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

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

Takeaways

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

Additional Resources

SHRM’s Problematic DEI Pivot

Elevating Equity: Josh Bersin Academy Certificate Course on DEI

Civility in the Workplace (research)

Goldman Sachs MIT ROI of AI Analysis

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

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

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

Additional Information

UKG and Intuit Reductions In Force: Both Growth Moves

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

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

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

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

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

Additional Information

The Systemic HR Initiative

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

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

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

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

Outline:

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

Additional Information

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

HR Predictions for 2024: The Global Search For Productivity

Why Do Companies Hire Too Many People?

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

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

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

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

Chapters

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

Additional Information

The Ever Expanding Role of the CHRO (YouTube)

Introducing The Systemic HR Initiative

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

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

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

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

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

Additional Information (And Experience the Content!)

Autonomous Corporate Learning Platforms: Arriving Now, Powered by AI

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

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

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

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

Join The Josh Bersin Academy for more!

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

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

Additional Information

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

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

Autonomous Learning Platforms: Arriving Now, Powered by AI

Galileo Availability With Four New Trusted Content Partners

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

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

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

Additional Information

Introducing the Systemic HR Initiative

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

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