The Josh Bersin Company

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 “learn | practice | teach,” 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 “one major skill,” the company creates a high level of accountability and continuous growth. The company uses Growthspace’s 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 “soup” of issues in employee experience, which lands in HR’s 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 HR® 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 “productivity-based job design,” 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 “100 Use Cases for Galileo in HR” 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 “The Rise of the Superworker” 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 world Economic growth has been uneven, despite inflation’s impact Labor shortages continue, particularly in hourly jobs, while white-collar jobs are hard to find The low unemployment rate is misleading: many workers cannot find jobs AI 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 Change 03:32  Economic Landscape: Growth Amidst Challenges 07:32  Labor Market Dynamics: Shortages and Opportunities 12:05  AI Revolution: Transforming Work and Organizations 16:14  DEI and HR Tech: Evolving Strategies for Inclusion 20:35  Well-being and Leadership: Cultivating Healthy Organizations 24:52  The Future of HR: Strategic Integration and Transformation Additional 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

How has Deel grown from zero to 4,500 employees in 100 countries in less than five years? It’s an amazing story of hyperscale growth and passionate customer focus. In today’s podcast Alex Bouaziz, CEO of Deel, talks with Kathi Enderes about his own journey from environmental engineer to founder of an HR tech company. Alex explains how he started Deel as an EOR (Employer of Record) company, and how the company has expanded into HCM and payroll around the world. He explains the EOR market and what global employment providers do, and also discusses their AI assistant, Deel AI, which can help answer any question by pulling from Deel’s knowledge base. Additional Information EOR Provider Deel Expands into HCM HR Tech Workshop Certificate Program | Josh Bersin Academy AI HR Tech Trailblazers, 2025 HR Tech Outlook  

In this conversation I share insights from my recent trip to Europe, focusing on the Workday Rising event, the current state of talent acquisition, and the evolving role of CHROs in strategic workforce planning. I discuss the importance of systemic talent acquisition, the emergence of “Precision Talent Acquisition” and the entire redefinition of this function. And I also explain why the term “Hiring Manager” is such a terrible concept. Finally I share my amazing conversation with one of the most high-powered, inspiring CHROs I’ve ever met. Takeaways Workday is integrating its products into a cohesive solution. The hiring cycle is slowing down due to economic factors. AI is increasing the value of existing workers, creating ‘super workers’ Talent acquisition should be viewed as a growth function. Precision in hiring is essential in a tight labor market. Cultural fit is as important as technical skills in hiring. Strategic workforce planning should align with business goals. The role of CHRO is evolving to include strategic planning, not “workforce planning” alone. Additional Information Klarna CEO Explains How AI-Driven Headcount Reduction Fuels Superworkers and Growth How To Make Productivity Soar: Four Stages of AI Transformation How AI Will Revolutionize The HR Department, In Detail. Galileo Professional, The Essential AI Assistant for Everything HR AI in HR Certificate Program: The Josh Bersin Academy Irresistible 2025: Sign Up Early

I know most of you have used ChatGPT, Galileo, or other AI tools in your job, but you haven’t seen anything yet. In this podcast I walk through a complete end-to-end scenario to show you precisely how AI agents will automate, scale, integrate, and vastly improve the process of hiring, onboarding, performance management, internal mobility, and more. As you’ll hear in this scenario, AI agents are going to revolutionize the talent process. Recruiters, HR Business Partners, and CHROs watch out. And this is just the beginning. Our upcoming “100 Use-Cases for Galileo in HR” will explain this in greater detail (Galileo is designed for all these use-cases and more.) Every HR professional should listen to this podcast to see the future of HR. Join our certificate program to learn more! Additional Information Become an AI Expert: AI in HR Certificate in The Josh Bersin Academy How To Make Productivity Soar: Four Stages of AI Transformation Digital Twins, Digital Employees, And Agents Everywhere Introducing The AI Trailblazers! HR Technology Outlook 2025. Galileo Professional, The Essential AI Assistant for Everything HR

What do we do about the American Dream? This week I discuss the explosion of employee and citizen activation (NYC UHG CEO, for example) and how the US economy has not been delivering for 2/3 of the workforce. And in that discussion I challenge HR and business leaders to re-engineer jobs and work around what we call Superworkers, all with a goal of using AI to increase customer service, scale, quality, and value. I try to warn and give examples of what happens when companies use technologies like AI to eliminate jobs and simply reduce labor costs. Employees will give you feedback, they can “rage quit.” Automation to reduce labor can backfire. Our job as leaders is to help build a company of Superworkers. Additional Research and Reading Donald Trump Will Do Nothing to Bring Back Our Dying American Dream (NYT research column) What Gives Poor Kids a Shot at Better Lives? Economists Find an Unexpected Answer (Raj Chetty’s research on lack of upward mobility in the US) How To Make Productivity Soar: Four Stages of AI Transformation Digital Twins, Digital Employees, And Agents Everywhere Galileo Professional, The Essential AI Assistant for Everything HR

Linda Kirchhevel, Director, Talent & Leadership Development at Sanford Health talks with Kathi Enderes about their leadership development program. Linda discusses how the organization’s frequent mergers caused them to prioritize creating a unique leadership framework centered around the mission of the organization. (Sanford Health is the largest rural healthcare provider in the United States.) The Sanford Leader Framework (“The Sanford Leader”) is applicable to anybody in the organization, focused on developing behaviors and capabilities at scale for all 45,000 employees. Built in collaboration with FranklinCovey, the leadership development model, assessment, orientation, and development plan delivers a customized leadership program at all levels. (Leading self, leading others, leading mission.) As Linda explains, this program has driven a 13 point increase in employee engagement measured through NetPromoter.  And the program continues to drive high levels of employee engagement, retention, and alignment during a series of acquisitions. It exemplifies the “Irresistible Leadership” model we highlight in our research. Additional Information Human-Centered Leadership, Certificate Program in The Josh Bersin Academy (Join today!) Why Are Some Companies More Dynamic Than Others? The Surprising Facts About Leadership Development (podcast)

AI tools are rapidly sweeping across our companies in every job function, and most of us see them as “productivity tools.” Well, that’s a very limited view of the future. While AI may make you 15-20% more productive, the big payoff comes when we rethink work entirely and let AI systems take over as “autonomous agents,” albeit with our support. In this podcast I discuss the four levels of AI adoption, and help you think about the important job-redesign work we’ll do in 2025. And I would argue that “doing existing work faster” is going to become a commodity quickly. And at levels 3 and 4 we will be re-engineering jobs and work, developing new skills, improving pay, and empowering people to do more! You can read more about this in our upcoming 2025 Predictions report, but the best next step is get your hands on Galileo, the AI Expert Assistant for Everything HR. (And Join the Josh Bersin Academy!)

Companies have been investing in People Analytics and Industrial Psychology since the late 1800s, going back to Fredrick Taylor (time and motion studies) and Carl Jung (psychological types). The original idea was to scientifically manage work, using data to measure labor, strength, motion, and later engagement, skills, and leadership. All this effort resulted in thousands of books and tools to measure employee engagement, employee experience, productivity, and organization design. Ultimately where we landed was a new domain we call People Analytics: using people-related data to monitor, improve, and optimize business outcomes. And this journey, which I’ve been a part of for 30 years, resulted in a massive investment in HR technology platforms, engagement surveys, sentiment analysis tools, and more and more models for trust, leadership, management, wellbeing, and employee growth. All that energy, deep thinking, and investment now lands in a new world, one we call “Systemic Business Analytics.” We use this name because it’s time to stop isolating people data from business data and running this domain as “projects,” rather think about it as an integrated analytics system. In other words, as I explain in the podcast, let’s move forward and take all the people data we capture and embed it right into our existing business measurement systems. Instead of creating a “people data warehouse” to run reports and analysis on HR information, we can use that valuable information and put it right in the hands of business leaders and managers. Our new research, “The Journey to Systemic Business Analytics,” details this journey and shows you our four level maturity model. (You can view the maturity model here.) Today fewer than 10% of companies are doing this well, but that’s still a large number. And as I describe in the podcast, AI is going to light a bonfire under this space and rapidly accelerate this direction. Additional Information People Analytics, A Complex Domain, Is About To Be Transformed by AI. People Analytics Certificate Course in The Josh Bersin Academy Systemic Analytics: A New Approach Galileo, The AI Assistant for Everything HR

This week I summarize my meetings and discussions with clients in NYC and you can see we covered many topics. Here’s the AI summary, which is pretty good. In this conversation, Josh Bersin discusses the evolving landscape of AI platforms, particularly focusing on Microsoft’s positioning and the challenges of creating a universal AI agent. He delves into the complexities of government efficiency, emphasizing the institutional challenges faced in re-engineering government operations. The conversation also highlights the automation of work tasks and the need for businesses to decompose job functions for better efficiency. Bersin stresses the importance of expertise in HR, advocating for a shift towards full stack professionals who possess a broad understanding of various HR functions. Finally, he addresses the impending disruption in Learning and Development (L&D) due to AI advancements, predicting a significant transformation in how L&D professionals will manage knowledge and skills. Additional Information Inside Microsoft’s struggles with Copilot (Business Insider Exclusive) Hyper-Growth Through Efficiency: Theme For The New Era Digital Twins, Digital Employees, And Agents Everywhere Chatbot Architecture: MS Copilot, Joule, Galileo, and The Future of L&D

In today’s podcast I discuss the organizational, institutional, and societal impacts of AI. And I’m not predicting what “could happen” but rather sharing “what is happening now.” As you’ll hear, AI plays a role in our political issues but an even greater role in our careers, pay, rewards, organization structure, and culture. A recent AI adoption study by McKinsey found that 74% of companies have at least one AI application in place, and 20% have 3 or more. So we’re already seeing the impact. As you’ll hear, this is a technology that people are worried about at the moment, so we need to consider many levels of change management throughout our organizations. Chapters 00:00 The Rapid Rise of AI and Automation 05:13 Job Transformation and AI Impact 08:56 Privacy Concerns in the Age of AI 12:47 Organizational Design and Talent Density 20:48 Leadership in the AI Era 29:54 Embracing AI: The Path Forward Additional Information Hyper-Growth Through Efficiency: Theme For The New Era How To Create Talent Density Were These Layoffs Inevitable? Perhaps, But Here’s How It Happened. People as Competitive Advantage: Certificate Course In The Josh Bersin Academy

After decades of effort and growth, only around 10% of People Analytics teams deliver strategic business value. Many are still focused on traditional analysis of engagement, retention, leadership pipelines, and other HR measures. In this WhatWorks podcast I talk openly with Paul Rubenstein, the Chief Customer Officer at Visier, about how this market has evolved. And in the conversation you can learn about Visier and the role of integrated, AI-platforms for the important topic of managing corporate HR and work data. Our newest research on People Analytics is coming out this month, stay tuned for much more detail on this topic. Additional Information People Analytics, Evolved: A Systemic Approach Certificate Course in People Analytics from The Josh Bersin Company    

This week I discuss the issue of DEI (must it DIE?), inclusion, and corporate culture in the Trump Era. We just completed a 1.5 hour discussion with 30+ companies on the impact of the 2024 election and regardless of your political position, some people are worried. It’s clear to me that DEI (or whatever you call it) is not going away, but in this podcast I reframe the topic and give you perspectives from some of the largest companies in the world. Additional Information Are Diversity And Inclusion Programs Going Away? Elevating Equity: A Certificate Program From The Josh Bersin Academy Chief Diversity Officer: The Toughest Job in Business

In this episode of the WhatWorks podcast, Paul Walker, CEO of FranklinCovey, talks with Kathi Enderes about FranklinCovey’s history, his own journey of 25 years with the company from frontline employee to CEO, and how the company now helps large organizations like Marriott enable transformational change through individual behavior change, execution excellence, creating a culture of trust and performance, and developing new leadership capabilities. FranklinCovey (FC) is one of the only publicly traded learning and leadership companies in the world. Learn about how FC helps Marriott deliver one of the most highly esteemed customer experiences in the hospitality market. Interviewee:  Paul Walker, CEO FranklinCovey Additional Information The Surprising Facts About Leadership Development, Human-Centered Leadership, Why Are Some Companies More Dynamic Than Others?

This week I discuss how major new AI use-cases have emerged. Imagine if every employee had a personal AI assistant? It’s going to happen. I also discuss LinkedIn Hiring Assistant, Galileo, SuccessFactors Joule, AI for performance management, and a big question: what are you going to do with the 35% productivity you gain? Coming back from multiple weeks on the road with clients and vendors, this podcast will expand your thinking and help you build your own business case for AI tools and agents in your own HR organization. While many of us believe AI is a productivity tool, I explain how AI use-cases in HR are for expansive than you realized. Watch this YouTube to learn about the two ways to think about AI applications. Keywords: AI in HR, recruitment, productivity, coaching, job descriptions, LinkedIn, generative AI, HR technology, innovation, use cases Additional Information LinkedIn Enters AI Agent Race With LinkedIn Hiring Assistant Digital Twins, Digital Employees, And Agents Everywhere SuccessFactors Leapfrogs HCM Capabilities: AI, Skills, Talent Intelligence, And More Introducing Galileo Pro, Your Personal AI Assistant for HR a9W3O0GjMWKbGryeXy5J  

In this week’s podcast I discuss the trend (and need) for job task re-engineering: breaking down our jobs into tasks, so we can effectively use AI and Agents to speed things up. As more and more vendors announce AI Agents to assist with work, our best opportunity for massive improvement is to “re-engineer” how we do things, not just “add agents” to our current jobs. As I describe, most companies build job titles in a “mashed potato” approach where we squash a bunch of things into one job description. Thanks to AI we can now think about work differently, and this will impact sales, marketing, HR, engineering, and just about every other function in our companies. In some ways this is a return to the old ERP model of “designing work around the software” but this time the Agents are smart, programmable, and learning! So if we do this well we’re going to see massive improvements in productivity. I talk about Rolls Royce, EPAM, and the PR battle between Salesforce and Microsoft for “Agent-Tech.”  Plus I talk about why Chief Learning Officers have a new role in 2025! Lots of new ideas to think about here. Please watch this video for more on this topic. Additional Information Get your hands on Galileo Professional: your personal AI assistant for HR Digital Twins, Digital Employees, And Agents Everywhere Redesigning Work with AI Vendors Mentioned Agentforce by Salesforce Copilot Agents by Microsoft Sana Labs (the platform under Galileo)  

In this episode of the WhatWorks podcast series, Nick Benaquista, SVP, People and Capability Partner, Chief Administration Office and Strategic Growth at Mastercard, shares how Mastercard has transformed HR from a static, siloed, overlapping model towards the product and consulting-oriented model of Systemic HR. Now in year 2 of the ongoing transformation, the company is continuing to change HR roles, jobs, operating models, and skills, and is using technology and AI to elevate the employee experience and its continuous business transformation. Interviewee Nick Benaquista, SVP, People and Capability Partner, Chief Administration Office and Strategic Growth at Mastercard Company Mastercard, a leading US-based global payment solutions provider with 33,000 employees Additional Information The Systemic HR Operating Model Why The World Needs A New Operating Model for Human Resources The Mastercard HR Transformation Story Keywords:  Employee Experience, HR Technology, Systemic HR, AI in HR, HR capabilities, HR roles

White collar robots have arrived: digital twins, digital assistants, and AI-powered agents. In this podcast I discuss what I learned about at Unleash, Sana, and Spotify this week. My big message is this: AI in HR is even more powerful than we expected. And AI platforms and tools are transforming HR right this minute – across every domain in HR. Digital Twins in the insurance industry. AI-powered L&D and change management solutions. AI-powered candidates battling it out with AI-powered selection and recruiting platforms. Scheduling bots unleashing energy in healthcare. End-to-end employee knowledge and learning systems at Spotify. For two years we’ve watched AI evolve from predictive analytics to AI assistants to AI agents to Digital Twins. And these tools are now here for you to use, as long as you just get your hands dirty trying these tools out. Bottom line: this is no longer a market of waiting for just the right solution – many of the new AI tools in HR can already do much more than you expected. Get your hands on Galileo and you’ll see what I’m talking about. Additional Information Introducing The AI Trailblazers! HR Technology Outlook 2025. Introducing Galileo Professional, Your Personal AI Assistant for HR Can AI Do Performance Reviews? Rippling Says Yes.