Episoder
-
In this episode of the WhatWorks podcast, Caryn McGarry, CHRO of ICF, describes her journey to CHRO how she manages HR in a highly competitive professional services company. Caryn shares insights on the detailed nature of the C-suite partnership and how her unique career path contributes to her C-level business role today.
ICF is a large professional services company headquartered in Washington, DC with over 7,000 employees globally.
Additional Information
Why Is It So Hard To Be A Chief HR Officer (CHRO)?
New Research: Secrets Of The High Performing CHRO
Systemic HR Overview
How Systemic HR shapes TomTomâs Strategic HR Journey
-
After an intense week in Europe at an HR Technology conference, I want to share my deep perspectives on Trust, which is in very short supply these days. Not only do European leaders mistrust the US right now, the Edelman Trust Barometer shows that 2/3 of employees no longer trust the CEOs of their own companies.
In an effort to help you think this through, I share the three dimensions of trust and give you some important things to think about in your own career and in your role as an HR professional, leader, friend, or advisor to other leaders in your company.
Additional Information
2025 Edelman Trust Barometer: A Crisis of Grievance
Citizenship At Work: Dealing With Politics Inside and Outside The Company (podcast)
Corporate Citizenship Defined: Trust, Inclusion, and Responsibility
Giving Voice to Values: Certificate Program in The Josh Bersin Academy
-
Mangler du episoder?
-
After a long week of meetings about AI transformation with many companies, I want to highlight the big paradox we face. On one hand, AI is now seen as a proven, pragmatic solution to productivity, growth, and customer experience. So every company is pushing for AI transformations in every domain. But on the other hand, AI is also likely to eliminate many routine jobs, already leading to a white-collar recession. (White collar and college educated workers are having a hard time finding new jobs.)
How do we deal with this paradox? Listen in and Iâll tell you the story, and also explain how companies are redesigning their entire job architectures to accommodate the AI change.
Additional Information
First HR AI Success Metrics Beyond âSaving Timeâ Emerge from Josh Bersin Company Analysis
The Rise of the Superworker: AI Imperatives for 2025
Meet Galileo, your essential AI assistant for everything HR.
-
This week I summarize some of the hard-hitting AI transformation and productivity stories weâre hearing from clients, and I explain the various ways to approach these topics. I also discuss the surprising pushback on DEI and how workforce fear and stress has risen in our companies. All this leads to a new and important new role for HR leaders: driving and leading the push toward productivity and automation throughout the company.
And finally I try to give you some perspective on the Elon Musk DOGE work going on in Washington and how this impacts our business strategies.
Additional Information
Busting Bureaucracy: Are Layoffs The Only Way To Go?
New Research: Secrets Of The High Performing CHRO
Despite Political Firestorm, Diversity Investments Are Alive And Well
The Rise Of The Superworker: Delivering On The Promise of AI
Edelman Trust Barometer 2025
Resources For You
The Organization Design SuperClass (Josh Bersin Academy certificate program)
Elevating Equity: Comprehensive Certificate Program in The Josh Bersin Academy
Get GalileoÂź, The Essential AI Assistant For Everything HR
-
This week I interview CEO of Arist Michael Ioffe, one of the most innovative entrepreneurs Iâve met. Michael and his team have built an astounding message-based learning platform that uses AI to build content, distribute content, and even do needs analysis.
For those of you who are L&D or learning geeks, you really need to listen to this podcast. Arist was developed for âlearning in the war zone,â and thatâs pretty much what business is like.
Additional Information
Experience Arist: HR Predictions and Imperatives for 2025 (Josh Bersin Academy â Free)
Autonomous Corporate Learning Platforms: Arriving Now, Powered by AI
The Rise of the Superworker: Delivering On The Promise Of AI
-
This week I share perspectives on the huge theme of âtaking a chainsaw to bureaucracyâ and improving productivity. Is it fair to âBlame the Workersâ for the bureaucracy we face?
There is a growing trend toward strategic layoffs and workforce redeployment around AI, and this is just the beginning. But rather than blaming the workers for the problem, I suggest the problem starts at the top. When leaders over-hire, fail to clarify goals, and under-invest in strong leadership alignment, bureaucracy grows as a result.
Along our new theme of âCreating the Superworker Organization,â I try to explain a new way of thinking about this challenge, and push for CEOs and CHROs to take responsibility.
Additional Information
The Rise of the Superworker: Delivering On The Promise Of AI
New Research: Secrets Of The High Performing CHRO
The Road To AI-Driven Productivity: Four Stages of Transformation
-
âThe moment your HR organization can be âreplicatedâ into another company, youâve failed as a CHRO.â
In this podcast Arne-Christian explains why the CHRO is no longer an HR leader, but now a business transformation executive.
Arne-Christian describes his career path to becoming a CHRO, identifies the key behaviors and characteristics that helped him become a high-performing CHRO, and discusses the evolving role of the CHRO and how it can shape the journey to Systemic HRÂź. He also provides actionable guidance for rising HR leaders, current CHROs, and CEOs to create business impact.
If youâre a senior HR leader and would like to join our podcast, please reach out to us.
Additional Information
Why Is It So Hard To Be A Chief HR Officer (CHRO)?
New Research: Secrets Of The High Performing CHRO
CHRO Insights Research Report
CHRO Insights Benchmarking Survey
CHRO Insights Video (Youtube)
-
In this podcast I want to talk about Jamie Dimonâs recent town-hall at JP Morgan Chase. He describes his frustration with remote work, bureaucracy, and lack of productivity in vivid language. As youâll hear from my comments, I have 100% sympathy for his feelings, but the answer is not as simple as forcing people into the office or laying off 10% of the workforce.
Stay tuned I promise youâll learn something. This is a problem in job design, culture, middle management roles, and overly complex job architecture. And weâre witnessing this precise situation with layoffs at Salesforce, Workday, Meta, and other fast-growing companies.
Additional Information
New Research: Secrets Of The High Performing CHRO
Understanding Organization Design
AI in HR: Certificate Program in The Josh Bersin Academy
Galileo Professional, The Essential AI Assistant for Everything HR
-
In this weekâs podcast I introduce our new research on the important and fast-changing role of CHRO, or Chief People Officer.
Over the last decade this role has exploded in scope and importance, leaving many CEOs and CHROs working to keep up. After a year of research studying the career history and performance of more than 20,000 senior HR leaders, I explain how the role has changed and share our new research on the backgrounds, experiences, and capabilities of the worldâs leading Chief HR Officers.
If youâre a senior HR leader, please join our benchmarking survey to learn more.
Additional Information
New Research Unlocks Secrets Of The High Performing CHRO (article)
CHRO Insights Research Report
CHRO Insights Benchmarking Survey
CHRO Insights Video (Youtube)
-
This week I discuss the rapid evolution of AI Agents in the Enterprise, and how theyâre starting to replace billions of dollars of legacy enterprise software. It wonât happen overnight, but using our four-stage model, companies are rapidly looking at ways to use AI platforms to assist, automate, and integrate business workflows in ways that ERP and HCM systems failed.
(PS: this disruption is why Workday and Salesforce just had layoffs.)
The four stages are discussed in The Rise of the Superworker. And you can get all the details in Galileo.
Additional Information
Digital Twins, Digital Employees, And Agents Everywhere
The AI Trailblazers! HR Technology Outlook 2025.
AI in HR: Certificate Program in The Josh Bersin Academy
Galileo Professional, The Essential AI Assistant for Everything HR
-
Lloyds Banking Group, the largest bank in the UK, is undergoing a ÂŁ3 Billion business transformation focused on enhancing customer experiences, integrating products and services, and leveraging technology to improve service delivery.
Holly Quincey, Chief Talent Officer, describes the companyâs accompanying talent transformation, particularly its skills-based hiring strategy.
Talent Acquisition: This includes bringing executive hiring and leadership development in-house, saving millions. A program called âPrescientâ was developed for the top 340 leaders, incorporating tools like Hogan and Raven assessments, 360 feedback, and external benchmarking to build leadership capabilities and align with future skills needs.
Cultural Transformation: Lloyds is shifting from siloed thinking to a more collaborative, customer-obsessed, and growth-oriented culture. This involves fostering a mindset where the bank sees itself as a tech company that does banking, rather than a traditional bank with good technology.
Recruitment and Workforce Planning: The recruitment function was remodeled in 2024, with a focus on reducing agency dependency and aligning talent acquisition with strategic workforce planning. This included hiring leaders with experience in campaign hiring and demand planning.
Financial and Operational Impact: The transformation has already generated significant financial savings, including ÂŁ20 million in 2024 alone from in-house initiatives like talent acquisition and leadership development. The organization continues to hire thousands annually while embedding innovation and efficiency across its operations.
This WhatWorks interview will give listeners the inspiration to âthink bigâ in your end-to-end talent transformation strategy.
Additional Information
Leadership Development Insights,
Human-Centered Leadership, Certificate Program in The Josh Bersin Academy
Why Are Some Companies More Dynamic than Others?
-
Change and transformation is the theme for 2025. 53% of CEOs believe their company will not exist in ten years, with iconic brands like Starbucks, Boeing, Nike, Intel, Southwest, and Target going through turnarounds. And 93% of CEOs believe AI will totally transform their operating model. (PwC CEO Survey.)
At the same time weâre witnessing a massive âchange managementâ push in the US Federal Government, driven by 200+ executive orders and other communications. The big issue i discuss is âwill this form of change even work?â Do âExecutive Ordersâ help people understand and embrace mandates for change?
While political change is not the right model for business, I want to point out how risky this approach may be. Putting aside political issues themselves, I think weâre about to learn a big lesson on âhow to create enduring change.â Yes, sometimes things have to happen fast, but in most cases culture is built over years and individuals must be included in the process.
And that goes for AI transformation too, as I discuss in the podcast.
If you want to learn more about the topic of change, I encourage you to check out our Josh Bersin Academy program âChange Agility.â
And please read my book Irresistible, which is now one of the highest rated business books on Amazon.
Additional Information
Despite Political Firestorm, Diversity Investments Are Alive And Well
The Rise Of The Superworker: Delivering On The Promise of AI
Elevating Equity: Certificate Program in The Josh Bersin Academy
Get GalileoÂź, The Essential AI Assistant For Everything HR
-
Jim Hemgen, Director of Talent Development at Booz Allen Hamilton, talks with Kathi Enderes about how the company creates validated skills across hundreds of domains, including AI.
This success story defines the journey for every company. Using skills validation provided by Workera, and content from Udemy and HackerRank, Booz Allen has created a highly trusted, validated skills process that credentials employees in a trusted and verified manner. And Jim explains how he works with these vendors to put together a powerful, working solution.
As youâll hear, the key to success is engaging managers (and employees) to encourage learning and focus on the most important new skills. Jim also describes how story-telling and rewards contribute to the companyâs success in ongoing skills development. Today more than one third of Booz Allen staff have completed validated credentials for their career.
Sign up today for our newest course âBuilding a Skills Strategy that Works,â filled with case studies and a step-by-step guide to skills-based learning, recruiting, development, and career management.
Additional Information
How To Take A Pragmatic (and winning) Approach To Skills
The Rise of the Superworker: Delivering On The Promise Of AI
AI in HR: Certificate Program in The Josh Bersin Academy
Galileo Professional, The Essential AI Assistant for Everything HR
-
In this conversation, I discuss the DEI firestorm, the evolution and current state of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives in the corporate world, the alarming decline in trust towards businesses, and the necessity for companies to reinvent themselves in the face of changing market dynamics and the rise of the âsuper workerâ. I also explain how much of our HR research is now clearly playing out in the PwC CEO Survey, which puts a financial picture on much of our HR and workplace research.
Takeaways
DEI programs have historical roots and are essential for business.The political climate has influenced DEI initiatives significantly.Trust in business has seen a significant decline recently.Many employees feel disillusioned with the American dream.Reinvention is crucial for companies to thrive in the future.Companies that redeploy talent see better financial outcomes.The Edelman Trust Barometer reveals alarming trends in public trust.Diverse and inclusive workplaces lead to better performance.The rise of AI is transforming business operations.Engagement in DEI is a business necessity, not just a social agenda.Important Resources
The Rise Of The Superworker: Delivering On The Promise of AI
January 28 Predictions Webinar
Edelman Trust Barometer 2025
PwC 2025 CEO Survey
Get GalileoÂź, The Essential AI Assistant For Everything HR
-
In this podcast I explain the four-stages of AI transformation and detail why and how âAI Pacesettersâ will far outperform others in their AI business transformations. The Rise of the Superworker research explains this in more detail.
The Rise of the Superworker predictions report is available to all users of Galileo, The Josh Bersin Academy, or Corporate Members. (A Galileo Pro membership is only $39 per month, and JBA membership is $49 per month.)
If you want to learn more and follow our ongoing case studies, briefs, and AI tools, download the Rise of the Superworker Overview today. You will be registered for regular updates. And please register for our launch webinar where I will detail this entire story.
Chapters
00:00 The Super Worker Effect and AI Transformation06:54 Re-engineering Work with AI13:14 Change Management and Training for AI Adoption17:14 The Future of Work in an AI-Driven World
Additional Information
Digital Twins, Digital Employees, And Agents Everywhere
AI in HR: Certificate Program in The Josh Bersin Academy
Galileo Professional, The Essential AI Assistant for Everything HR
-
How do you deliver on the promise of AI in your team, your company, and your career? Welcome to The Rise of the Superworker, our new research on the organizational adoption of AI. This research explains how organizations and leaders can redesign work, jobs, and customer experiences to deliver on the promise of AI.
And as youâll hear, job opportunities will expand for everyone. AI is not a technology to eliminate jobs, rather its a platform to empower every role. And the result will be orders of magnitude improvements in revenue, productivity, service, and creativity.
Download the Infographic overview here.
You can get the detailed report by subscribing to our AI platform Galileo, joining The Josh Bersin Academy, or our joining our Corporate Membership.
Additional Information
The Rise of the Superworker: In-Depth Article
AI in HR: Certificate Program in The Josh Bersin Academy
Galileo Professional, The AI Assistant for Everything HR
-
How do you build precision leadership skills at scale? Kendra Goldbas, Global Head of Learning & Development at PayPal, describes the world-class new manager development program at PayPal, MAPS (Managing at PayPal Successfully).
During the pandemic PayPal grew rapidly and needed a world-class leadership development program for remote leaders. The MAPS program, which is based on âlearn | practice | teach,â builds managerial skills quickly.
The program starts with a 6-week cohort based learning experience covering technical and leadership topics, and then encourages leaders to focus on a six-month precision development journey. By encouraging leaders to focus on âone major skill,â the company creates a high level of accountability and continuous growth.
The company uses Growthspaceâs precision development platform to personalize leadership skills across the entire company.
Additional Information
The Surprising Facts About Leadership Development, Human-Centered Leadership,
Why Are Some Companies More Dynamic Than Others?
Leading with impact: How PayPal is shaping its new managers with Growthspace
-
Welcome to 2025, where I discuss the five big challenges ahead. These include (1) economic uncertainties, bifurcated labor market, (2) the impact of AI on the workforce and the Rise of Superworkers, (3) the new âsoupâ of issues in employee experience, which lands in HRâs lap, (4) the changing nature of leadership and leadership development, and (5) the urgent need to HR transformation from the inside out.
Every CEO, CHRO, and individual HR professional is going to deal with these five challenges, and I hope this roadmap helps you prioritize your time in the year ahead. Remember that Galileo, The Josh Bersin Academy, and our corporate membership services are here to help!
Additional Resources
A Tumultuous Year Behind: A Challenging, Important 2025 (the 2025 article in detail)
Introducing The AI Trailblazers! HR Technology Outlook 2025.
AI in HR: Certificate Program in The Josh Bersin Academy
Introducing Systemic HRÂź
The Road to AI-Powered Productivity: Four Stages of Transformation
Galileo Professional, The AI Assistant for Everything HR
Systemic HR and Galileo are registered trademarks of The Josh Bersin Company.
-
Welcome to 2025. Today I give you a sneak preview of Galileo as a voice assistant, powered by our upcoming mobile app. And I give you a preview of your enormous 2025 role in embracing, adopting, and optimizing the use of AI in your company.
I highlight three major themes for the year. First, the use of intelligent agents in your own work throughout HR; second, the new world of âproductivity-based job design,â which will create enormous changes in job titles, roles, structures, and skills; third, the exciting new dynamic cultural shifts required in organizations to facilitate this transformation.
Throughout this conversation I discuss many of the â100 Use Cases for Galileo in HRâ which details many of the exciting innovations you can bring to your company this year.
And at the end I share a brief conversation I had with Galileo, the AI-Powered Assistant for Everything HR.
Additional Resources
How AI Will Revolutionize The HR Department, In Detail. E205 (Podcast)
Digital Twins, Digital Employees, And Agents Everywhere
Introducing The AI Trailblazers! HR Technology Outlook 2025.
Can AI Do Performance Reviews? Rippling Says Yes.
AI in HR: Certificate Program in The Josh Bersin Academy
Galileo Professional, The Essential AI Assistant for Everything HR
-
In this discussion I reflect on the significant events and trends of 2024, highlighting the impact of global conflicts, economic change, labor market dynamics, and the transformative role of AI in organizations.
What has changed? I discuss the evolving nature of DEI, the new model of leadership which emerged, and the transformation of HR into a more integrated and essential function within businesses.
I also describe the two-edged labor market, with severe labor shortages in hourly and blue collar work yet a lack of opportunities in white collar jobs. In fact I argue that our employment situation is not as happy as one may believe: the hyper low unemployment at the low end is masking unemployment fears among white collar workers. And as I discuss, 77% of employees are now fearful that AI could negatively impact their jobs and careers.
I also point out the enormous opportunity for AI-driven change in 2025, which will not be easy or simple for companies to adopt. And I celebrate the central role of HR, moving to the Systemic HR© model ahead.
To all our listeners: stay tuned for our major report on âThe Rise of the Superworkerâ coming in January, an in-depth discussion about the 15 imperatives for change and AI transformation in 2025.
This groundbreaking report and related tools will be available to Galileo users and our corporate members. Sign up for Galileo today.
Key Points
2024 was marked by global conflicts affecting employees around the worldEconomic growth has been uneven, despite inflationâs impactLabor shortages continue, particularly in hourly jobs, while white-collar jobs are hard to findThe low unemployment rate is misleading: many workers cannot find jobsAI is barely beginning to revolutionize work processes and organizational structures.DEI initiatives are being reframed as business priorities rather than social agendas.Leadership has become a responsibility for every employee, not just management.HR is evolving from a support function to a strategic partner in business.Organizations must focus on data management and governance as AI grows.Well-being in the workplace has plummeted, yet it remains essential for business success.HR is now taking on a very different role in our companies.Chapters
00:00 Reflections on 2024: A Year of Conflict and Change03:32 Economic Landscape: Growth Amidst Challenges07:32 Labor Market Dynamics: Shortages and Opportunities12:05 AI Revolution: Transforming Work and Organizations16:14 DEI and HR Tech: Evolving Strategies for Inclusion20:35 Well-being and Leadership: Cultivating Healthy Organizations24:52 The Future of HR: Strategic Integration and TransformationAdditional Resources
100 Amazing Use-Cases for Galileo, The AI-Powered Assistant For Everything HR
AI in HR: Certificate Program in The Josh Bersin Academy
The Road to AI-Powered Productivity: Four Stages of Transformation
Digital Twins, Digital Employees, And Agents Everywhere
Adecco: Adapting to an AI-Driven World of Work
- Se mer
