate Program from the Josh Bersin Academy

In this episode, I talked with Nari Ansari, one of the general partners at TCV. We talked about lots of important topics in the HR Tech market, including:

• What makes HR Tech companies successful over the long run?
• How does TCV pick winners like LinkedIn, Facebook, HireVue, Perceptyx, and others?
• Why are sales and marketing so vitally important in the HR space?
• What should you do when the company struggles and what happens when you’re in the “cold part of the pool?”
• How should CEOs and entrepreneurs think about big fundraises vs. a series of small raises?
• Should you go deep or wide with your product strategy?
• When should you sell out to a bigger vendor?
• What consulting services are important sources of revenue?

Some of the resources to look at include:

HR Tech Companies: Is Raising More Money Always A Good Thing?

Cornerstone Goes Private: It’s All About Growth

PS: If you’re a budding new board member, angel investor, or entrepreneur please listen in. You’ll learn a lot.

The EX market is so dynamic it feels like every tool, vendor, and platform is moving in this direction. In this podcast I describe the three layers of EX and how you can think through what goes where. The three layers are A) the productivity tools layer, B) the workflow or journey tools layer, and C) the core application layer.

If you’re trying to sort out how to configure your core HCM systems to make work easier for people or if you’re building employee portals or journeys, this podcast may help you figure out what’s going on. And of course I talk about the role of ServiceNow, Workday, Oracle, SuccessFactors, Qualtrics, Microsoft, and many other vendors in this market.

Additional Resources

Employee Experience: The Definitive Guide (100+ page study)

Employee Experience: Four Fascinating Facts

Workday People Experience Arrives

SerivceNow: The Workflow Workforce

Not To Be Outdone, ServiceNow Ups The Ante in Employee Experience

Oracle Introduces Employee Experience Platform

The Massive Impact of Microsoft Viva

Employee Experience 4.0: Shortening The Distance From Signal To Action

What is the number one thing we’ve learned from the Pandemic? In this podcast I sit down and talk about the number one thing we’ve learned from the Pandemic: The Unquenchable Power Of The Human Spirit.

In this podcast I explain why Human Resources has become one of the most important jobs in business, and how we, as HR and business leaders, need to really think about “the power of the individual.”

Specifically, I talk about:

• Why Trust is the most important part of the Employee Experience
• What companies should do to attract the best candidates in this wierd and competitive labor market.
• Why “reskilling” is kind of bad word to use, and how to reframe this as “upskilling”
• Why Allstate has been able to reinvent itself for 90 years using the focus on “unleashing the power of the human spirit”
• Why the new world of individuality and uniqueness is replacing conformity at work
• How to build a hybrid work strategy that lets people thrive and grow
• Why terms like “growth mindset” and “abundance mentality” are all about unleashing the power of the individual.

Additional Resources

Employee Experience: The Definitive Guide

The Big Reset: Where We Are Now

The Joys Of Hybrid Work: How We Got Here

The Global HR Capability Project

HR Capabilities:  Beyond Technical Skills

Why Service Workers Are More Important Than Software Engineers

In this longer podcast, I walk through everything we’ve learned about skills taxonomies, job architectures, and the new world of hybrid work. And to really get your attention I explain why the Apple Genius Bar is a genius idea, which builds on all that’s going on in the world of skills and jobs.

We are clearly entering a new world of organization design. You no longer need to model your company like a gigantic pyramid, it’s truly a network of hybrid roles. We’ve gone from jobs to roles and from skills to capabilities, and in this podcast, I explain how this all works.  I also explain how NASA has redefined its skills model for its mission to Mars, and how Telcos are rethinking skills in the age of 5G, and how Epic (one of the most successful software companies in the world) organizes its jobs into only seven categories. And I give you the three business strategies that create effective skills taxonomy projects.

And here are some other references to help.

What Is A Skills Taxonomy Anyway?

The Global HR Capability Project

The War Of The Skills Clouds

BurningGlass Acquires EMSI: A Leader In Jobs Data?

Let’s Stop Talking About Softskills: They’re PowerSkills

Hybrid Work: Ten Things We Have Learned

Accounting for Slavery: Masters and Management (a fascinating book that’s all about organization design)

Over the last few years, we’ve seen unprecedented investments in HR Tech, Learning Tech, and SkillsTech. Analysts like HolonIQ and CBInsights believe more than $10 Billion has been invested in these markets and as I wrote about a few weeks ago, more and more HR tech companies are reaching Billion dollar valuations. And these valuations are real: public companies like Coursera, Workday, Docebo, and many others are achieving these valuations in the public market.

But at this time of highly frothy markets (the stock market is at an all-time high, driven largely by low interest rates), should you as a vendor keep taking more cash? Many CEOs tend to celebrate these fund raising events as if they are truly business achievements in themselves.

As I describe in this podcast, taking in a lot of investment capital is a great thing, but it has costs too. So at this particularly risky time in the stock market, I wanted to just talk about the risks. And yes, I”m a capitalist and feel very strongly about the value of capital and investors in the market. But for entrepreneurs and CEOs, remember that there is always a “cost of capital” to consider.

I also talk about the growth of “platform business models,” and why they are so powerful but not necessarily as easy as you think.

In this podcast I discuss the new SEC Human Capital Disclosure rules, why they’re important, and how government regulation as a whole is a force for good in business. While many government regulations are a headache, this one will have a lot of positive impact.

I also discuss the Biden Administration’s 72 new areas of “big business” competitiveness, how to build a strong People Analytics function, and the role of Conformity vs. Individuality in society.

And yes, it all fits together.

Resources:

SEC Human Capital Disclosures:  Case Studies and Handbook

People Analytics: Ten Things You Need To Know (and maturity model)

Bank of America: The Academy Case Study

Bank of America’s Human Capital Report to Investors

PwC Guidance to SEC Reporting

Employee Experience: The Definitive Guide

Tim Wu: Who He Is And His Books

The Attention Merchants (Book I Recommend)

In this podcast, I detail our comprehensive research on EX and what’s really driving employee needs today. You’ll learn about the history of EX and learn about the role of culture, leadership, technology and HR in this massive business area.

Additional Resources:

Employee Experience: The Definitive Guide (The research study)

Employee Experience: The Definitive Guide (Infographic)

The Crusade For Employee Experience: How Did We Get Here?

Employee Experience 4.0: Shortening The Distance From Signal To Action

The Massive Impact Of Microsoft Viva

Employee Experience Platforms: A New Category Arrives

In this podcast, I share the eight key strategies to building a World-Class HR function, and also explain why this is a Journey, not a “project.” I also describe the 14 “Tribes” of HR and give you a little detail on how we build our HR Capability Project.

The eight strategies are:

1. Professionalizing each role – focus on competence, goals, technology enablement, data
2. Clear service delivery model – creating service centers, solution centers, employee self-service, and automation
3. Design and innovation – creating design skills, product management skills, and iterative development in HR
4. Professional development – implementing job rotation, an HR Academy, external voices, and business acumen
5. Technology focus – creating HR Tech competence, architecture, market savvy, and close relationship with IT
6. Employee experience – understanding roles, journeys, transitions, wellbeing, DEI, and all aspects of employee productivity
7. COE optimization – having very strong world-class COEs in talent acquisition, development and mobility, rewards, talent, analytics
8. Operating at a team – creating an integrated HR strategy, making sure people know each other, help each other, and rotate within and in and out of HR.

In the podcast, I also describe how our research now proves that “highly capable HR teams” directly correlate with the financial, talent, and customer performance in their respective business units.

This is a journey, and I hope this podcast helps you see the roadmap.

It’s getting harder and harder to hire people, and one of the reasons is people’s interest in just “taking a break” from the job they’re in.

What’s going on?

In this podcast, I discuss what’s going on in the job market and what you, as an employer, should do about it. I also discuss:

A) What is your employment brand and how do you “burnish” it?

B) How do you build a world-class recruiting function and why are recruiters more important than ever?

C) How do you better use data for recruiting and by the way, What is the Burning Glass – EMSI merger all about?

D) What are the two big approaches to Employee Experience and how do you make your company a truly “great” place to work?

E) What should you be doing about internal recruiting now that it’s harder than ever to recruit?

I also walk you through how Bank of America has reinvented its entire employee experience and what you can learn from John Jordan and his team. (Read the study here.)

Join me.

And make sure you read our “Post-Pandemic Research Reads!” Fresh off the presses from our amazing research team!

I don’t claim to be a leadership guru, but I’ve had a lot of experience working with senior leaders, studying leadership, running three fast-growing companies, and leading at big companies. Here are my ten principles, and they apply to you – regardless of your level, tenure, or role.

1. Believe in the power of every individual
2. Build a “we vs. I” mentality, focus on people helping each other
3. Embrace humility, listen to others
4. Create energy: inspire the team
5. Make decisions consistently, find a framework and use it
6. Understand all the stakeholders involved
7. Respect and honor technology
8. Love and study people
9. Think like an economist
10. Live with an abundance mindset.

And by the way, if you’re building a leadership program, here are two resources.  First, Why Leadership Development Is Broken, and second Human-Centered Leadership, part of The Big Reset.

In this podcast, I go under the covers of JBA, The World’s Professional Development Academy for HR. After two years, forged by the Pandemic, the JBA has become “the global home for HR.”

Here are a few secrets:

• More than 30,000 HR professionals use the JBA every week, consuming two programs on average
• More than 400 global corporations now use the JBA for their HR teams, consuming 42 person-years of content
• JBA members come from more than 100 countries, and 60% are managers, senior managers, or directors
• Each JBA member communicates with 10 different members, creating tens of thousands of relationships
• The JBA is supported by 40 senior faculty who joined the JBA to mentor you
• More than 4,000 JBA members have taken the JBA Global Capability Assessment
• Academy members access 80 hours of certificate training and 500 curated learning resources, case studies, and tools.
• The JBA NetPromoter is higher than the NetPromoter of Apple!

And as I discuss in this podcast, we’ve also discovered something new.

HR capabilities are one of the most highly correlated contributors to Employee Experience. Read this article to get the details.

This is just the beginning. Join us!

In this podcast I talk about the six big changes coming this Fall, which I call The Calm Before The Storm. And it’s a lot more than Hybrid Work.

1. The rapid economic growth and stormy, disrupted labor market
2. The financial storm and likely change in financial, asset, crypto, and digital currencies
3. The US Federal Government impact on the global economy, infrastructure, taxes, and job market
4. New models of Pay and the disruption of pay models and refocus on employment brand
5. The flattening of companies and mainstream adoption of marketplace models for work
6. The SkillsTech market and how AI and inference engines have proliferated every part of business
7. The WorkTech market and how HR Tech is now focused on experience management and creator tools
8. The transformational new role of HR in this upcoming new economy and hybrid world of work

Hybrid Work is one of the hottest topics in business today. Is this really a good idea? Yes!

In this podcast, I discuss why Hybrid Work is a very good thing, and discuss the five issues to consider as you build a hybrid work strategy.

Resources:

The Joys of Hybrid Work: Ten Considerations

The Remote Work Bootcamp

Remote Work Is Here To Stay – But Harder Than You Think

HR Technology remains one of the fastest-growing and important parts of business. In this podcast I demystify this entire topic and give HR and business leaders the five most important things to know.

• Why is HR tech so important and why is the market growing so fast?
• Why is there such a big gap in HR Tech capabilities in the HR profession?
• How do you create an HR tech architecture and platform team?
• How do you select vendors and curate the right solutions?
• What is the role of data, AI, and analytics?
• How do you manage the cloud or outsourced market for HR Tech?
• What is the Creator Economy and how do you turn HR professionals into Citizen Developers?

As background to this podcast, read HR Technology 2021: The Definitive Guide.

While the post-pandemic economy grows, it’s now clear that the reduced fertility rate and accelerated retiring of baby boomers is leading to a labor shortage. While this seems new to many of you, it has happened before. In this podcast, I explain what Talent Acquisition is going to look like, and how new business strategies are needed.

For more information on all these topics, read our Big Reset research studies.  And join our Research Membership so your company can join the conversation.

Business and HR leaders are going through a frenzied focus on skills. As the job market gets competitive and employees come back to new jobs, every company wants to upskill or reskill its people.

For vendors, it’s a red hot marketplace. Vendors from LinkedIn and Microsoft to Coursera, Udemy, Degreed, Cornerstone, and Workday are investing here, and massive investments are coming from SAP, SkillSoft and many more.

What is a “skills taxonomy” anyway and what should companies do? Is this just a market of buying lots of training or is there a whole new way? In this podcast I explain what #skillstech is all about and what companies can do to leverage this innovative new domain.

Read more about The War for Skills Clouds.

The global labor market has gone through a massive change. Remote work, automation, and a huge increase in job and career mobility has arrived, coupled with one of the fastest growing economies in decades. What are you going to do about it?

In this podcast I explain what’s going on and show how the new practices of internal mobility, gig and contract recruiting, capability development, and diverse and inclusive recruiting are mandates for business success ahead. And I show you how Bank of America, Wegman’s, Ashley Furniture, and other exciting companies are way ahead of these issues.

Read more on this topic in my latest article, which includes graphics describing these changes.

This podcast is a 45-minute overview of all the major trends in the HR Technology Market, which you can view at the HR Technology Spring 2021 conference. The details behind this will be available in the HR Technology 2021 Definitive Guide on Kindle, and the PDF version will be available to JBA Members in a few weeks.

There is a lot going on, but the big theme you’ll hear about is HR Technology platforms shifting from Systems of Record to Systems of Engagement to Systems of Experience to Systems of Design.

Understanding the Skills of the Future is a massive effort around the world. In this podcast, I unravel this complicated problem and explain the difference between competencies, skills, and capabilities. As you’ll hear, this is a critical topic and one that warrants a strategic business focus.

Then I introduce our big new project, The Global HR Capability Project.  In this section, I explain what we’ve done in the Josh Bersin Academy to understand, unlock, assess, and develop the skills of the future in HR.  You can read all about it in our new whitepaper, listen in and please join us in this global effort!

Microsoft Viva could play a massive role in the HR Technology landscape. Given all the other deals taking place in this market, how disruptive can Viva become, and could it reshape the entire Employee Experience market? The answer may be yes, and here is my thinking.

For more information on this, please read my article “The Massive Impact of Microsoft Viva.”

We just finished one of the most difficult and divisive political periods in our lives. What can we, as business and HR leaders, learn from this? In this podcast I discuss how to deal with politics at work, and also the broader issue of our own role as citizens. And I discuss why we, as business and HR leaders, play an enormous role in the political and economic lives of our constituents.

• What is the role of business in society?
• Why have these companies become so important and possibly dangerous?
• What can we learn about the leadership and culture of large organizations?
• What will be the impact of these companies on society, the economy, and trust?