David Green: The best HR & People Analytics articles of June 2025
AI is reshaping industries, companies, workforces and the way we work. As with previous industrial revolutions, this will mean that companies will need fewer people to perform some tasks, and more people to undertake other (including many new) tasks. Amazon CEO, Andy Jassy, addressed this very topic in a recent message to Amazon’s employees while recent remarks by Dario Amodei, CEO of Anthropic, that AI could wipe out half of all entry-level white-collar jobs — and spike unemployment by 10-20% in the next one to five years have been widely reported. The truth is that it is probably too early to judge how this will play out over time, and whether this industrial revolution will differ from all others in history by being a net destroyer rather than a net creator of jobs. Whatever direction we go in, it’s clearly going to be a disruptive few years ahead. HR needs to play an active role in terms of leading organisational transformation, redesigning work, upskilling the workforce, building a culture of continuous agility, and transforming the HR function itself. HR can be the crucial link ensuring employees can thrive alongside technology.
This month’s collection of resources addresses many of these topics, and if I could highlight one in particular, it would be a new Stanford paper on the Future of Work with AI Agents, which amongst other findings lays out a framework for human-agent collaboration. Enjoy!
This edition of the Data Driven HR Monthly is sponsored by our friends at Draup
Prepare your workforce for the AI Era
Prepare your workforce for the AI era | Strategic HR Insights | Etter
Etter is Draup’s flagship AI transformation engine designed to help enterprises systematically reimagine job roles, skills, and workforce structures in the AI era. Built as an adaptive, modular solution, Etter integrates proprietary labor intelligence, enterprise data, and market signals to provide hyper-contextual, execution-ready recommendations for HR and business leaders.
Etter’s methodology is anchored on three foundational pillars:
Draup Models: This includes the Role Disruption Index, Workload Disaggregation, Skills Evolution, and Talent Density Models to identify which roles are most susceptible to AI disruption, what tasks can be automated or augmented, and how skills are shifting across industries. It generates AI-ready job descriptions and quantifies AI’s productivity and time-saving impacts at a task level.
Agentic Workflows: These simulate real-time strategic decisions—like reskilling paths, CoE creation, and role redesign—tailored to the organization’s structure, metrics, and technology ecosystem. They dynamically adapt to changes in business strategy or external environments such as regulatory shifts.
Sustainability Engine: Ensures responsible transformation by embedding fairness, inclusion, and long-term workforce resilience into every recommendation. Real-time dashboards track transformation maturity and enable scenario planning to balance automation with talent retention.
The document details advanced models like Tech Stack Mapping, Similar Role Identification, and Location Optimization to help organizations design AI-augmented ecosystems. It also outlines the data needed—from job descriptions to transformation signals—and a 4–6 week pilot approach to assess 10–12 roles for quick wins.
Etter moves beyond theoretical AI strategy to deliver measurable, role-level change—empowering CHROs, CTOs, and transformation teams to redesign workforces that are future-proof, agile, and ethically AI-enabled. Learn more about Etter here.
To sponsor an edition of the Data Driven HR Monthly, and share your brand with more than 140,000 Data Driven HR Monthly subscribers, send an email to dgreen@zandel.org.
Invitation: If you are a people analytics leader, participate in the 6th annual Insight222 People Analytics Trends survey...
The Insight222 People Analytics Trends study is now in its sixth year, and has grown to be the biggest and most important annual study in the field of people analytics. The survey for 2025 is open, and is intended to gain insights into: (1) HR's role in shaping your AI strategy. (2)AI usage & adoption (3) Upskilling and enabling factors, and AI outcomes
If you are the people analytics leader at your company and would like to participate in the People Analytics Trends study for 2025, click this link and please join over 400 companies and complete the survey by the new closing date of July 6.
JUNE ROAD REPORT
A trio of highlights from June:
I finally got to attend TALREOS, which is curated and organised annually by Deborah M. Weiss and Derek Gundersen at Northwestern in Chicago. It proved to a memorable three days, with 200 participants and plenty of learning, collaboration and networking. I had the privilege of speaking on two panels. The first, hosted by the inimitable Ian OKeefe, and also featuring Dan Trares, Nicholas Garbis and Cole Napper, discussed how to build a successful people analytics function. The second, which I moderated, and featured Dean Carter, Courtney McMahon and Ryan Colthorp, discussed the critical topic of how to create and measure the value of people analytics.
Participants at TALREOS 2025
From Chicago, it was a short hop to Toronto for the first ever Canadian Peer Meeting for 40 members of the Insight222 People Analytics Program, which was hosted by Don Dela Paz and the team at RBC. Speakers over the two days included Don as well as Ujjwal Sehgal, Maria Grazia (Grace) Guma, Rachel Beaulieu-Salamido, Kunal Thakkar, MS, PMP, Rob Dees, Travis Windling, Patrick Joseph Tuason, David Holmes, Foteini Agrafioti and Arjun Asokakumar, MMA, CHRL.
Participants at the Insight222 Peer Meeting at RBC in Toronto, June 2025
Finally, last week saw David Duewel and his team at BT Group host a Peer Meeting for more than 60 European members of the Insight222 People Analytics Program in London. Speakers over the two days included: Elaine Bergin, Julie-Anne Sivajoti, Fiona Vines, Stefaan De Keyser, Julien Legret, Stefanos Adamantiadis, Nick Hudgell, Mariana Allain Carrasqueira, Olly Britnell and Ashar Khan.
Across all three events I left with a number of reflections including: (1) When people analytics is closely with business strategy it delivers exponential value. (2) AI is elevating and disrupting people analytics in equal measure. (3) Employee listening is the 'human' face of people analytics.
Just to highlight to my Indian network and readers that I'm speaking at TechHR India 2025 in Delhi, which is organised by People Matters, at the end of July. I'll be delivering a keynote on July 31 after a pre-conference workshop on July 30 on The Science of Better Decisions - I hope to see some of you there.
Share the love!
Enjoy reading the collection of resources for June and, if you do, please share some data driven HR love with your colleagues and networks. Thanks to the many of you who liked, shared and/or commented on May’s compendium.
If you enjoy a weekly dose of curated learning (and the Digital HR Leaders podcast), the Insight222 newsletter: Digital HR Leaders newsletter is usually published every other Tuesday – subscribe here – and read the latest edition.
HYBRID, GENERATIVE AI AND THE FUTURE OF WORK
IBM - 5 Mindshifts to Supercharge Business Growth
It’s no longer a question of whether to use AI—but where AI will give you the greatest lift and how you should redeploy your people to accelerate growth.
IBM’s recently published 2025 CEO Outlook is required reading for all chief people officers and heads of people analytics. The study highlights that talent recruiting and retention is ranked #2 in the top challenges of CEOs (see FIG 1). The report highlights five mindshifts to supercharge growth in the age of AI – all of these apply for HR too: (1) Make courage your core (“The power and potential of AI is pushing organizations to transform faster, even if they’re not sure what exactly what that entails.”) (2) Embrace AI-fuelled creative destruction (“Establish metrics and monitoring systems to assess AI effectiveness and create a culture of accountability.”) (3) Cultivate a vibrant data environment (“Start with data. If CEOs get their data environment right, they can accelerate change, impact, and stakeholder value.”) (4) Ignore FOMO, lean into ROI (“Only 25% of AI initiatives have delivered expected ROI—and only 16% have scaled enterprise-wide. Fail fast and move on.”) (5) Borrow the talent you can’t buy:
CEOs are looking to reskill the talent they already have (build), hire the talent they need (buy), add AI assistants and agents to workflows wherever they can (bot), and rely on partners to borrow what they can’t find another way (borrow).
FIG 1: Top CEO Challenges 2025 (Source: IBM Institute for Business Value)
MCKINSEY - Seizing the agentic AI advantage
To realize the potential of agents, companies must reinvent the way work gets done—changing task flows, redefining human roles, and building agent-centric processes from the ground up.
According to McKinsey, there is a ‘GenAI paradox’ with nearly eight in ten companies reporting they are using Gen AI—yet just as many reporting no significant bottom-line impact. To break out of this morass, the authors argue that Agentic AI—autonomous, goal-oriented systems—is the true game-changer, poised to automate complex processes and fundamentally transform workflows. For HR leaders guiding workforce transformation, the core insight of the study is profound: successful integration means redesigning work around AI agents, not merely layering AI onto old processes. This strategic pivot promises enhanced operational agility, accelerated execution, and newfound organisational resilience. However, realising this potential hinges on critical human factors. Driving adoption and earning trust are paramount, alongside robust governance for agent autonomy. This necessitates a shift from fragmented AI initiatives to strategic, cross-functional programs, coupled with significant upskilling across the workforce. While the article doesn't explicitly detail the Chief People Officer's role, the implications are clear: HR must champion the human-AI partnership, ensuring ethical deployment and preparing talent for this profound evolution of work. Kudos to the authors: Alexander Sukharevsky, Dave Kerr, Klemens Hjartar, Lari Hamalainen, Stéphane Bout, and Vito Di Leo, with Guillaume Dagorret.
HR must champion the human-AI partnership, ensuring ethical deployment and preparing talent for this profound evolution of work.
FIG 2: Maximising value from AI agents requires process reinvention (Source: McKinsey)
STANFORD - Future of Work with AI Agents: Auditing Automation and Augmentation Potential across the U.S. Workforce Project | Paper | COBUS GREYLING - The Future of Work with AI Agents — Insights from a Stanford Study | SERENA HUANG - AI Agents Are Ready to Work With Us, but Are We Ready to Work with Them?
[As] AI agents start to enter the workforce, key human competencies may be shifting from information-processing skills to interpersonal and organizational skills.
For anyone looking to understand how the AI agents might shape the future of work, I recommend diving into a new study from Stanford University – warning, you may get lost as the paper is absorbing! The paper presents a framework, the Human Agency Scale (HAS – see FIG 3), which has a five-level scale from H1 (no human involvement) to H5 (human involvement essential) and is designed to help quantify the desired level of human involvement across various tasks. Other findings from the study include: (1) Lack of trust (45%) is the most common fear workers have about AI automation in their work. (2) Workers want automation for low-level and repetitive tasks with 46.1% expressing positive attitudes towards AI automation. (3) Workers generally prefer higher levels of human agency, potentially foreshadowing frictions as AI capabilities advance. Kudos to the authors of the Stanford Study: Yijia Shao, Humishka Zope, Yucheng Jiang, Jiaxin Pei, David Nguyen, Erik Brynjolfsson, Yang Diyi. I also recommend the shorter and more accessible summaries of the key findings from the paper and their potential implications by Cobus Greyling and Serena H. Huang, Ph.D. (see links above) as well as Ross Dawson (see here).
FIG 3: Levels of Human-Agency scale (Source: Stanford University, Shao et al)
PETER CAPPELLI AND RANYA NEHMEH – Hybrid Still Isn’t Working | BRIAN ELLIOTT - When Academics Ignore Research (and Reality)
The contentious debate about the merits – or otherwise – of hybrid work continues as these two articles demonstrate. Firstly, in their article for Harvard Business Review, Peter Cappelli and Ranya Nehmeh present the case that hybrid is harming collaboration, deepening social isolation, weakening culture, and is leading to lower performance. They argue that this is primarily because of the way that many companies manage hybrid and remote workers: “You can’t effectively manage remote and hybrid workers using the same methods you did when employees were still all together in the office.” They then suggest eight strategies including: creating and enforcing rules, revamping performance appraisals, and establishing in-office anchor days. Brian Elliott, who along with the likes of Nick Bloom (see latest WFH Research here) and Annie Dean (listen to my podcast discussion with Annie on using behavioural science for distributed working) is one of my go-to experts on hybrid and distributed work, provides a 'teardown' (his words!) of Hybrid Still Isn’t Working. He examines some of the research cited in the HBR article and compares this to the available data e.g. contrary to everyone going back to five days in the office, Brian highlights Flex Index data (see FIG 4) showing that hybrid dominates at 43% of firms. Brain also highlights that the article ignores research on return to office mandates such as: “no financial benefit, no stock market boost, but declining engagement and retention issues among experienced talent and women at 3X the rate of men.” I’ll let readers make their own minds up but recommend that any companies considering a change in their approach analyse their own data and make considered decisions. As Brian concludes in his article:
Instead of debating days per week, focus on what drives results: clear team goals, intentional collaboration rhythms, and management practices that work anywhere. The magic isn't in the location—it's in how well you lead distributed teams doing complex work.
FIG 4: Structured Hybrid continues to dominate as the preferred work model for US companies (Source: Flex Index)
PEOPLE ANALYTICS
MICHAEL ARENA AND AARON CHASAN - The social signals behind employee retention
Research has long shown that employees at the center of an organizational network—those with many active connections—are 24 percent less likely to leave.
In their article, Michael Arena and Aaron Chasan highlight an important insight: employee connection, not just engagement, is the true bedrock of retention: “In today’s networked workplace, social withdrawal is often the first—and most reliable—indicator that someone’s already halfway out the door.” For HR to genuinely impact business performance and employee experience, we must leverage social signals to build robust internal networks. The authors outline four high-impact ways HR can proactively employee connection and significantly reduce attrition: (1) Utilise network analysis: Identify early flight risks by spotting employees with few or declining connections. (2) Facilitate connection moments: Deliberately create opportunities for interaction, especially in hybrid settings, using tools like interest-based matching. (3) Support relationship-rich teams: Encourage cross-functional initiatives and invest in psychologically safe team cultures. (4) Routinely pulse central employees: Their engagement profoundly influences the entire network.
In today’s networked workplace, social withdrawal is often the first—and most reliable—indicator that someone’s already halfway out the door.
PIETRO MAZZOLENI AND ERIC BOKELBERG - The right owner, the right impact: mastering people analytics accountability
Clear ownership ensures that sensitive data is handled responsibly, analytics initiatives are aligned with business priorities, and AI solutions deliver trustworthy, actionable insights.
Pietro Mazzoleni and Eric Bokelberg provide guidance on mastering people analytics by defining clear ownership – a cornerstone for unlocking business value from people data. Many organisations falter due to unclear accountability, risking inefficiencies and mistrust. Pietro and Eric outline four essential domains for assigning ownership: (1) Data Governance. (2) Stakeholder Management. (3) Data & AI Platforms. (4) Functional AI. They then recommend ownership across five key functional roles: the People Analytics Team, CHRO and HR Leadership Team, Business Function Leaders, Chief Data Office, and IT/AI Technology Team. By aligning accountability with expertise, HR leaders can ensure data is handled responsibly, initiatives drive strategic priorities, and AI delivers trustworthy, actionable insights, ultimately generating real business impact.
LUDEK STEHLIK AND COLE NAPPER - Beyond Prediction: Exploiting Organizational Events for Causal Inference in People Analytics | KEITH MCNULTY – R for People Analytics | MARIA NOLAZCO MASSON - The People Analytics Staircase | PATRICK COOLEN – People Analytics Spotlight: Oliver Kasper, Giovanna Constant, and Marcela Mury
In each edition of the Data Driven HR Monthly, I feature a collection of articles by current and recent people analytics leaders. These are intended to act as a spur and inspiration to the field. Four are highlighted in this month’s edition: (1) Ludek Stehlik, Ph.D. and Cole Napper examine one of the Holy Grails of people analytics – understanding causality, including exploring why randomised experiments (see FIG 5) are the ‘gold standard’ (but rarely feasible), and how real-world organisational events can be used as natural experiments. (2) Keith McNulty offers a set of open source materials for a 2-day course on explanatory technical methods in People Analytics using R. (3) For anyone early in their people analytics career and looking to accelerate their development, I recommend diving into Maria Nolazco Masson’s excellent series: The People Analytics Staircase, which provides a practical framework to advance in People Analytics, from foundational concepts to deep strategic dives. (4) Finally, in this section, I recommend checking out Patrick Coolen’s excellent People Analytics Spotlight Series, which to date has insights from Oliver Kasper, Giovanna Constant and Marcela Mury.
FIG 5: Randomised controlled trial (Source: Simply Psychology)
THE EVOLUTION OF HR, LEARNING, AND DATA DRIVEN CULTURE
MICHELLE CHAN CROUSE, TED MOORE, ANNA PENFOLD, BRAD PUGH, AND ALISON HUNTINGTON - The CHRO of the future: How CHROs and organizations can prepare for what’s next
The CHRO role is no longer just about managing human capital—it's about unleashing the potential of your workforce, whether they’re a human or a bot.
This report by Russell Reynolds Associates dissects the evolving role of the Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO) and provides a helpful guide on how the CHRO can lead workforce transformation. It is structured into three chapters: (1) How the CHRO role has changed: highlighting the CHRO's transition from operational support to a strategic leader, now deeply embedded in C-suite succession, transformation, and even technology, crucial for organisational stability. (2) Who will be the CHROs of the future? capturing the need for a new CHRO profile, demanding broader strategic, technological, and operational experience beyond traditional HR, coupled with acute emotional intelligence to navigate complex stakeholder landscapes. This chapter also highlights new roles and responsibilities that may emerge in the HR function including a ‘Chief HR Bot’ reporting to the CHRO and responsible for data-driven decision making. (see FIG 6). (3) How CHROs and organisations can prepare for the future: with actionable guidance, emphasising the responsible integration of AI, significant investment in HR data and analytics, and clear communication around workforce transformation, ultimately elevating HR's strategic influence. This analysis by Michelle Chan Crouse, Ted Moore, Anna Penfold, Brad Pugh and Alison Huntington reinforces that the future CHRO is a critical architect of business success, leveraging data and strategic acumen to shape adaptive, resilient organisations.
FIG 6: Potential roles in the HR team of the future (Source: Russell Reynolds)
DAVE ULRICH, DICK BEATTY, AND PATRICK WRIGHT - What Competencies Define an Effective HR Professional? Past, Present, and Future
In their article, Dave Ulrich, Dick Beatty, and Patrick Wright analyse a number of different HR competency models including their own, which has been developed through eight studies since 1987 across 120,000 participants. Their analysis leads them to recommend expected and emerging competencies across six HR skills domains (see FIG 7): (1) Accelerate business, (2) Advance human capability, (3) Make change happen, (4) Use GenAI and analytics for information, (5) Create organisation culture, and (6) Demonstrate personal proficiency. For HR leaders and professionals looking to learn more, I recommend learning about the Global HR Learning Experience programthat Dave, Dick and Patrick have developed.
FIG 7: Expected and emerging competencies for HR professionals (Source: Dave Ulrich et al)
WORKFORCE PLANNING, ORG DESIGN, AND SKILLS-BASED ORGANISATIONS
JEN STAVE, RYAN KURT AND JOHN WINSOR – Agentic AI is Already Changing the Workforce
AI agents are fast becoming much more than just sidekicks for human workers. They’re becoming digital teammates—an emerging category of talent.
The advent of Agentic AI is no longer a distant future; it's here, fundamentally reshaping our workforce. In their article, Jen Stave, PhD, Ryan Kurt and John Winsor explain that these autonomous, goal-oriented AI systems aren't just tools; they're becoming digital colleagues, capable of complex tasks and decision-making. For HR and business leaders, this demands a seismic shift in how we approach talent, roles, and organisational design. The article outlines seven critical actions to help your organisation thrive: (1) Map work tasks and outcomes (“Deconstruct each role or project into its component tasks and outcomes.”) (2) Assess AI capability. (3) Integrate your hybrid team (“Develop a hybrid-workforce strategy to define which tasks AI will own, which tasks people will own, and how the escalation of problems should happen.”) (4) Redesign your business and workforce model (“Envisioning new ways to procure and deploy talent, including full-time employees, temporary hires, freelancers and AI.”) (5) Set legal and ethical ground rules. (6) Capture value continuously as it evolves. (7) Remain human-centric (“AI reduces the need for people to conduct mundane tasks and elevates the importance of high-value, human-led tasks.”). For more from John Winsor, I recommend listening to his conversation with me on the Digital HR Leaders podcast: Addressing the Global Skills Shortage with Open Talent Strategies.
EMPLOYEE LISTENING, EMPLOYEE EXPERIENCE, AND EMPLOYEE WELLBEING
MICROSOFT WORK TRENDS INDEX - Breaking down the infinite workday
The future of work won’t be defined by how much drudgery we automate, but by what we choose to fundamentally reimagine.
In this follow-up to their recently published 2025 Work Trend Index Annual Report, this article from Microsoft exposes the modern "infinite workday" – a relentless cycle starting pre-dawn, peppered with incessant emails and messages, hijacked by meetings, and relentlessly spilling into evenings and weekends (see FIG 8). It's a chaotic, fragmented existence that HR leaders, focused on productivity and wellbeing, must address. The critical insight is that AI demands rethinking how work is structured and experienced. This isn't about simple automation; it's about fundamentally redesigning the rhythm of work. The article proposes a clear "path forward" with three vital starting points: (1) Follow the 80/20 rule: Leverage AI to streamline low-value tasks, allowing focus on the 20% that drives 80% of outcomes. (2) Redesign for the Work Chart: Shift from static teams to agile, outcome-driven units, using AI to bridge skill gaps. (3) Become an agent boss: Empower employees to utilize AI agents to supercharge their work and focus on high-quality insights. While the article itself doesn't explicitly detail the opportunity for HR and People Analytics to lean in and shape this future, the implications are clear: these functions are pivotal in orchestrating this transformation, ensuring a focused, productive, and ultimately more human-centric work environment.
FIG 8: The infinite workday bleeds into evenings and weekends (Source: Microsoft Work Trends Index)
LEADERSHIP, CULTURE, AND LEARNING
MEGAN REITZ AND JOHN HIGGINS - Create Mental Space to Be a Wiser Leader
We live in complex times that demand complex thoughts and conversations — and those, in turn, demand the very time and space that is nowhere to be found.
In their article for MIT Sloan Management Review, Megan Reitz and John Higgins explain the need for leaders and workers to balance ‘doing’ and ‘spacious’ modes (see FIG 9) and present their research that finds in our rush to do more we’re losing the critical space to think deeply. This has a detrimental effect on leadership and organisation effectiveness. In order to help leaders develop the capacity for the spacious mode, the authors present their SPACE Framework (Safety, People, Attention, Conflict, Environment). By consciously creating environments that foster reflection and broader thinking, HR can empower leaders to transcend short-term noise, perceive critical interdependencies, and ultimately drive superior business outcomes and a more human-centric employee experience.
FIG 9: The Attentional Mode Framework (Source: Reitz and Higgins)
ROB CROSS AND MOLLIE LOMBARDI - Leading from Anywhere: Driving Results in the Age of Distributed Work
Improving the performance of bottom-quartile leaders yields a 32% productivity impact.
In their recently released study for The Institute for Corporate Productivity (i4cp), authors Rob Cross and Mollie Lombardi highlight that leading distributed work is a greater challenge than is commonly acknowledged. While 86% of organisations say work has become more distributed, 58% of leaders admit they are only "somewhat" effective in this new environment, which increases burnout and limits productivity. The paper identifies six capabilities of leadership effectiveness of top-performing leaders that help employees thrive in a distributed work environment (see FIG 10). Three other key insights from the report are: (1) Fix the bottom, not just the top: Elevating poor managers to just average can result in a 32% productivity gain—and a 33% boost in engagement. (2) Culture is the new productivity engine: Leaders who curate healthy team cultures see a 34% overall market performance lift. (3) Distribute leadership, not just work: Empowering teams with ownership and shared leadership responsibilities is key to sustainability and innovation. Thanks to Heather Muir and Kevin Oakes for highlighting the study.
FIG 10: Capabilities that most distinguish high-performing leaders (Source: i4CP)
KATHI ENDERES AND STELLA IOANNIDOU - Pacesetters in the Superworker Era: The Six Secrets of High-Performing Organizations
Pacesetters are reimagining HR through systemic approaches that integrate talent management, workforce planning, and organizational development to drive AI-powered transformation
Kathi Enderes and Stella Ioannidou present the findings from a four-year collaborative study between The Josh Bersin Company and Eightfold, which analyses the leadership and HR strategies of ‘Pacesetter’ companies - the top 5% performers in every industry – with regards to AI transformation. The article – and paper – identifies six secrets as being key to AI transformation, which these companies approach as a people – rather than technology – transformation: (1) AI Transformation for Growth, Not Cost Control (“[Pacesetters] use AI to improve forecasting, personalize the employee experience, and significantly boost productivity across the enterprise”). (2) Continuous Innovation at the Core (“Pacesetters embed innovation skills, experimentation platforms, and design thinking capabilities across the entire organization”). (3) Productivity-Based Work Redesign (“Instead of layering new tools on top of old workflows, they strip out bureaucracy, clarify accountability, and focus on high-value, meaningful work”). (4) Talent Density: Skills Quality over Quantity (“[Pacesetters] continuously redesign work: removing friction, unlocking capability, and structuring around value rather than legacy” – see FIG 11). (5) From Change Management to Change Agility (“Pacesetters excel at identifying and nurturing the skills needed to navigate change, ensuring their workforces are equipped to adapt to new technologies and processes”). (6) Systemic HR®, Powered by AI (“Pacesetters are reimagining HR through systemic approaches that integrate talent management, workforce planning, and organizational development to drive AI-powered transformation”).
FIG 11: The Four Stages of Work Redesign (Source: The Josh Bersin Company)
DIVERSITY, EQUITY, INCLUSION AND BELONGING
CURTIS L. ODOM, CHARN P. MCALLISTER, AND RYAN SOFFER - Why Belonging Matters More Than Just Diversity
When leaders commit to fostering a culture of belonging, the connection between management practices and diversity-related outcomes becomes clearer
In their article for MIT Sloan Management Review, Curtis Odom, Ed.D., Charn McAllister and Ryan Soffer argue that belonging and psychological safety are the true strategic goals of DEI. For HR leaders focused on impact, this is key. The authors critique the common misstep of viewing diversity as an end in itself, stressing that its value only materialises when people feel genuinely included and safe. Crucially, it outlines three targets for effective DEI. First, establishing belonging and psychological safety as the ultimate aim. Second, urging organisations to move beyond single-approach diversity practices, advocating for a multifaceted, integrated strategy. And third, emphasising the need for persistence to sustain diversity efforts through consistent, long-term action. This isn't just about ticking boxes; it's a strategic imperative for HR to unlock human potential, drive innovation, and deliver tangible business outcomes through a truly inclusive culture.
HR TECH VOICES
Much of the innovation in the field continues to be driven by the vendor and analyst community, and I’ve picked out a few resources from June that I recommend readers delve into:
GABE HORWITZ – The Evolution of the People Analytics Leader - In a great post, Gabe Horwitz of Paradox, breaks down the evolution of the people analytics leader from ‘The Data Analyst’ of 2020 to ‘The Decision Architect’ of today (see FIG 12).
FIG 12: The evolution of the people analytics leaders (Source: Gabe Horwitz)
RICHARD ROSENOW - The Uncharted Path of a People Analytics Career - Richard Rosenow examines what a career in people analytics looks like (see FIG 13), why the path to leadership is still mostly undefined, why it's hard to grow and provides some tips on how to overcome these challenges.
FIG 13: The People Analytics Leader's Journey (Source: One Model)
ZANELE MUNYIKWA - White-Collar Workers Are Getting the Blues – Zanele Munyikwa shares more insightful research from Revelio Labs highlighting a slowing of demand and stagnating wages for white collar jobs with the latter being more pronounced for early career roles (see FIG 14).
FIG 14: Wage stagnation is most pronounced in early-career roles (Source: Revelio Labs)
DEGREED – How the Workforce Learns GenAI in 2025 – According to this new report by Degreed, while 48% of surveyed professionals expect their responsibilities to shift due to GenAI, 78% lack the confidence and skills to use Gen AI tools. The report urges collaboration between CHROs, CLOs and CIOs, and highlights that: “When CHROs and CIOs align on AI upskilling, cross-functional collaboration, and ethical governance, companies are three times more likely to develop a Gen AI-ready workforce.” Thanks to Todd Tauber for sharing.
FIG 15: How to build GenAI confidence (Source: Degreed)
LACE PARTNERS - What are sunrise and sunset skills and how do you use them? – A helpful primer from LACE Partners on ‘sunrise’, ‘evergreen’, and ‘sunset’ skills (see FIG 16) and when to use them. Thanks to Aaron Alburey for highlighting.
FIG 16: Skills mapping horizon (Source: LACE Partners)
PODCASTS OF THE MONTH
In another month of high-quality podcasts, I’ve selected four gems for your aural pleasure: (you can also check out the latest episodes of the Digital HR Leaders Podcast – see ‘From My Desk’ below):
JORGE AMAR, BROOKE WEDDLE AND BRYAN HANCOCK - The future of work is agentic – In a fascinating episode of McKinsey Talks Talent, Jorge Amar, Brooke Weddle, and Bryan Hancock join host Lucia Rahilly to discuss AI agents, how they’re being used, and how leaders can prepare now for the workforce of the not-too-distant future.
KRIS SALING - The US Army & Data Driven Talent Management – Kris Saling, Director of Talent Innovation at the U.S. Army, joins host Cole Napper on the Directionally Correct podcast to discuss her book, Data Driven Talent Management, implementing people analytics in the US Army, and integrating data and analytics into talent management programs.
ALEXIS FINK, SEUNG WON YOON, AND BRAD SHUCK – How to Implement People Analytics – In this masterclass masquerading as a podcast, Alexis Fink, Seung Won Yoon, and Brad Shuck discuss how to implement people analytics.
BAS DEBBINK - Stop Guessing: How J&J Gets Precise About Skills – Bas Debbink, learning strategist at J&J, joins Stacia Sherman Garr and Dani Johnson on Workplace Stories to discuss how J&J utilises both talent leader insight and AI-driven inference to build a skills-based ecosystem that actually works, without overwhelming employees or managers.
VIDEO OF THE MONTH
NICKLE LAMOREAUX AND TEUILA HANSON: How IBM built a skills-based organisation
LinkedIn has recently released an excellent report, CHRO Case Studies: Leading from the Front, which features case studies from five top-notch CHROs, which examine how BCG (Amber Grewal) has fully embraced AI; how IBM (Nickle LaMoreaux) has rethought performance management; how leaders at Allianz (Bettina Dietsche) are modelling the change they want to see; how Wood ( Marla Storm ) is addressing burnout and well-being; and how LinkedIn ( Teuila Hanson ) has introduced Coaching for All. The video featuring Nickle speaking to Teuila, provides a snapshot of the content in the report, and focuses on how IBM has built a skills-based organisation by starting with the data and tracking how skills are changing for each and every job role.
BOOK OF THE MONTH
ROSS SPARKMAN - Strategic Workforce Planning: Developing Optimized Talent Strategies for Future Growth
Ross Sparkman is widely recognised as one of the most accomplished expert practitioners in workforce planning, and the first version of Strategic Workforce Planning was an excellent guide to the fundamentals of this critically important business practice. The second edition provides a deep dive into what it takes to embed SWP and provides new guidance on areas such as: SWP in the age of GenAI, skills-based SWP, leading the SWP function and the future of SWP.
RESEARCH REPORT OF THE MONTH
FRACTIONAL INSIGHTS – The Adaptive Organization: Building and Evolving Culture Across Growth Stages
The latest white paper from the Fractional Insights team of Shonna Waters, PhD, Laura Lomelí Russert, Ph.D. and Erin Eatough, PhD, provides an immensely helpful, research-backed framework for building and evolving culture intentionally, as your business scales. The paper details a stage-based model to guide culture through four stages of growth: early, growth, mid-size and enterprise as well as tools to align systems, behaviours, and values, practical insights from organisational psychology and systems thinking, and pitfalls to avoid as complexity increases.
FROM MY DESK
June saw four new episodes of the Digital HR Leaders podcast – three sponsored by HiBob (thanks Louis Gordon ), and a special bonus episode sponsored by Gloat (thanks Ruslan Tovbulatov ), as well as a round-up of series 47, and a role-reversal as I guested on the HR Leaders podcast.
JANINE VOS – The CHRO’s Playbook: How to Build an Agile and Data-Driven HR Function – Janine Vos, Chief Human Resources Officer and Managing Board Member at Rabobank, joins me to discuss how she has built an HR function that's not only agile and data led but also grounded in trust and strong relationships across the business.
MATTHEW BROWN - From Deployment to Impact: Maximizing Business Value with HR Tech - Matthew Brown, Director of Research, HCM at ISG (Information Services Group) joins me to discuss why the disconnect between HR and tech adoption persists, and how to bridge it.
RAMI TZAFRIR – Why HR must confront 'Covering' to build inclusion and psychological safety - Rami Tzafrir, Senior Director of Talent, Organisation and Learning at HiBob, to unpack powerful new research on covering in the workplace. Together, we explore why this behaviour is not just a personal issue but a signal of deeper organisational challenges - and what HR can do about it.
PATRICIA FROST AND RUSLAN TOVBULATOV - The AI Pivot: Seagate’s Workforce Transformation in the Age of AI - Patricia Frost, Chief People and Places Officer at Seagate Technology, and Ruslan Tovbulatov, Chief Marketing Officer at Gloat, the platform partner behind Seagate’s internal talent marketplace, TalentLink, join me to share insights from Seagate’s workforce transformation journey.
DAVID GREEN - How can HR use AI to improve Employee Experience and Wellbeing? – Highlights from series 47 of the podcast featuring episodes with Dave Ulrich, Volker Jacobs, Janine Vos, Matthew Brown, and Rami Tzafrir.
DAVID GREEN - How people analytics is driving organizational excellence – At the recent UNLEASH America show in Las Vegas, I had the pleasure of speaking to Christopher Rainey as part of a marathon series of interviews he conducted at the event for HR Leaders and Achievers. Chris and I discussed the past, present and future of people analytics and evidence-based decision making in HR.
BONUS RESOURCES
There continues to be so much interesting content around on AI and its impact on business, leadership and HR that this month’s bonus resources are all focused on aspects of this topic:
ANNA OTT - How AI is Rewriting the Playbook for Talent in European Tech Startups - Anna Ott analyses a dataset of 1,800+ job postings across nearly 100 European startups in HV Capital's portfolio to answer the question: How should founders and HR leaders adjust their workforce planning to this new landscape?
ETHAN MOLLICK - Using AI Right Now: A Quick Guide - Wharton professor Ethan Mollick's One Useful Thing is the go-to blog for all things AI. In a recent post, Ethan examines what AI tool you should use for specific tasks (see FIG 17) with Claude, Gemini and Chat GPT being the three systems he recommends.
FIG 17: Source - Ethan Mollick
LASZLO BOCK - The Impact of AI on the Future of Work - Laszlo Bockshares the deck he is using to speak about AI and the future of work. As Laszlo astutely observes:
HR is uniquely positioned to make sure the future of work is both productive and humane.
TOMAS CHAMORRO-PREMUZIC - Want to Use AI as a Career Coach? Use These Prompts - As ever, Dr Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic provides an insightful guide on how you can use Gen AI tools for career coaching, with practical prompts and strategies to maximise your experience, learnings, and success.
STEVEN KIRZ - Why CHROs are critical to unleashing the transformational productivity of AI - Writing for UNLEASH, Steven Kirz explains why when CHROs treat AI as another tech tool, they are missing out on opportunities. Instead, he urges, they need to see AI as a form of talent, not a technology, particularly in this new era of AI agents.
LOOKING FOR A NEW ROLE IN PEOPLE ANALYTICS OR HR TECH?
I’d like to highlight once again the wonderful resource created by Richard Rosenow and the One Model team of open roles in people analytics and HR technology, which now numbers over 500 roles with 60% these being new.
THANK YOU
Million Podcasts for including the Digital HR Leaders podcast at number 6 in their list of the Top 100 Future of Work Podcasts of 2025
Max Blumberg for conducting and publishing an experiment: ?????? ????? ????? ??????? ??'? ????: ??? ????? ????????? ?????? ???????????
Alexandra Nawrat for including my contribution in her article summarising some of the key takeaways from the recent UNLEASH America: Analyst takeaways: UNLEASH America 2025 raised ‘the bar for what a HR technology conference should be’
Finally, a huge thank you to the following people who either shared the June edition of Data Driven HR Monthly and/or posted about the Digital HR Leaders podcast, conferences or other content. It's much appreciated: Charlotte Copeman Gareth Flynn Gulce Guleli Scott Rogers Piyush Mathur AJ Herrmann James Griffin Hernan Chiosso, CSPO, SPHR ? Rochelle Carland Jesse Clark, MBA Miralem Masic Helder Figueiredo Kevin Le Vaillant Emily Killham Marina Pearce, PhD Lida Chahipeyma Dr. Christoph Spöck Dr. Tobias Bartholomé Sergio Garcia Mora Shujaat Ahmad Ali Nawab Lindsey McDevitt Cristian Gabriel Alvarez Nirit Peled-Muntz William Werhane Amardeep Singh, MBA Tsevelmaa Khorloo Debbie Harrison Aravind Warrier Scott Reida Joy Kolb Emily Klein Graham Tollit Dan George Sai Bon Timmy Cheung 張世邦 Margad B Catriona Lindsay Erin Fleming Fiona Jamison, Ph.D. Lewis Garrad Francesca Caroleo (SHRM-SCP, ICF-ACC) Judi Casey Kouros Behzad Rupert Bader Rosemary Byde Preetha Ghatak Mukharjee Amy Huber-Smith Danielle Farrell, MA, CSM Aline Costa Timo Tischer Meghan R. Lowery, Ph.D., M.S. David Simmonds FCIPD Prabhakar Pandey Adam McKinnon, PhD. Greg Newman Kyle Forrest John Barrand Elson P. Kuriakose Jeffrey Pole David van Lochem Hanadi El Sayyed Matt Elk Al Adamsen Kyle Winterbottom Luka Babic Eric Guidice Monika Manova Ankit Saxena, MBA Kirsty Coral Baynton ??? Irada Sadykhova Dawn Klinghoffer Dr. Denise Turley AI.Impact.Equity Evan Franz, MBA Philip Arkcoll Toby Culshaw Dan Riley Sanja Licina, Ph.D. Daniyal Wali Azima Mavlonazarova Julius Schelstraete ? Angela LE MATHON Joonghak Lee, Serap Zel, PhD, Milou Wesdijk, Ingi Finnsson ?, Joanna Thompson (Kempiak), Heather Muir, Summer Pan, Anna Kuzmenko, Olivier Bougarel, Marino Mugayar-Baldocchi, Tobias W. Goers ツ, Bence Gősi, Roxanne Laczo, PhD, Michelle Deneau, Don Gray, Marc Caslani, Claire Masson, Fabian Stokes, MBA, SWP, Delia Majarín, Barry Swales, Narelle Burke, Stela Lupushor, Anna A. Tavis, PhD, Jeremy Shapiro, Kanwal Rai, Patrick Davis, Placid Jover, Francisco Marin, Matthew Shannon, Rashmita Lenka, Henrik Håkansson, Alexandre Monin, Dale Clareburt, Dana Shoff, Warren Howlett, Agnes Garaba, Greg Pryor, Phil Inskip, Stephanie Murphy, Ph.D., Gaëtan Bonny, Nicola Forbes-Taylor FCIPD, Ian Grant FCIPD, Neil Vyner, Joseph Frank, PhD CCP GWCCM, Mila Pascual-Nodusso, Adam Treitler, Fábio Priori, Johann Cheminelle, Alex Browne, Dolapo (Dolly) Oyenuga, Megan Kraus Langdon, Bill Banham, Tom Reid David Balls (FCIPD) Juan Antonio Vega Frankie Close Asaf Jackoby, John Gunawan, Daisy Grewal, Ph.D. Amit Mohindra Sonia Mooney Oliver Auty Caitie Jacobson Mikulis Pedro Pereira Ben Berry Natasha Fearon Andrew Spence Ravin Jesuthasan, CFA, FRSA
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
David Green ?? is a globally respected author, speaker, conference chair, and executive consultant on people analytics, data-driven HR and the future of work. As Managing Partner and Executive Director at Insight222, he has overall responsibility for the delivery of the Insight222 People Analytics Program, which supports the advancement of people analytics in over 100 global organisations. Prior to co-founding Insight222, David accumulated over 20 years experience in the human resources and people analytics fields, including as Global Director of People Analytics Solutions at IBM. As such, David has extensive experience in helping organisations increase value, impact and focus from the wise and ethical use of people analytics. David also hosts the Digital HR Leaders Podcast and is an instructor for Insight222's myHRfuture Academy. His book, co-authored with Jonathan Ferrar, Excellence in People Analytics: How to use Workforce Data to Create Business Value was published in the summer of 2021.
MEET ME AT THESE EVENTS
I'll be speaking about people analytics, the future of work, and data driven HR at a number of upcoming events in 2025:
July 31 - August 1 - People Matters TechHR India 2025, Delhi
August 13-16 - GCHRA Africa, Accra, Ghana (I will join virtually)
September 25 - Visier Outsmart Local London, London
October 7-9 - Insight222 Global Executive Retreat, Atlanta (exclusive to the people analytics leader in member companies of the Insight222 People Analytics Program®)
October 15-16 - People Analytics World, New York
October 21-22 - UNLEASH World, Paris
November 12-13 - HR Forum 2025, Oslo
More events will be added as they are confirmed.
HR transformation
2025年07月01日
HR transformation
Yes, HR Organizations Will (Partially) Be Replaced by AI, And That’s GoodI adore the human resources profession. These folks are responsible for hiring, development, leadership development, and some of the most important issues in business. And despite the history of HR being considered a compliance function, the role is more important than ever. CHRO salaries, for example, have increased at 5-times the rate of CEO pay over the last twenty years, demonstrating how essential HR has become.
That said, we have to be honest that AI is going to disrupt our role. This week IBM formally announced that 94% of typical HR questions are now answered by its AI agent, and the role of HR Business Partner is all but eliminated except for very senior leaders. As a result the CEO plans to reduce HR headcount and shift that budget towards sales and engineering.
Let’s accept the fact that we are in a time of increasing acceleration. In other words, the capabilities of AI are growing much faster than our organizations” ability to adapt, so we have to lean forward and start redesigning our companies. In the case of HR, our Systemic HR model (which we launched two years ago) is now being fully automated by AI.
I know IBM’s story well, and I think it explains where all HR teams are going. Many years ago Diane Gherson (prior CHRO) started AI projects to automate recruitment, pay analysis, and performance management. She spoke at our conference eight years ago and shared how IBM’s pay tool (CogniPay was launched in 2018) uses AI to make pay recommendations based on skill. This type of tool, which was years ahead of the “skills-based” strategies we see today, essentially automated many of the performance and pay decisions left to managers.
Since then IBM has gone much further, and in my last conversation with Nickle Lamoureux (current CHRO) she told me the AI agent helps write performance reviews, creates development plans, and coaches managers and senior leaders on a myriad of performance based decisions. I totally believe this because I see Galileo doing these kinds of things for companies every day. (Check out the Mercury release.)
How does this impact the roles and jobs in HR? Well it definitely eliminates many.
In the case of L&D or HR business partners, I believe we could see a 20-30% or more reduction in HR headcount per employee. And that means these individuals may wind up managing the AI platforms, moving into roles as change consultants (which AI still can’t do), or move into areas like org design, learning architect, and data management.
I think this is all a good thing. While we all worry about AI taking our jobs, we have to remember that our real job is not to “do things” but to “add value” and bring complex problem solving skills to our companies. And in this journey to “crawl up the value curve,” we all have to learn to use AI, develop AI solutions, and think more systemically about how our companies go to market.
I recently interviewed a brilliant HR leader (podcast coming) at WPP who explained how he and his team rationalized their job architecture from 65,000 job titles to only 600 by using new AI tools from OpenAI and Reejig (a work intelligence vendor). As you’ll hear in his story, this effort was a combination of data management, business analysis, change management, and leadership. The results of this work, which are still ongoing, is the opportunity for WPP to dramatically change its go to market strategy, innovation, and growth.
That’s the kind of thing we want our HR teams to do.
And as these various agents hit the market (see my latest view of the market below), HR professionals are going to have to train them, implement them, and “manage them” for long term success. This means analyzing the cross-functional data they produce, extend them into better decision-making, and move our thinking from dated concepts like “time to hire” and “course completion rates” to meaningful measures like “time to revenue” or “time to productivity” or “time to customer service excellence.”
See where I’m going? In a time of increasing technology acceleration we have to “lean in” as hard as we can.
Stop thinking about how much money we save on headcount (which is a fleeting benefit, by the way) and focus on value creation. That’s the big benefit of AI: customer service quality, time to market, and innovation.
In many ways these “HR downsizing” stories are really stores of “HR crawling up the value curve,” which is really a good thing. And for HR professionals, it’s a time for personal reinvention.
HR transformation
2025年05月16日
HR transformation
首席人力官2030:从后勤专家到企业变革推手越来越多企业发现,首席人力官(CPO)正从纯粹的“后台运营”升级为“核心战略伙伴”。他们不仅要管理薪酬、福利与合规,更要在组织变革、领导力培养和AI应用等方面发挥关键作用。报告特别强调了领导力流动性和多元文化的重要性,在快速变化的商业环境中,这些因素为企业增强韧性和创造力提供有力支持。
想要在人才竞争中领先,就必须以开放思维和前瞻眼光重新审视人力资源战略,让CPO真正成为企业变革与创新的驱动者。
在企业环境瞬息万变的今天,传统的人力资源部门正经历从“后台运营”向“战略伙伴”转型的巨大变革。面对人工智能崛起、新一代员工价值观迭代以及全球经济政治形势的波动,首席人力官(Chief People Officer, CPO)的地位和职能正变得前所未有地关键。
报告指出,CPO需要在以下几个方面进一步进化:
1. 从业务支持到业务引领新时期的CPO不仅要确保员工薪资、劳动合规、人员福利等基础工作能够稳定运转,更要深度参与组织设计、领导力培养和战略性人才布局。在企业长期增长的目标指引下,CPO的“业务敏锐度”成为衡量其价值的关键指标,必须与CEO及其他高管组成紧密的“智囊团队”。
2. 动态用工与领导力梯队快速变化的外部环境需要更灵活的用工模式。报告提出“领导力流动性”概念,一方面培养管理者的多元能力与跨部门学习力,另一方面通过短期专家与项目型人才的配置,实现企业人力资源的动态调度。此外,打造深层次的继任计划与领导力储备库,将吸纳、培养、留用和晋升等人才环节打通,从而持续为企业输送新鲜血液。
3. AI驱动的人力资源升级随着AI、数据和数字化技术的普及,人力资源管理者需要更好地利用这些工具来进行人才评估、绩效管理和招聘筛选。报告强调,CPO应积极发挥带头作用,不仅要在HR内部尝试更多自动化与智能化应用,也要引导其他业务部门正确使用AI技术,将“重复性工作”交给自动化,将“创造性与战略性工作”留给人力团队,不断提升企业整体效率。
4. 包容与韧性的文化塑造在地缘政治和经济不确定性凸显的时代,企业需要一种更具弹性与凝聚力的文化。CPO应协助管理层在全公司范围内推动多元、健康、包容的工作氛围,强化员工心理支持和沟通渠道。通过惠及不同年龄、不同背景员工的个性化政策,帮助组织在“高速变化”与“人才多元化”之间找到平衡点,激发个人与组织的双向潜能。
5. 全新“工具包”助力未来从制定接班人计划到探索混合办公模式,从部署AI到建设全球化团队,CPO需要一套兼具系统思考和实践落地的“工具包”,才能在愈加复杂的商业环境中为企业提供持续的战略价值。
总结而言,CPO正脱离单纯的后勤管理角色,晋升为企业的“变革推手”和“战略护航者”。这一角色转变不仅关乎人力资源部门的精细化运营,更决定着企业能否在新的竞争时代中保持活力与创新力。
**内容来源:**本文基于 Heidrick & Struggles 的《Chief People Officer of 2030: Building a tool kit to get from here to there》报告撰写。
HR transformation
2025年02月24日
HR transformation
Despite Political Firestorm, Diversity Investments Are Alive And WellJosh Bersin 发表文章:尽管政治压力和社会对多元化与包容性(DEI)计划的批评日益加剧,许多公司依然重视相关投资。这些企业将DEI从单独的HR计划融入到领导力、绩效管理和招聘战略中,形成了更加全面的文化建设方式。在员工对企业领导层信任度下降的背景下(如Edelman信任晴雨表指出的68%员工认为CEO不诚实),信任、透明和公平已成为企业文化的核心要素。
企业如今更注重绩效文化,通过构建基于能力与高绩效的包容环境,吸引各年龄、性别及种族的优秀人才。杰米·戴蒙等领导者已公开表示支持DEI,证明高绩效与包容性是现代企业成功的关键。尽管DEI独立职能角色在减少,但相关实践已经深度融入企业运营。各行业的领先企业正通过这种方式实现快速转型和增长,进一步强调了DEI对企业文化和绩效的重要性。
下面是全文,请欣赏:
As the WSJ has reported extensively, companies like Harley Davidson, Tractor Supply, Walmart, and McDonalds are publicly pulling back on DEI programs, largely under pressure by political activists. Fueled by the supreme court’s striking down of affirmative action in 2023, there is a political movement to dismantle the “social justice” movement that took hold in corporate HR departments.
Now, driven by the new administration, the Federal Government is “ending radical and wasteful” government DEI programs. And the executive order is asking the Justice Department to litigate up to 9 private companies as examples.
As a part of this plan, each agency shall identify up to nine potential civil compliance investigations of publicly traded corporations, large non-profit corporations or associations, foundations with assets of 500 million dollars or more, State and local bar and medical associations, and institutions of higher education with endowments over 1 billion dollars.
Of course this has created a firestorm of debate, and many companies are doing away with dedicated DEI roles in HR. But our research, which includes discussions with many dozens of Chief HR Officers, heads of recruitment, and others, finds that the investments are alive and well.
Here’s where I sense we are.
While DEI and pay equity programs have been around since the 1960s (companies like Coca Cola and Google have been sued for gender and racial pay inequities), the topic got out of hand.
Post George Floyd, which was a traumatic event in the United States, companies went overboard with training and messaging about social justice, oppression, micro-aggression, and other uncomfortable topics. Many programs included discussions of topics like “white fragility,” “intersectionality,” “oppression,” and other social topics.
While this was trending in the media, many employees told us these programs made them uncomfortable. In a country like the United States (I just got back from two weeks in South Africa, where these issues are front and center) where we have a long history of immigration and diversity, this topic has been debated for hundreds of years.
I worked at IBM during the days of affirmative action (1970s and 1980s) and my personal experience was very positive. Black and Asian professionals were actively recruited and promoted at IBM during my tenure and I have fond memories of IBM as a company with a powerful culture of “respect for the individual” (IBM’s motto).
(Read Thomas Watson’s 1963 manifesto: it’s a bit gender-biased but remains relevant today. Watson, the founder of IBM, talks extensively about equity between white and blue collar work, fair wages and benefits, and opportunities for all. Note that IBM is one of the only tech companies that has survived more than 100 years so these principles have served the company well.)
Now that we’ve entered a business focus on productivity, AI, and technology transformation, companies want to build a culture of meritocracy, skills, leadership, and internal mobility. The #1 issue we hear from CHROs and CEOs is “how do we transform our company faster?” Sitting around to debate diversity targets or DEI agendas just doesn’t feel important.
That said, as we discuss regularly with leaders in every industry, CEOs and CHROs are very concerned about corporate culture.
The new Edelman Trust Barometer describes a shocking drop in trust among workers. More than half of all employees believe CEOs are overpaid and 68% believe they lie on a regular basis. So cultural topics of inclusion, fairness, and respect are extremely important. (The Edelman research even points out that 40% employees believe that hostile activism against their employer is acceptable (violence, property damage, social media attacks).
So building a culture of trust, transparency, and listening remains essential. And that’s why culture still matters.
As I discuss in our research “The Rise of the Superworker,” (and PwC’s 2025 CEO survey also points this out), companies that transform faster make more money. And transformation, regardless of the technology behind it, is always dependent on people. So when we read about corporate transformations at companies like Boeing, Intel, and Nike, we know that there are always issues of culture.
Where does the DEI agenda now fit? As I talk with leaders around the world, it has clearly not gone away. Today, rather than focus on representation targets or social issues, companies are embedding their focus on meritocracy within the business, moving it out of the world of an “HR program.” And this, despite the political backlash, is a good thing.
As even Robby Starbuck points out, every leader believes in meritocracy. We want our teams to reward high performance and encourage everyone to learn, grow, and advance in a fair way. DEI, which became a standalone mission of its own, is now a part of “building a culture of performance,” and that means respecting high performance among all genders, races, disabilities, and ages. It means creating a culture of psychological safety where people can speak up, and it means being crystal clear with feedback, accountability, and behaviors we value.
Finally, let me celebrate the public statement by Jamie Dimon, one of the most respected CEOs in the world. When asked about DEI activists at the World Economic Forum, he answered “bring them on, we’re proud of what we do.”
While much of the political focus against DEI seems to focus on “moving companies to the right,” I think the real trend is quite different. Leaders and HR departments are taking the high-profile DEI agenda and embedding it into the disciplines of leadership, recruitment, performance management, and rewards. And even today, as Lightcast data shows, there are more than 7,000 DEI roles posted for hire.
The highest performing companies in the world are inclusive and fair by nature – that’s why high-performers want to work there. Let’s let “DEI” as an HR agenda move aside, and move the topic back into the business of leadership where it belongs. (Listen to real-world case studies in The Josh Bersin Academy or browse all our DEI research in Galileo.)
HR transformation
2025年01月27日
HR transformation
12 Opportunities for HR in 2025: Thriving People, Thriving Organisation
This quote, most commonly attributed to Sun Tzu, aptly captures the essence of the 2020s as we reach the halfway point of what has been a turbulent decade thus far. The chaos element has been to the fore with a global pandemic, geopolitical tension, and economic uncertainty leading to an increasingly complex and volatile business environment. Sprinkle in the rapid advances in technology and artificial intelligence, then it’s not hard to see why 45% of CEOs believe their company will not be viable in ten years if it stays on its current trajectory (1).
Here comes the opportunity element. For the HR profession, there’s a strong case to be made this perfect storm has accelerated the transformation of the field from a support function to a strategic partner to the C-suite and the board. Josh Bersin argues that the chief people officer may now be the most important C-suite role of them all (2). Certainly, the opening words of Deloitte’s latest Global Human Capital Trends report encapsulates that many of the major challenges organisations face have people topics at their heart (3):
We’re operating in a world where work is no longer defined by jobs, the workplace is no longer a specific place, many workers are no longer traditional employees, and human resources is no longer a siloed function
Herein lies the opportunity for chief people officers: to align people strategy, analytics and technology to enable company growth, lead transformation both for the business and the function, act as the steward for ethical AI (4), and upskill HR professionals. Thriving people, thriving organisation.
During the 10+ years I’ve been publishing this annual look at the year ahead, it has evolved from a framing of predictions or trends to opportunities, given that much of what follows will likely take years to play out. As ever, the 2025 opportunities are informed by the research and work we do at Insight222 (5), interviews with guests on the Digital HR Leaders podcast (6), conversations with leaders in the field and market analysis. References are numbered throughout, and a comprehensive list with links is included at the end.
Get involved – what should opportunities #11 and #12 be?
Readers may note that the title and accompanying image indicate 12 opportunities, whereas only ten are outlined. That is because – as was the case in previous years - I’m keen to crowdsource the final two opportunities from readers. What other opportunities should be included? Please let me know in the comments section below, and I’ll add my favourite two to an updated version in January.
THE 2025 OPPORTUNITIES FOR HR
Ten opportunities for HR to realise in 2025…
1. Cultivating the thriving organisation
Ask not what your people can do for you, but ask instead what you can do for your people
A 2024 study by McKinsey estimates that the total global opportunity for optimising employee health and wellbeing could be up to $11.7 trillion (7). Numerous studies, including by Oxford University, find a strong positive relationship between employee wellbeing and firm financial performance (8). Indeed, according to Accenture, companies that take a people-centric approach could create $10.3 trillion in economic value (9). When people thrive, organisations thrive. Yet, employee burnout levels remain at an all-time high (10, 11). This presents an opportunity for HR to flip the script and, to paraphrase President John F. Kennedy, ask not what your people can do for you, but ask instead what you can do for your people. By focusing on creating value for employees and helping them to thrive, companies can create a virtuous cycle whereby employee outcomes enhance organisational outcomes and vice-versa (12, 13). For example, one PwC study found that making investments in 11 key areas of employee experience can yield savings equivalent to 12.6% of revenues (14). While Deloitte reports that the organisations that score highest on treatment of their workforce had a 2.2% higher five-year return on equity (15). Reimagining work as a product (16), becoming a listening organisation focused on turning employee feedback into action (17), as well as using people analytics to measure how wellbeing, purpose, learning, and attrition connect to business outcomes (18, 19), are three ways to create value. If successful in this mission, HR could elevate the function from its traditional role as a cost centre to a true value creation centre, while creating a fairer, healthier, and more humane organisation (20). What could be a bigger and better opportunity than that?
An organization that views its employees as its most important resource can maximize its return on talent (21)
FIG 1: Thriving stars have an outsize influence on organisations (Source: McKinsey)
2. Transforming HR into a strategic partner
The CHRO must transform the HR team, moving from the “service delivery” model to an HR team of consultants, problem-solvers, and analysts. (22)
With CEOs increasingly demanding more from HR and with data and AI enabling the transformation of HR into a more strategic, value-added and insight-driven function (23, 24), chief people officers have the opportunity to elevate HR from its traditional role as a support function into a true strategic partner (25). Six areas to consider are: i) Rethinking the HR operating model. Nearly two-thirds of companies have done so in the past two years (26). There’s certainly no shortage advice (27 – see FIG 2, 28, 29, 30). ii) Putting people analytics at the right-hand of the CHRO.Our research at Insight222 finds that a strong connection with the people analytics leader together with combining people strategy and analytics enhances the credibility and impact of the CHRO with the board (31, 32), as does embedding it as part of the HR service model (33). iii) Reimagining key HR roles and processes through automation toincrease the focus on high-value strategic work (34, 35). iv) Prioritising high-impact use cases for deploying AI across HR programs and the employee lifecycle (36, 37). v) Identifying future skills and capabilities of HR professionals together with a strategy to close any gaps. vi) Leading on the development of ethical and responsible AI policies and enablement programs (38) – and never forgetting the ‘H’ in HR.
FIG 2: Assessment of Ten Dimensions of HR Effectiveness (Source: The RBL Group)
3. Setting the agents to work
We're using AI in three broad categories: recommendations, assistants, and agents. This is transforming our HR function. (39)
The topic du jour is agentic AI – the next frontier of generative AI (40). Gartner predicts that by 2028, at least 15% of day-to-day work decisions will be made autonomously through agentic AI, up from 0% in 2024 (41). Josh Bersin believes that agentic AI will change the HR tech stack and make our HR roles easier (42, 43). The likes of SAP (Joule), Workday (Illuminate) and ServiceNow (AI Agents) have already launched tools (44). Early use cases in HR are also emerging such as HiRO, a digital worker, IBM has used to save 50,000 hours in its quarterly promotion process (45, 46). From what I’ve learned in the last few months (and I’m still learning about this too), agentic AI – in essence a shift from Large Language Models to Large Action Models - provides a huge opportunity to rapidly accelerate HR’s progress from support function to strategic partner. Some suggestions for chief people officers to prepare: i) stay informed with the latest developments by keeping in touch with your peers, enterprise and HR tech partners, ii) identify and prioritise potential use cases, iii) upskill and prepare your team, iv) double down on ethics, privacy and responsible AI (47, 48, 49). One additional recommendation is to engage your people analytics team. Our research at Insight222 identified that AI strategy for the HR function is increasingly coming under the auspices of the people analytics leader (50). Moreover, this is also seeing the people analytics leader in some companies taking on a wider portfolio for disciplines such as HR tech and digital transformation, people strategy and operations (51, 52, 53).
FIG 3: A System of Agents (Source: Foundation Capital)
4. Elevating hybrid from where to how
What we need isn’t an office mandate—it’s a ‘collaboration mandate.’ (54)
There’s still too much focus on where people work rather than how work gets done. Despite executives being 3x more likely to say the how is more important (55). Indeed, with more than 90% of companies having hybrid workers (56) and with employees working remotely on average more than 25% of the time (57) it’s time to elevate the conversation from an office to a collaboration mandate (58). HR has an opportunity to lead the redesign of work through conducting experiments and collecting data to learn how work is getting done, and how employees are feeling (59). The shift to hybrid has been one of the key factors driving growth in people analytics (60). The body of published research is growing with several studies finding that in comparison to their fully in-person or remote colleagues, hybrid workers have higher wellbeing (61), engagement (62) and retention but no difference in collaboration and innovation (63). Additional research provides guidance on when in-person matters (64), making the office a magnet not a mandate (65), cultivating culture (66), fostering trust (67), and focusing on outcomes (68 – FIG 4) including broadening how we measure productivity (69). Hybrid is here to stay, so let’s make hybrid work – for companies, and for workers – and let’s follow the science rather than the headlines (70).
FIG 4: Focus on Productivity, Not Physical Presence (Source: Brian Elliott)
5. Investing in a people analytics “A Team”
In “A” Teams, people analytics is embedded in the people strategy. “A” Teams regularly and dynamically prioritise their work according to the needs of the C-suite and the business agenda (71)
People analytics is now widely acknowledged as an organisational imperative (72), with chief people officers recognising that they need data and insights to gain traction with the board (73). Recent studies by Deloitte (74), Josh Bersin (75) and PwC (76), as well as our own fifth annual Insight222 People Analytics Trends study (77), all show significant growth in people analytics. Yet, together, they also highlight that most organisations are still only scratching the surface of what is possible. Only 10% of the 348 companies that participated in the Insight222 study are defined as “A” Teams (see FIG 4). Our research – and experience of working directly with over 100 organisations through the Insight222 People Analytics Program® – finds virtually all “A” Teams play a key role in defining the people strategy and effectively align their work to the most important business priorities accordingly (78), echoing other studies (79, 80). Additionally, chief people officers can realise more value with people analytics by focusing on: i) Improving the adoption and consumption of people data and insights by employees and managers. ii) Using intelligent automation to personalise analytics solutions. iii) Measuring the value of people analytics, working closely with finance (81). Success istarts with the right people analytics leader (82), who should be executive influencers, consultants, storytellers and marketeers. The role of the people analytics leader continues to evolve, and chief people officers should carefully consider the type of leader they need (83, 84). People analytics - and the ability to drive actions with insights – is the silver thread to unlock and realise all the opportunities outlined in this article, and a critical element of the drive to make HR more evidence-based (85). Remember, as Jonathan Ferrar and I wrote in our book, Excellence in People Analytics:
People Analytics is not about HR. People Analytics is about the business (86, 87).
FIG 5: Insight222 Leading Companies in People Analytics model (Source: Insight222)
6. Making workforce planning strategic
Strategic workforce planning is a perennial challenge. Although the core principles are not new, the urgency to act has increased, and the availability of data-driven insights has changed the competitive landscape (88)
Strategic workforce planning (SWP) is essentially a systematic and data-led approach for an organisation to ensure it has the right workforce to achieve its business objectives (89). With the speed and extent of change arising from the fifth industrial revolution, talent shortages and the shift to skills, SWP has arguably never been so important. It is consistently cited as a top three priority for people leaders (90, 91), a challenge compounded by studies suggesting that only 15% of organisations currently practice SWP (92). Our research at Insight222 finds a growing number of companies – 50% in a 2024 study - combine SWP with people strategy and analytics (93). These companies are more successful in connecting their SWP activities to their business priorities (94), have a better view of their future talent needs, and the strategies to close any gaps (95). Four other steps to increase success with SWP are: i) Aligning SWP efforts with business strategy (96, 97 – see example from Merck Group in FIG 6) including prioritising business critical roles and skills (98); ii) Bringing together people, business and external data to get the full picture (99); iii) Connecting SWP to other talent capabilities such as internal mobility, recruiting and learning (100); and, iv) Measuring the impact of workforce planning activities and linking these to business outcomes (101).
FIG 6: How Merck prioritises SWP needs by relevance and actionability (Source: Gartner)
7. Orchestrating skills for Impact
A cultural shift to skills-first approaches needs both sponsorship from executives and governance from human-resources professionals (102)
While ‘skills’ has been an opportunity for HR for several years, the topic continues to gather momentum. Skills gaps and shortages are one of the most pressing concerns for companies (103). Rapid advances in technology only exacerbate the challenge (104), with 44% of workers’ skills expected to be disrupted by 2028 (105) and reskilling workers a primary objective for many companies (106). Consequently, one study reports that 90% of companies are experimenting with a skills-based approach (107). Why? Because becoming skills-based can lead to greater agility, resilience, and flexibility in the face of rapid change (108). EPAM, which has adopted a skills-based approach for 30 years, believes it catalyses its business agility and enables the company to attract, develop and retain some of the best tech talent in a highly competitive market (109). Meanwhile, Standard Chartered has generated over 1,700 gigs and $6m of productivity from its initial talent marketplace pilot in India (110, 111) and has also calculated that reskilling and redeploying internal talent generates a saving of $49,000 per role versus hiring externally (112). We are continually learning more about what drives success in this space including at companies such as Ericsson (113), J&J (114, 115), IBM (116), Google (117), Mastercard (118) and Lloyds Banking Group (119). Some steps to consider: i) Do your homework – shifting to a skills-based approach is not cheap or easy, make sure there is a business problem to solve (120, 121, 122 – see FIG 7). ii) Experiment – a skills-based approach will likely not be right for every role in your company. Focus on critical roles, start with a pilot and an executive sponsor (123). iii) Focus on data quality – data is the foundation on which your skills initiative will succeed or fail (124). iv) Get your people analytics team involved – our research at Insight222 finds that 50% of people analytics teams are supporting their company in becoming skills-based (125). v) Communicate the value and use skills as the glue to connect recruiting, learning, mobility, compensation and workforce planning together.
FIG 7: Skills-based talent management strategy, business outcomes can guide your actions (Source: Gartner)
8. Turning up the volume on diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging
The backlash against DEI is out of sync with the opinions held by the most important set of stakeholders: your employees (126)
Some companies – particularly in the US – are backtracking on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) commitments. The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) even inexplicably decided to drop the ‘E’ from its IED framework, despite this flying in the face of years of research on DEI in the workplace (127, 128). This is an opportunity for HR to lead the fightback and protect the networks of people engaged in DEI work (129). It was certainly good to hear L’Oreal CHRO Jean Claude Le Grand on the main stage at UNLEASH declare that “DEI is not a trend. DEI is part of our DNA (130).” In 2025, despite fears about what Trump’s second term could mean for DEI (131), let’s hope we hear more chief people officers – especially those based in the US – making similar declarations, and backing it up with action. They will be helping their companies if they do. Firstly, because DEI programs are getting more popular with employees, not less (132) and help organisations attract, retain and engage talent (133). Secondly, research finds DEI, particularly at the leadership level, is connected to financial performance, innovation, and societal impact (134). Thirdly, incorporating DEI practices into core business planning can provide a competitive edge (135). People analytics has an important role to play in measuring DEI efforts and connecting them to outcomes (136) including using advanced analytics to get deeper insights on belonging (137), inclusion (138) and psychological safety (139). Indeed, our own research at Insight222 finds, for the fourth consecutive year, that DEI is one of the top three areas where people analytics is adding the most business value (140). While some companies pause or roll back their DEI programs, those that stay the course and redouble their efforts will drive organisational performance. So, let’s turn up the volume to maximum on DEI in 2025 and beyond.
FIG 8: The business case for diversity on executive teams and financial outperformance
9. Advancing social capital
If ‘human capital’ is about what an individual knows, ‘social capital’ is about how well positioned that individual is to use what they know to get work done.
Social capital represents the next frontier for HR in gaining a deeper understanding of what drives individual, team and organisational effectiveness. As Michael Arena explains, if ‘human capital’ is about what an individual knows, ‘social capital’ is about how well positioned that individual is to use what they know to get work done. (141). The study of social capital is not new. Indeed, the likes of Arena and Rob Cross have been doing this work for decades – and specialist firms such as Worklytics, Cognitive Talent Solutions, Polinode and Innovisor have grown by specialising in this field. But like a lot of the 2025 opportunities presented here, a combination of the pandemic, the rise of distributed and hybrid work, and advances in technology mean that the need for analysing social capital and the ability to do so have increased dramatically. We can see this in the passive element of employee listening programs, which enables organisations to combine active data from surveys with passive data to understand the impact of topics such as hybrid working, meetings, and focus time on outcomes such as wellbeing, collaboration, innovation, productivity and attrition (142,143,144,145,146, 147, 148). Other use cases for network data exist to support work around topics as diverse as: M&A (149), performance (150), DEIB (151, 152), skills mapping (153), team effectiveness (154) and the identification of key influencers (155). For those looking to get started with a pilot, I recommend identifying a specific business problem to solve, getting a business sponsor, keeping the scope manageable, involving your IT and privacy team (and works council if appropriate), and considering partnering with a vendor (156).
FIG 9: Organization network analysis can help uncover collaboration within an organization (Source: Deloitte)
10. Enabling the HR professional of the future
41% of chief people officers wish they had had greater depth in people analytics prior to assuming their roles (157)
If HR is to become a true strategic partner to the business, then we must upskill ourselves, focusing on developing competencies that create value (158, 159). Chief people officers need to invest in attracting and developing HR professionals with the vision, agility and business acumen to navigate an everchanging landscape, raising the technology and analytical expertise of the function (160). Let’s take one area where the function needs to upskill that I know well from the work we do at Insight222 around improving the data literacy of HR professionals (161). Our research highlights five key skills to elevate data of literacy for HR: i) consulting, ii) influencing stakeholders, iii) interpreting data, iv) building recommendations from insights, and v) storytelling (162). While there has been steady progress with 58% of companies (163) now saying they have a data driven culture in HR (up from 42% in 2021), there is still some way to go – and the opportunities afforded by AI make it even more important for HR professionals to acquire these skills. Tellingly, this is an area of development for senior HR leaders too with 41% of chief people officers wishing they had had greater depth in people analytics prior to assuming their roles (164). With Insight222 research also finding that role-modelling of people data and analytics by the chief people officer and HR leadership team is paramount for the improvement of data literacy across the HR function overall (165), this is an opportunity that chief people officers can ill afford to squander. The HR function will continue to evolve with new roles emerging (166). We need to take the ethos of continuous learning that we advocate for the rest of the organisation and apply it to ourselves in HR.
FIG 10: Example of a learning journey Insight222 delivers to HR leaders, BPs and professionals (see here)
FIG 11: 13 HR Jobs of the Future (Source: Jeanne Meister)
References
(1) PwC 27th Annual Global CEO Survey: Thriving in an age of continuous reinvention (PwC 2024)
(2) Josh Bersin Why Is It So Hard To Be A Chief HR Officer (CHRO)? (Josh Bersin 2024)
(3) 2024 Global Human Capital Trends: Thriving beyond boundaries – Human performance in a boundaryless world (Deloitte 2024)
(4) Ravin Jesuthasan, CFA, FRSA Miriam Daucher Alexandra Zea - The future of human resources: Who will care for the human at work? (Mercer 2024)
(5) Insight222 Research Homepage (Insight222)
(6) Digital HR Leaders Podcast Homepage (Insight222)
(7) Jacqui Brassey, PhD, MA, MAfN ?️ (née Schouten) Lars Hartenstein Barbara Jeffery Dr. Patrick Simon Working nine to thrive (McKinsey 2024)
(8) Jan-Emmanuel De Neve Micah Kaats George Ward Workplace Wellbeing and Firm Performance (University of Oxford 2023)
(9) Ellyn Shook Paul Daugherty, Work, workforce, workers: Reinvented in the age of generative AI (Accenture 2024)
(10) Dawn Klinghoffer Katie Kirkpatrick-Husk PhD - With Burnout on the Rise, What Can Companies Do About It? (MIT SMR 2023)
(11) @Jacqui Brassey Erica Hutchins Coe Martin Dewhurst Kana Enomoto Renata Giarola Brad Herbig Barbara Jeffery, Addressing employee burnout: Are you solving the right problem? (McKinsey Health Institute 2022)
(12) Susan Cantrell Jen Fisher Joanne Stephane Jason Flynn Amy Fields Yves Van Durme, When people thrive, business thrives: The case for human sustainability (Deloitte 2024)
(13) Jacqui Brassey, PhD, MA, MAfN ?️ (née Schouten), Aaron De Smet, Emily Field, Taylor Lauricella Brooke Weddle, To defend against disruption, build a thriving workforce (McKinsey 2024)
(14) Bastiaan Starink Jan Willem Velthuijsen - What every HR leader needs to show the CFO (PwC 2023)
(15) Cantrell et al (see 11)
(16) Eric Anicich Dart Lindsley, Reimagining Work as a Product (HBR, 2024)
(17) Ethan Burris Benjamin Thomas Ketaki Sodhi, PhD Dawn Klinghoffer , Turn Employee Feedback into Action (HBR 2024)
(18) Brassey et al (see 10)
(19) Peter Cappelli Ranya Nehmeh, HR’s New Role (HBR 2024)
(20) Vincent Bérubé Ben Fogarty Neel Gandhi Rahul Mathew Marino Mugayar-Baldocchi Charlotte Seiler, Increasing your return on talent: The moves and metrics that matter (McKinsey 2024)
(21) Berube et al (see 20)
(22) Bersin (see 2)
(23) Julie Bedard, Katie Lavoie, Renée Laverdière, Allison Bailey, Vinciane Beauchene, and Jens Stefan Baier, How Generative AI will Transform HR (BCG 2023)
(24) Volker Jacobs, Squaring the Circle: Why the old promise of P&O transformation –more for less – can finally be fulfilled (TI PEOPLE 2024)
(25) Bersin (see 2)
(26) Marc Effron, It’s (Still) the Mortar not the Bricks (Talent Strategy Group 2024)
(27) Dave Ulrich Joe Grochowski Norm Smallwood Joe Hanson Ernesto Uscher, What Makes an Effective HR Function? (LinkedIn, 2023)
(28) Sandra Durth Neel Gandhi Asmus Komm Florian Pollner – HR’s new operating model (McKinsey 2022)
(29) Kraig Eaton Susan Cantrell Kim Eberbach Julie Duda, From function to discipline: The rise of boundaryless HR (Deloitte 2024)
(30) Josh Bersin Kathi Enderes, The Definitive Guide to Human Resources: Systemic HR (2023)
(31) Naomi Verghese Jonathan Ferrar Jordan Pettman, Building the People Analytics Ecosystem: Operating Model v 2.0 (Insight222 2024)
(32) Jay Dorio How CHROs Can Drive Strategic Influence with People Analytics: Insights from Rabobank’s Janine Vos (myHRfuture 2024)
(33) Jaap Veldkamp - Positioning People Analytics into the HR Service Model: A Path to Sustainable Impact (2024)
(34) Nickle LaMoreaux David Green ??, How IBM Uses AI to Transform Their HR Strategies (Digital HR Leaders podcast episode 2024)
(35) Ravin Jesuthasan, CFA, FRSA Helen White Kate Bravery Jason Averbook Todd Lambrugo – Generative AI will transform three key HR roles (Mercer 2023)
(36) Bedard et al (see 23)
(37) Josh Bersin Job Task Re-Engineering With AI: A Massive Opportunity Ahead (2024)
(38) Jesuthasan et al (see 4)
(39) LaMoreaux and Green (see 34)
(40) Lareina Yee Michael Chui Roger Roberts Stephen Xu, Why agents are the next frontier of generative AI (McKinsey 2024)
(41) Gartner Identifies the Top 10 Strategic Technology Trends for 2025 (2024)
(42) Josh Bersin AI Agents, The New Workforce We’re Not Quite Ready For (Agentic AI) (2024)
(43) Joanne Chen Jaya Gupta, A System of Agents brings Service-as-Software to life (2024)
(44) Felipe Jara, HR - Let's Prepare for a Big Wave of Multi-Agents AI Systems (2024)
(45) LaMoreaux, Green (see 34)
(46) Jon Lester A Future for HR (IBM, 2024)
(47) Jason Averbook, AI Agents: The Next Frontier in HR Technology, and, How AI Agents are Revolutionizing HR—and How to Get Ready (2024)
(48) Lars Schmidt Agents of (Massive) Change: How AI Agents Are Poised to Alter Work (LinkedIn Talent Blog, 2024)
(49) Anshul Sheopuri Lucrecia Borgonovo, At the inflection of AI and HR: How we’re equipping employees for the AI era (Mastercard, 2024)
(50, 51) Verghese, et al (see 31)
(52) Richard Rosenow From Data to Strategy: The New Role of Workforce Systems Leaders in Transforming HR (One Model, 2024)
(53) Andrés García Ayala People analytics at the heart of AI’s successful workplace adoption (2024)
(54) Michael Arena Philip Arkcoll, The collaboration mandate: Does returning to the office improve innovation? (PEX, 2024)
(55) Annie Dean, Lessons Learned: 1,000 Days of Distributed at Atlassian (Atlassian, 2024)
(56) Debra Clark, Hybrid Working Trends (The HR Director, 2024)
(57) Jose Maria Barrero Nick Bloom Shelby Buckman Steven J. Davis – SWAA December 2024 Updates (WFH Research, 2024)
(58) Arena, Arkcoll (see 54)
(59) Lynda Gratton, Redesigning How We Work (HBR 2023)
(60) Insight222, What Are The Five Trends Shaping People Analytics in 2024? (myHRfuture, 2024)
(61) Heidi Grant Ginnie Carlier Frank Giampietro, Using Data to Design Your Hybrid Work Policies
(62) Heidi Manna David Green ??, How to Create a Flexible Work Model That Enhances Inclusion and Employee Experience (Digital HR Leaders podcast episode)
(63) Nick Bloom James Liang Ruobing Han, One Company A/B Tested Hybrid Work. Here’s What They Found (HBR 2024)
(64) Dawn Klinghoffer Karen Kocher Maryleen Emeric Leal Jared Spataro, In the Changing Role of the Office, It’s All about Moments That Matter (Microsoft 2023)
(65) Kelly Jones, Unlocking the Power of Hybrid Work: 5 Guiding Principles from Cisco's 3-Year Study Article | White Paper | Executive Summary
(66) Michael Arena Andras Vicsek John Golden, Ph.D. Scott Hines, PhD, Cultivating Culture in a Hybrid Context
(67) Alexandra Camp Phil Kirschner Laura Pineault Dr. Patrick Simon, Hybrid can be healthy for your organization—when done right
(68) Brian Elliott, Return-to-Office Mandates: How to Lose Your Best Performers (MIT SMR 2024)
(69) Lynda Gratton - Seven Truths About Hybrid Work and Productivity MIT SMR 2024)
(70) Marc Effron , Above the Fray: What We Know About How WFH and Hybrid Affect Work
(71) Jonathan Ferrar Naomi Verghese Madhura Chakrabarti, PhD, Harnessing Data for Growth: The Impact of People Analytics (Insight222, 2024)
(72) Eric Lesser Peter DeBellis Marc Solow, 2023 High-Impact People Analytics Research (Deloitte, 2024)
(73) Shari Chernack Jonathan Gordin, 2024 Voice of the CHRO: Maximizing HR effectiveness in a changing landscape (Mercer, 2024)
(74) Lesser et al (see 72)
(75) Josh Bersin, People Analytics, A Complex Domain, Is About To Be Transformed by AI (2024)
(76) PwC Saratoga, Saratoga Annual Benchmarking Report 2024 (PwC, 2024)
(77, 78) Ferrar et al (see reference 71)
(79) Dave Ulrich Harrison James, Human Capability and Stakeholder Value: Updating the Organization Guidance System (LinkedIn, 2024)
(80) Thomas Hedegaard Rasmussen, Mike Ulrich Dave Ulrich - Moving People Analytics From Insight to Impact (Sage Journals, 2023)
(81) Jasmine Panayides, Partnering with Finance to Drive Greater Business Impact with People Analytics (myHRfuture, 2024)
(82) Patrick Coolen, The 10 golden rules for establishing a people analytics practice (LinkedIn, 2024)
(83) Verghese et al (see 31)
(84) Rosenow (see 52)
(85) Rob Briner David Green ??, What is Evidence Based HR and Why is it Important? (Digital HR Leaders podcast episode, 2024)
(86) Jonathan Ferrar David Green ??, Excellence in People Analytics (Kogan Page Publishing, 2021)
(87) David Green ??, A History of People Analytics in Five Ages (LinkedIn, 2021)
(88) Jens Stefan Baier, Vinciane Beauchene, Julie Bedard, Jean-Michel Caye, Dr. Philipp Kolo, Fang Ruan, Alexander Alonso, PhD SHRM-SCP, Anthony Ariganello, Kai H. Helfritz, Bob Morton, Chartered CCIPD, Lucas van Wees, Wilson Wong - Creating People Advantage: Set the Right People Priorities for Challenging Times (BCG, 2023)
(89) Adam Gibson Nicola Oldroyd, Agile Workforce Planning (Strategic Workforce Planning, Best Practices and Emerging Directions, Oxford University Press, 2024)
(90) Baier et al (see 88)
(91) Kate Bravery Joana Silva Jens Peterson, 2024 Global Talent Trends (Mercer, 2024)
(92) Mark Whittle Liana Passantino, PhD Maggie Schroeder-O’Neal, Top 5 Priorities for HR Leaders in 2025 (Gartner, 2024)
(93) Verghese et al (see 31)
(94) Laura Wright Shubert David Green ??, How MetLife Made a Success of their Strategic Workforce Planning (Digital HR Leaders podcast, 2022)
(95) Alex Browne David Green ??, Nestlé's 4B Methodology to Strategic Workforce Planning (Digital HR Leaders podcast, 2023)
(96) Alicia Roach, Chris Hare David Green ??, How to Democratise Strategic Workforce Planning (Digital HR Leaders podcast, 2023)
(97) Whittle et al (see 92)
(98) Rebecca Thielen and David Green ??, Microsoft's Key to Strategic Workforce Planning Success (Digital HR Leaders podcast, 2024)
(99) Jeroen Van Hautte ?, How unlocking skills lies in capturing business data (TechWolf, 2023)
(100) Brian Heger, Enabling Strategic Workforce Planning Through Skills, Artificial Intelligence, and Internal Talent Marketplace (Strategic Workforce Planning, Best Practices and Emerging Directions, Oxford University Press, 2024)
(101) Jonathan Ferrar, How to Build a Workforce Planning Strategy that Delivers Business Value (myHRfuture, 2021)
(102) World Economic Forum and PwC, Putting Skills First: Opportunities for Building Efficient and Equitable Labour Markets (World Economic Forum, 2024)
(103) Baier et al (see reference 88)
(104) MIT SMR Connections and Mercer, Strategic Shift: Skills-Powered Organizations in the Age of AI (MIT, 2024)
(105) Attilio Di Battista, Sam Grayling, Elselot Hasselaar, Till Alexander Leopold, Ricky LI, Mark Rayner and Saadia Zahidi – The Future of Jobs Report 2023 (World Economic Forum, 2023)
(106) Anish Lalchandani and David Green ??, The Four Reskilling Principles Every HR Leader Should Know (Digital HR Leaders podcast episode, myHRfuture, 2024)
(107) Susan Cantrell, Michael Griffiths, Robin Jones, and Julie Hiipakka - The skills-based organization: A new operating model for work and the workforce (Deloitte, 2022)
(108) Allan Schweyer, Barbara Lombardo, PhD, Matt Rosenbaum and Peter Sheppard, The Long but Rewarding Journey to Becoming a Skills-Driven Organization (The Conference Board, 2024)
(109) Sandra Loughlin, PhD and David Green ??, Building a Skills-Based Organisation: Lessons from a 30-Year Journey (Digital HR Leaders podcast episode, myHRfuture, 2024)
(110) World Economic Forum and PwC (see reference 102)
(111) Ravin Jesuthasan, CFA, FRSA and Tanuj Kapilashrami, The Skills-Powered Organization: The Journey to the Next Generation Enterprise (MIT Press, 2024)
(112) Tanuj Kapilashrami, Michael Fraccaro, Tamla Oates-Forney, and David Green ??, CHRO Panel: Delivering against the transformation imperative (Gloat, 2024) – see extract
(113) Schweyer et al (see reference 108)
(114) Nick van der Meulen, Olgerta Tona, and Dorothy Leidner, Resolving Workforce Skills Gaps with AI-Powered Insights (MIT, 2024)
(115) Christina Norris-Watts, Doug Shagam, and David Green ?? - How Johnson & Johnson are Scaling Their Skills-Based Approach to Talent (Digital HR Leaders podcast episode, myHRfuture, 2023)
(116) Lamoreaux and Green (see reference 34)
(117) Bo Cowgill, Jonathan Davis, Pablo Montagnes, Patryk Perkowski and Bettina Hammer - How to Design an Internal Talent Marketplace (Harvard Business Review, 2023)
(118) Michael Fraccaro and David Green ??, How Mastercard is Using AI to Drive Employee Success and Leadership Growth (Digital HR Leaders podcast episode, myHRfuture, 2024)
(119) Lara Wainwright, Duncan Reynell and David Green ??, How Digital Transformation Fuels Skills and EX at Lloyds Banking Group (Digital HR Leaders podcast episode, myHRfuture, 2024)
(120) Marc Effron, Is the Juice Worth the Squeeze? Questions About Becoming a Skills-based Organization (The Talent Strategy Group , 2024)
(121) Jaejin Lee, Skill-based Transformation: “Don't Start with Skills, Start with Work!” (LinkedIn, 2024)
(122) Gartner, Skills-based talent management strategy, business outcomes can guide your actions – Gareth Flynn, LinkedIn post (Gartner, 2024)
(123) Mikaël Wornoo? and David Green ??, How to Use Skills Data to Solve Business Challenges Digital HR Leaders podcast episode, myHRfuture, 2024)
(124) Sandra Loughlin, PhD, Seven Elements of Skills Data Quality (LinkedIn, 2024)
(125) Verghese et al (see reference 31)
(126) Brian Elliott, How to Stand Up When It Comes to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (MIT Sloan Management Review, 2024)
(127) Enrica Ruggs and Oscar Holmes IV, Why Dropping the E in DEI Is a Mistake (Harvard Business Review, 2024)
(128) Josh Bersin, DEI Attacked by SHRM, Civility In The Workplace, And The ROI of AI (Josh Bersin, 2024)
(129) Lori Nishiura Mackenzie, Sarah Soule, Shelley J. Correll, and Melissa C. Thomas-Hunt, How DEI Can Survive This Era of Backlash (Harvard Business Review, 2024)
(130) David Green ??, Key Learnings from Unleash World 2024 (LinkedIn, 2024)
(131) Kenji Yoshino, David Glasgow, and Christina Joseph, What Trump’s Second Term Could Mean for DEI (Harvard Business Review, 2024)
(132) Elliott (see reference 126)
(133) BCG, It’s Time to Highlight the Business Opportunity of DEI Initiatives (BCG, 2024)
(134) Dame Vivian Hunt, Sundiatu Dixon-Fyle, Celia Huber, Maria del Mar Martinez, Sara Prince, and Ashley Thomas - Diversity matters even more: The case for holistic impact (McKinsey, 2023)
(135) Quinetta Roberson, How Integrating DEI Into Strategy Lifts Performance (MIT Sloan Management Review, 2024)
(136) Lily Zheng, To Make Lasting Progress on DEI, Measure Outcomes (Harvard Business Review, 2023)
(137) Shujaat Ahmad, Real Measures that Matter for Real Change on DEIB (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging) (Belong & Lead, 2024)
(138) Serena H. Huang, Ph.D., DEI Funding Cuts? You Need Data Analytics and AI More Than Ever (LinkedIn, 2024)
(139) Henrik Bresman and Amy Edmondson, Research: To Excel, Diverse Teams Need Psychological Safety (Harvard Business Review, 2022)
(140) Ferrar et al (see reference 71)
(141) Michael Arena, Leveraging Social Capital (HR Exchange Network, 2018)
(142) Klinghoffer et al (see reference 64)
(143) Rob Cross, Mike Benson, Jack Kostal, PhD, and RJ Milnor, Collaboration Overload is Sinking Productivity (Harvard Business Review, 2021)
(144) Arena et al (see reference 66)
(145) Michael Arena, Adaptive Space (McGraw Hill, 2018)
(146) Rob Cross, Beyond Collaboration Overload (Harvard Business Review Press, 2021)
(147) Rob Cross and Karen Dillon, The Microstress Effect (Harvard Business Review Press, 2023)
(148) Michael Arena and David Green ??, What the Impact of Distributed Work on Organisational Networks Tells Us About the Future of Talent Management, (Digital HR Leaders podcast episode, myHRfuture, 2024)
(149) Francisco Marin, 5 Ways ONA Creates Value in Mergers and Acquisitions, (LinkedIn, 2020)
(150) Maya Bodan, Don Miller, Susan Cantrell, Gary Parilis, and Carissa Kilgour, Harnessing organization network analysis (ONA): Measure workforce performance and optimize strategies (Deloitte, 2024)
(151) Inga Carboni, Andrew Parker, and Nan Langowitz, Mapping Exclusion in the Organization (MIT Sloan Management Review, 2021)
(152) Jonathan Ferrar and David Green ??, How Can Passive ONA Highlight the Impact of Relationships on Diversity and Inclusion? (MyHRfuture, 2021)
(153) Lee (see reference 121)
(154) Michael Arena and Philip Arkcoll, Enabling High-Velocity Teams (HR Exchange Network, 2024)
(155) Jeppe Vilstrup Hansgaard, How to Rethink Change with the Three Percent Rule (Innovisor, 2019)
(156) Manish Goel and David Green ??, The Role of Network Analytics (ONA) in Ensuring Team Collaboration and Well Being (myHRfuture, 2020)
(157) Jonathan Gordin, Shari Chernack, Karen Shellenback, and Yamile Bruzza, Evolving the CHRO role in a rapidly changing world of work (Mercer 2023)
(158) Dave Ulrich, Update on HR Business Partner Model Continuing Evolution and Relevance (LinkedIn, 2024)
(159) Dave Ulrich, Patrick Wright, Mike Ulrich, Erin Wilson Burns, Do you want to be more effective as an HR professional? Here’s how (The RBL Group, 2021)
(160) Chernack and Gordin (see reference 67)
(161) Insight222 Building a Data-Driven Culture in HR, Immersive Learning Experiences, (Insight222, 2024)
(162) Naomi Verghese, Jonathan Ferrar - Upskilling the HR Profession: Building Data Literacy at Scale (Insight222, 2023)
(163) Ferrer et al (see reference 71)
(164) Gordin et al (see reference 157)
(165) Naomi Verghese Why is Role-modelling by the CHRO and HRLT Essential for Building Data Literacy in HR? (myHRfuture, 2023)
(166) Jeanne C M. 13 HR jobs of the future (HR Executive, 2024)
A selection of other 2025 HR predictions, opportunities and trends
There are a plethora of other resources documenting predictions, opportunities and trends for HR and the future of work in 2025 including (in alphabetical order):
Alexandra Nawrat, Five New Year’s resolutions for HR leaders in 2025
Andrew Spence, Beyond Prediction: Shaping Your Work Story in an Uncertain World - Andrew walks through seven dominant narratives on the Future of Work - from 'Dataism' to the 'Singularity' via 'Job Destruction.'
Daniel Zhao, Glassdoor Worklife Trends 2025 - includes data showing that Gen Z will make up 1 in 10 managers in 2025.
Gartner, Top 5 Priorities for HR Leaders in 2025
The Institute for Corporate Productivity (i4cp), 2025 Priorities & Predictions
Jen Colletta, 5 CHROs share what’s topping their 2025 HR strategy agenda - includes Melissa Werneck highlighting the HR's role as the ambassador for the responsible implementation of generative AI at work.
LinkedIn, Global Talent Trends
Dr. Solange Charas and Stela Lupushor, Crystal Balls and Cold Reality: HR Predictions for 2025
Steve Hunt, A guide to HR predictions, trends, and forecasts
Visier Inc., Embracing the AI Driven Workforce: 5 Workforce Trends for 2025
Unlock the potential of your people analytics function through the Insight222 People Analytics Program
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
David Green ?? is a globally respected author, speaker, conference chair, and executive consultant on people analytics, data-driven HR and the future of work. As Managing Partner and Executive Director at Insight222, he has overall responsibility for the delivery of the Insight222 People Analytics Program, which supports the advancement of people analytics in over 100 global organisations. Prior to co-founding Insight222, David accumulated over 20 years experience in the human resources and people analytics fields, including as Global Director of People Analytics Solutions at IBM. As such, David has extensive experience in helping organisations increase value, impact and focus from the wise and ethical use of people analytics. David also hosts the Digital HR Leaders Podcast and is an instructor for Insight222's myHRfuture Academy. His book, co-authored with Jonathan Ferrar, Excellence in People Analytics: How to use Workforce Data to Create Business Value was published in the summer of 2021.
MEET ME AT THESE EVENTS
I'll be speaking about people analytics, the future of work, and data driven HR at a number of upcoming events in early 2025:
January 21 - People Analytics in Italy: Insights from Research and Practice with Martha Curioni and Aizhan Tursunbayeva, PhD, GRP (VIRTUAL - Register here)
January 23 - The Strategic Outlook for People Analytics in 2025 with Ian Cook and Dawn Klinghoffer (WEBINAR - Register here)
February 26-27 - People Analytics World, Zürich
April 29-30 - People Analytics World, London
More events will be added as they are confirmed.
The 10 golden rules for establishing a people analytics practice十大黄金法则:
战略适配性:确保人力资源分析项目与组织的战略目标对齐,以实现最大的价值和影响。
持续的员工倾听:通过整合员工和业务的声音,优先处理正确的战略人力资源问题。
证据基础的HR服务整合:将所有基于证据的HR服务整合到一个功能中,提升人力资源分析的交付速度和质量。
清晰的人力资源分析操作模型:建立一个目标操作模型,明确客户、可交付服务、服务水平和交付时间。
数据隐私合规性:遵守数据隐私法规,同时考虑数据分析在文化和业务连续性方面的影响。
数据驱动决策的HR能力提升:通过提升HR社区的数据和洞察力使用,将业务机会转化为分析服务。
管理HR数据:建立集中的企业级数据基础设施,改善数据的组合、共享和分析能力。
产品设计和思维:确保人力资源分析服务的用户设计友好,易于导航,并激励用户在决策中使用数据。
实验与最小可行产品:通过实验和最小可行产品,逐步评估和改进解决方案,避免大规模实施失败。
利用人工智能的潜力:构建和实施基于机器学习的AI功能,确保模型的性能和有效性,同时控制数据偏见和合法性。
这些法则展示了通过系统方法创建并采纳人力资源分析实践的重要性,强调了以数据和证据为基础支持人力资源功能的必要性。
It is time for an update on my previous posts on the 10 golden rules of people analytics, simply because so much has happened since then. For example, continuous employee listening, artificial intelligence (AI in HR), agile HR, employee experience, strategic workforce management, and hybrid working are just a few emerging topics in recent years listed in Gartner's hype cycle for HR transformation (2023).
In the last year, I have spoken to many people working in different organisations on establishing people analytics as an accepted practice. I have also joined some great conferences (HRcoreLAB, PAW London & Amsterdam) where I learned from excellent speakers. I also (re)engaged with some excellent people analytics and workforce management vendors, such as Crunchr, Visier, eQ8, AIHR, One Model, Mindthriven, and Agentnoon. Finally, I also enjoyed having multiple elevating discussions with some thought leaders who influenced my thinking (e.g., David Green, Rob Briner, Jonathan Ferrar, Dave Millner, Sjoerd van den Heuvel, Ian O'Keefe, Brydie Lear, Jaap Veldkamp, RJ Milnor, and Nick Kennedy).
These encounters and my ongoing PhD research on adopting people analytics resulted in a treasure trove of new ideas and knowledge that confirmed my experience and beliefs that it is all about creating an embraced people analytics practice using a systemic approach in supporting HR in becoming more evidence-based. So, like I said, it's time for an update. I hope you enjoy and appreciate the post, and I invite you to engage and react in the comments or send me a direct message.
Create a strong strategy FIT.
It is obvious but not a common practice that your people analytics portfolio needs to align or fit with your strategic organisational goals. A strong strategic FIT ensures you execute people analytics projects with the most value and impact on your organisation. It is, therefore, important to integrate the decision-making on where to play in people analytics with your periodic HR prioritisation process.
Strategic workforce management and continuous employee listening are pivotal in prioritising the right strategic workforce issues
The bigger picture is that two people analytics-related HR interventions, strategic workforce management and continuous employee listening, are pivotal in prioritising the right strategic workforce issues. By blending the insights from these HR interventions, you ensure you are prioritising based on the voice of the business and the voice of the employee. See also my previous post on strategic workforce management. Because people analytics is at the core of these HR interventions and provides many additional strategic insights, I argue we need a new HR operating model where the people analytics practice is positioned at the centre of HR.
I argue that we need a new HR operating model where the people analytics practice is positioned at the centre of HR
Grow and integrate evidence-based HR services.
Based on my experience and research, I strongly advise integrating all evidence-based HR services into one function. See also my previous post on establishing a people analytics practice. This integration will enhance the speed and quality of your people analytics delivery, make you a trusted analytical strategic advisor, and make you a more attractive employer for top people analytics talent. All other people analytics function setups seem like compromises.
With evidence-based HR services, I refer to activities such as reporting, advanced analytics, survey management, continuous employee listening, organisational design and strategic workforce management. It is hardly ever that a strategic question is answered by only one of these services. In most cases, you will need to combine survey management (i.e., collecting new data), perform advanced analytics (i.e., build a predictive model), and share the outcomes in a dashboard (i.e., reporting) or build new system functionality based on the models (e.g., vacancy recommendation).
You will need to combine various people analytics services to provide real strategic value
Create a clear people analytics operating model.
Because the people analytics practice is maturing, it deserves a clear target operating model. In a target operating model, you clarify to the organisation whom you consider your clients, what services or solutions you can deliver, what service levels your clients can expect, and when and how you will deliver the solution.
Being transparent about your target operating model will build trust and legitimacy in your organisation. Inspired by the work of Insight222, a people analytics target operating model consists of a demand engine (understanding and prioritising demand), a solution engine (e.g., data management, building models, designing surveys), and a delivery engine (e.g., dashboards, advisory with story-telling, bringing models to production), ideally covering all the evidence-based HR services mentioned under rule 2 in this post. Additionally, more practices are applying agile principles to increase time-to-delivery and are using some form of release management to balance capacity.
Built trust and legitimacy
Compliance with data privacy regulations has been an important topic since the early days of people analytics ten years ago. Even before the GDPR era, organisations did well to understand when personal data could be collected, used, or shared. Legislation such as GDPR offers guidance and more structure to organisations on how to deal with data privacy issues.
Being fully compliant is not where responsible data handling ends
However, being fully compliant is not where responsible data handling ends. Simply because you can, according to data privacy regulations, doesn't mean you should. There are also contextual and ethical elements to take into account. For example, being able and regulatory-wise allowed to build an internal sourcing model matching internal employees with specific skills with internal vacancies doesn't mean you should. From a cultural or business continuity perspective, creating internal mobility may not be beneficial or desired in specific areas of your organisation. Assessing the implications of using data analytics in a broader context than just regulations will also enhance the needed trust and legitimacy.
Upskill HR in data-driven decision-making
Having a mature people analytics practice that delivers high-quality, evidence-based HR services is not enough to ensure value creation for your organisation. Suppose your organisation, including your HR community, struggles to translate business opportunities into analytical services or finds it hard to use data and insights on a daily basis in their decision-making. In that case, upskilling is a necessary intervention.
HR upskilling in data-driven decision-making is a necessity in growing towards a truly evidence-based HR culture
Creating awareness of the various analytical opportunities, developing critical thinking, creating an inquisitive mindset, identifying success metrics for HR interventions and policies, evaluating these metrics, and understanding the power of innovative data services, such as generative AI, is essential. When upskilling, be sure to recognise the different HR roles and their needs and preferences. For example, your HR business partners will likely want to develop their skills in identifying strategic workforce metrics and strategic workforce management. However, your COE lead (i.e., HR domain leads) wants to develop their ability to collect and understand internal clients' feedback and improve their HR services (e.g., recruitment, learning programs, leadership development). So, diversify your learning approach to make it more effective.
Manage your HR data
There is enormous value in integrating your HR and business data in a structured matter. Integrated enterprise-wide data allows you to combine, improve, share, and analyse data more efficiently. More organisations are using data warehouse and data lake principles to create this central enterprise-wide data infrastructure based on, for example, Microsoft Azure or Amazon Web Services technology.
A mature people analytics team is best equipped to create an HR data strategy and manage the corresponding data pipeline.
HR would do well to improve its capability to manage the data pipeline by hiring data engineers. It is an interesting discussion about where to position this data management capability and related skill set. The first thought is to position this capability close to the HR systems and infrastructure function. This setup might work perfectly. However, based on your HR context and maturity, I argue that the people analytics practice is a good and sometimes better alternative. Mature people analytics teams are likely more able to think about data management and creating data products and services built with machine learning models. Traditional HR systems and infrastructure teams may tend to focus too much on the efficiency of the HR infrastructure (e.g., straight-through processing, rationalising the HR tech landscape).
Excel in product design and thinking
Successful people analytics or evidence-based HR services excel in product design. Whether built with PowerBI or vendor-led BI platforms (e.g., Crunchr, Visier, One Model), dashboards must be user-friendly, easy to navigate, and motivate users to work with data in their decision-making. The same applies to functionality based on machine learning models, such as chatbots, learning assistants, or vacancy recommendations. The user design, the functionality provided, and the flawless and timely delivery all contribute to maximising the usage of these analytical services and, ultimately, decision-making.
Strong product design and thinking requires product owners to have a marketing mindset
As important as the product design is product thinking by the product owner. A product owner for, e.g., recruitment or leadership programs, should be constantly interested in hearing what internal clients think about their products. This behaviour requires product owners to have a marketing mindset. As part of a larger continuous listening program, an internal client feedback mechanism should provide the necessary information to improve your products and services continuously. A product owner should be curious about questions like: Are your internal clients satisfied? Should we tailor the products for different user types? What functionality can we improve or add?
Allow yourself to experiment
When a solution looks good and makes sense based on your analytics, management tends to go for an immediate big-bang implementation. However, don't be afraid to experiment and learn before rolling out your solution to all possible users. Starting with a minimum viable product (i.e., MVP) allows you to evaluate your product among a select group of users early in the development process. Based on feedback, you can enhance your product incrementally (i.e., agile) manner.
It also enables you, when valuable, to compare treatment groups with non-treatment groups. These types of experiments (i.e., difference-in-difference comparisons) help you to evaluate the effect the new product intends to have. People analytics services can support this incremental approach, testing a minimal viable product (MVP) and obtaining feedback to provide additional insights that may avoid a big implementation failure of your new products.
Embrace the potential of AI in HR
Today, artificial intelligence (AI) is predominantly based on machine learning (ML). These AI-ML models provide powerful functionality such as vacancy and learning recommendations, chatbots, and virtual career or work schedule assistants. There is no need to fear these applications, but having a deeper understanding of them is necessary. However, implementing these types of functionality without checking and validating them is risky and, therefore, unwise.
A mature people analytics practice allows you to build your own machine-learning-based AI functionality
A mature people analytics practice allows you to create and build these AI functionalities internally. You can also buy AI functionality by implementing a vendor tool, but please ensure you do not end up with a new vendor for each AI functionality you desire. If you choose to buy AI functionality, the people analytics team should act as a gatekeeper. Internally built machine learning models are subject to checks and balances. And rightfully so. However, the same should apply to ML-based AI functionality from external providers. The people analytics team should check the performance and validity of the model and control for biases in the data and legal and ethical justification.
The people analytics leader can make the difference
If you are the people analytics leader within your organisation, it might be daunting or reassuring to hear that you can make the difference between failure and success. You bring the people analytics practice alive by reaching out to stakeholders, developing your team, understanding your clients, learning from external experts, and building a road map to analytical maturity.
A successful people analytics practice starts with the right people analytics leader
As a people analytics leader, you should excel in business acumen, influencing skills, strategic thinking, critical and analytical thinking, understanding the HR system landscape, understanding the possibilities of analytical services, project management, and, last but not least, people management (as all leaders should). The result of having all these capabilities is that a people analytics leader, together with the people analytics team, becomes a trusted advisor to senior management, understands the most pressing issues within an organisation, can effectively manage the HR data pipeline, and can build new analytical services to enhance decision-making and ultimately drive organisational performance and employee well-being.
I hope you enjoyed my update on the 10 golden rules for establishing people analytics practice. If you enjoyed the post, please hit ? or feel invited to engage and react in the comments. Send me a direct message if you want to schedule a virtual meeting to exchange thoughts one-on-one.
Thanks to Jaap Veldkamp for reviewing.
作者 :Patrick Coolen
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/10-golden-rules-establishing-people-analytics-practice-patrick-coolen-85use/
HR transformation
2024年04月15日
HR transformation
What Issues are Top of the Mind for HR Leaders Heading into 2024?根据康奈尔大学工业劳动关系学院高级人力资源研究中心的一份调查报告,“转型和演变”这一广泛而重要的话题最近受到人力资源领导者的关注,该问题被确定为2024年企业的最紧迫问题。
“考虑到公司一直面临的所有颠覆,无论是在业务方面,还是在地缘政治问题的更广泛环境中,看到转型成为今年的首要目标,我并不感到惊讶,”康奈尔大学战略人力资源教授兼该中心主任布拉德贝尔说。
根据上周发布的调查,超过三分之二(67%)的人力资源领导者认为转型和演变(包括人力资源转型、文化演变和混合工作演变)是首要问题。而2023年,转型与演进排名第三,只有大约45%的受访者认为是首要问题。
调查显示,由于地缘政治力量和劳动力变化导致的业务中断正在加剧人们对转型和演变的担忧。Bell 说,人力资源领导者特别关注人力资源内部的转型,例如保持公司的敏捷性、提高效率和优化运营。他指出,中东的冲突和乌克兰的持续战争限制了这些地区的员工流动,另外,总体上减缓了一些人力资源转型工作。他补充说,对组织治理问题的高度关注,包括股东对高管薪酬的发言权,也在缓和人力资源转型,因为这种努力可能会限制招聘工作。
此外,Bell 表示,调查参与者报告说,快速的组织文化变化使员工难以建立联系并发展共同的目标,尤其是在当今分散的工作环境中。作为回应,人力资源领导者经常更新他们的混合工作模式,这可能会损害包容性或其他相关目标,从而阻碍文化发展。
HR 优先事项如何变化
排名前五的问题分别是人才管理、技术、员工体验以及领导力和继任计划。
Bell说,技术是今年进入前五名的新事物,这主要是由于人力资源部门对人工智能的兴趣。在前几年,该主题被嵌入到其他类别中,例如数字员工体验。去年排名第四的总奖励从榜单上掉了下来。
“每年,似乎都会有一个新话题出现在前 5 名名单上,”贝尔说。他说,2023 年,在高通胀和寻求为员工提供经济救济的组织推动下,总薪酬是增加的。但今年,通胀正在放缓,对经济衰退的担忧正在缓解,这可能会减少雇主对这一领域的担忧。
DEI 和福祉仍然是人力资源的优先事项吗?
Bell 说,尽管他们没有进入前五名,但 DEI 和福祉仍然是人力资源领导者最关心的问题之一。与去年一样,他们在 2024 年分别排名第六和第七。
Bell 说:“人力资源主管谈到希望保持他们迄今为止在 DEI 方面取得的进展,甚至希望将这些努力提升到一个新的水平。“例如,他们不仅考虑多样性和包容性,还考虑我们如何推动公平和各种人才实践。”
然而,他指出,一些公司正在撤回他们的 DEI 努力。这些行动反映在最高法院去年对平权行动作出裁决后,削减 DEI 预算和裁员 DEI 官员。
他说,同样,雇主对幸福感的关注也在减弱。
“大流行后,人们对员工的健康和福祉非常关注,”贝尔说。“我认为它已经有所消退。我不认为它像我们在调查中看到的其他一些主题那样受到同等程度的关注。
Source Human Resource Executive