Josh Bersin

US Labor Day is always a time to celebrate workers. Well this year, unlike years before, the entire labor market is changed. Not only are many front-line workers in high demand, white-collar workers are experiencing a hiring slowdown and automation is impacting everyone. And for the first time in my career, the BLS expects very little job growth in the coming decade. As I discuss in this week’s podcast, it’s time to take a step back and understand that everything we thought we knew about the labor market has changed, and this change is going to accelerate. Listen in and you’ll see the big picture: how shortages will continue, how productivity will grow, and how new ideas like talent density and the Superworker and Supermanager will redefine our companies. And I also describe your new keys to career success. I hope everyone has a relaxing weekend, we’re in for exciting times ahead. Additional Reading US Job Market To Growth Rate To Drop By 75% In Next Decade (BLS) UK Birth Rate Falls to Record Low The Rise of The Superworker: AI Makes Employees are More Important Than Ever    

In this podcast Kathi Enderes interviews Joe Freed, Chief Product officer at Perceptyx, explains the company’s strategy to extend its employee engagement platform to provide nudges, manager tools, and in-depth analysis of employee needs. While the employee survey is not dead yet, you’ll see where things are going. Perceptyx is a well-known survey and analytics company, known for its highly customizable employee engagement tools. Joe explains how Perceptyx’s acquisition of Humu, Waggl, and Cultivate brought advanced AI and nudge technology to the company, and explains a vision of high-powered employee engagement tools for the future. Additional Information Employee Engagement and Happiness Crisis. What Should We Do? Perceptyx Acquires Cultivate Workday Throws Down The Gauntlet On Employee Engagement: Acquisition of Peakon  

The AI market boom took a pause last week when GPT-5 and some new research from MIT appeared. As you’ll hear, the expectations for AI are extraordinarily high and that causes a lot of bubble effects. Today I explain this bubble and where it’s going. I also discuss our latest experiences with AI transformation in business, and why “task automation” is not really the big opportunity ahead. You’ll see that the Superworker effect changes organization design, jobs, and reward systems. Lots of opportunities for productivity ahead. Galileo, the world’s AI agent for HR, is now the Power Tool you need to stay head. Global research, professional development, data, vendor analysis, and hundreds of HR and management tools, all in one AI platform. Get Galileo now. Additional Information The MIT Report And Why It’s Misleading: AI Definitely Pays Off From 2017: Why Superintelligence Is A Myth Workday to Acquire Paradox. A Bigger Deal Than You Think. Get Galileo, The World’s AI Assistant for HR    

This week I discuss Workday’s acquisition of Paradox, the pioneer in AI-powered conversational recruiting. As I describe in detail, this is a big deal – and it goes beyond Workday’s ability to now offer high-volume, conversational recruitment. Talent Acquisition itself is about to radically change with AI, and this moves Workday into a leading position in what we call “The Revolution in Talent Acquisition.” (Report coming out in October.) I also discuss the latest trends in AI transformation in general, and what we’ve now learned about HR job redesign and how AI really is changing the fundamentals of HR operating models (automating Systemic HR) and job design. For access to all our research, analysis, professional development, and tools, get Galileo, the world’s AI assistant for HR. Additional Information Will Chatbots Take Over HR Tech? Paradox Sets The Pace. The Systemic HR Operating Model: How AI Transforms The Function Learn about AI in HR: Join The Josh Bersin Academy (Galileo Learn)  

The new battle for AI supremacy is now moving to the application development space, or IDE (Integrated Development Environments). These companies, like Cursor, Windsurf, Github Copilot, Replit, Google AI Studio, and Microsoft Power tools, are exploding with growth. Why? Because in the world of AI, we’re all application developers! (Listen to “We’re All Software Engineers Now” for more.) Well, as I explain in this market, the big players like Workday now want to be your development environment. In this podcast I explain this space and some history of IDE’s in the client/server era. (It more or less predicts where this is going.) Listen in and you’ll understand why billions of VC dollars are suddenly going into dev tools for AI, why you’ll be using one of these soon, and how Workday and others will respond. I also briefly explain how Galileo plays in this space. We’re coming up on HR Tech season so come see us at HR Technology Conference in Vegas (September), Unleash (October), and SAP Connect. More to Read Workday Flowise Acquisition Windsurf vs Copilot vs Cursor (a little geeky) Galileo Venus Release (Video: Galileo for Managers, Task Library Tools, Learning Integration) What Is Vibe Coding Anyway? 1994: Sybase Acquires Powersoft (how history repeats itself!) (NYT Download)      

In this podcast I interview Eric Mosley, the Founder and CEO of Workhuman, a $Billion dollar company that pioneered the market for employee recognition. Today Workhuman has more than 7.7 million users and is widely used by many of the largest companies in the world. What does Workhuman do? Well they help you build a corporate wide program for employee recognition and feedback that creates one of the most important positive engagement drivers one can find. Employees who feel appreciated and recognized are 4X more likely to be highly engaged and 4X more likely to see a growth path in their companies. Our research found that companies with a high recognition culture have a 70% lower voluntary turnover rate. And there’s much more: the information from recognition (Workhuman calls it “Human Intelligence”) gives you valuable information on skills, strengths, culture, and organizational health you can find. This is a story about entrepreneurship, culture, and the importance of human centered leadership, something that’s refreshing in a world where everyone always wants to talk about AI! Additional Information Our Recognition Research, explaining the power of appreciation and thanks. U.S. Employee Engagement Sinks to 10-Year Low (Gallup) Why Are Managers So Miserable at Work?  

This week I have an update on the “real world” of AI transformation, based on some important conversations I’ve had (and these folks will join the podcast soon.) First, I talked with the Department of Labor and also reviewed new research from Goldman Sachs and we do find that “AI is not wiping out jobs.” As you’ll hear, there is a slowdown in hiring, but actually AI is “creating new work,” despite Dario Amodei’s predictions that white collar jobs are going away. (I don’t know about you, but I rarely wear my white collar shirts any more, so he may be correct on the shirt front.) Second, listen to the discussion about software automation, Thomas Dohmke, who was interviewed on The Verge. That convo was fascinating: despite AI’s ability to write code, engineers will just write more code. Listen to my explanation in the podcast. Third, I had a wonderful conversation with Jacqui Canney, the CHRO and AI Enablement Officer at ServiceNow. As you’ll hear, Jacqui’s team at ServiceNow has published their AI Playbook and AI Maturity Model which I encourage you to read. She described their governance model, use case approach, and more – and further convinced me that AI transformation is a people problem, not a tech problem. And one more thing: for those of you who think AI “destroys” or “disrupts” your company, I put together a ten minute video on our own AI journey and how AI amplifies and scales what we do, essentially creating a company of Superworkers. We are proving the Superworker company model right here. Additional Resources Get Galileo: Agent and Learn Bundle Goldman Exchange podcast on labor market The Verge interview with Thomas Dohmke from GitHub The Rise of the Superworker: Four Stages of AI in the Workforce The Josh Bersin Company’s AI Transformation  

This week we introduce Galileo for Managers, an exciting new part of the Galileo Platform – designed to help business professionals with day-to-day management. As you’ll hear in this podcast, Galileo for Managers brings together the best of AI with 25+ years of research into management, leadership, business, and HR. As I discuss in today’s announcement, Galileo for Managers revolutionizes the market for leadership development, coaching, and organizational change. And as HR budgets get tight, Galileo for Managers also helps HR teams scale and extend their leadership development to every manager and every leader. Listen to the details, you can license Galileo for Managers and learn more here. Additional Information Get Galileo for Managers (learn more) The Galileo Platform Strategy Explained (Video)    

This week SAP SuccessFactors announced the acquisition of SmartRecruiters, one of the fastest-growing talent acquisition platforms. This is much more than a technology deal: it demonstrates the value of talent and the massive redefinition of “applicant tracking systems” taking place today. While the deal is not final and details are yet to come, I highlight the real implications of this acquisition and why SAP will see a lot of value out of this deal. Stay tuned for more from us about SAP coming this Fall, and our new “Revolution in Talent Acquisition” research will be launched in September. Additional Information Research Shows It’s Time To Reinvent Talent Acquisition Why Do Companies Hire Too Many People? The Dynamic Organization: How To Design For Growth  

This week the WSJ highlighted the latest trends. CEOs proudly announcing layoffs and hiring freezes, only to see their stock price go up in celebration. The AI Superworker era has arrived, and companies are now plowing ahead with automation-induced workforce reductions. All this is not as simple as it sounds. AI budgets are skyrocketing (EY survey shows that 21% of large companies are spending more than $10M already on AI agents), well before the productivity benefits have occurred. So while many great AI use-cases exist, a lot of the headcount cuts are just budget-reallocation from labor to capital, with hopes for productivity to come. I have no concerns that massive Superworker productivity is coming, but the process is spotty, messy, and uneven. So in this podcast I discuss our newest research on AI transformation and give you some perspectives on all these announcements. A few nuggets to think about: The economy is slowing, so most headcount freezes are not only AI automation bets, they’re also insurance against a slowdown Employees and mid-level managers are fearful, causing friction and complexity in automation AI strategies that ask “employees to figure out how to become more productive” have some but limited impact, while strategic projects are working better The HR focus on “task analysis” is interesting and useful, but not the optimum approach Companies are starting to get real about AI spending, so the “blank checkbook” to buy enterprise AI is slowing Companies that lay people off have plenty of other issues to consider, including brand, culture, and long term growth. Additional Information The Rise of The Superworker: AI Empowers Workers The Four “New SoftSkills” We Need To Thrive In The Age of AI A Revolution in Corporate Learning: Save Millions with AI-Native Learning Get Galileo®, The AI Agent Exclusively Designed for Everything HR  

After many dozens of conversations with companies and AI vendors about AI transforming work, I’m left with one burning question. If we actually succeed in automating all our work tasks, data analysis, coding, and content generation, are these systems truly able to replace humans? I”m left with a very simple answer: NO. And the reason for this is not that AI won’t keep getting “smarter,” it’s the fact that we, as human organic animals, possess a magical power of intuition, largely fueled by our emotions. And emotions are built on millions of years of adaptation, genetics, and personal experiences – attributes that AI simply does not have. My argument, as you’ll hear in this podcast, is that these emotions make up our intuitive decision-making power. And this very human part of our intelligence is what makes companies, teams, and individuals succeed. No matter how “superintelligent” the AI becomes, I advocate that human emotions and strong intuition is still the most powerful form of “intelligence” we have. I look forward to talking with each of you about this idea, because it’s an important part of the AI transformations in our lives, careers, and companies. Additional Ideas The Six Major Theories Of Emotion The Rise of The Superworker My Fav Website about Happiness, GGSC The Gene: An Intimate History, by Siddartha Mukhergee ChatGPT’s Answer to “How Does Human Emotion and Intuition Compare to AI?”      

Yesterday the White House released The American AI Action Plan, a 28-page policy document which covers many of the most important national (and global issues) we face in the new world of AI. As I briefly discuss today, there are many fantastic policy positions in here (a few odd ones, but they’ll be worked out over time) and the bottom line is that the US Federal Government now has a deep understanding of AI technology, markets, businesses, and the impact on jobs and the workforce. We will be talking more with the Department of Labor and sharing some of the more important initiatives in workforce skilling, career enablement, and support soon. Lots more to discuss here, so I’ll make sure we keep you up to speed as more policy and important regulatory changes take place. For those of you most interested in AI’s impact on jobs, careers, and your workforce, please read “The Rise of the Superworker” to get a good perspective on the future of work in this new AI era. Additional Information Why AI Harm To Jobs and Humanity are Vastly Over-Hyped Prompting is Programming: We’re All Software Engineers Now! No, Entry Level Jobs Are Not Going Away. The Four “New SoftSkills” We Need To Thrive In The Age of AI CNBC Interview with David Sacks re: US AI Strategy Get Galileo®, The AI Agent Exclusively Designed for Everything HR

One of the most fundamental issues in business is “how we make decisions.” Should top management make all the decisions? Or should we let front-line staff collaborate and weigh in on company strategies. Well in the political sphere, we’re testing these two models out in real time. And as I discuss, the “democratic” model leads to economies with higher levels of growth and energy, under most conditions. In this podcast I explain the pros and cons of both approaches, explain what “employee activation” is all about, and challenge you to think about this topic in your daily work. Are you one to decide and tell other what to do? Or are you one to wait, listen, and consolidate ideas before making the call? As we prepare to launch Galileo for Managers, I wanted to help you think through this important lesson in empowerment and decision-making, one which we all face frequently in our work lives, political lives, and even family. Additional Information Citizenship At Work: Dealing With Politics Inside and Outside The Company Irresistible Leadership: Explained Work in the AI Age: “The Rise Of The Superworker” Get Galileo®! The AI Agent Exclusively Designed for Everything HR! Galileo Learn: More than 700 Courses in all areas of HR, AI, HR Tech, and Leadership  

Now that everyone is deep into AI transformation and flooded with personal productivity tools, it’s time to take a step back and consider “what new capabilities (not skills) do we need to thrive here?” Well after 60+ interviews and discussions with hundreds of companies so far, I want to share the four “big things” that drive success. These are the essential new skills we need as a Superworker, and also lead to our new roles as Supermanagers. They essentially boil down to: Become a builder or creator, not just a doer Challenge the dogma, rethink work from first principles, fall in love with the problem Be curious about why and how things work, and why they don’t Take on the role of Supermanager, encouraging others to invent, not just do. In the podcast I explain them in more detail, and give you many examples you can learn from. Additional Information Read “The Rise Of The Superworker” for more detail. Download the Rise of the Superworker report. Get Galileo®! The Only AI Agent Exclusively Designed for Everything HR! Galileo Learn: More than 700 Courses in all areas of HR, AI, HR Tech, and Leadership

This week Lightcast, one of the largest providers of people, jobs, and labor market data, acquired Rhetorik, a leading data collection company. Since this space has become highly strategic and ever-more essential to HR leaders (and it’s just getting more important with AI), I decided to try to explain the space. In this podcast I explain the difference between data collection companies, data enrichment companies, and talent intelligence companies. As you’ll see this is a massive multi-billion dollar space, and the quality of this data is now vitally important to your company’s recruiting, hiring, internal development, and planning strategies. The market for job and skills data is also collapsing with the salary data market, which is disrupting salary surveys. And now these companies are combining this data with real-time business information, economic data, and highly proprietary company intelligence. So there’s a lot going on, and it’s important for all HR, marketing, and business leaders to understand it. More to come on this topic, listen up and read our new research on this space, as well as our industry by industry Global Workforce Intelligence studies, all available in Galileo. Additional Information People Data For Sale: How The Talent Intelligence Market Works

This week I had a variety of meetings with companies and looked at some new research on the impact of AI in the workplace. Despite all the positive things going on in the economy, a strong signal came back about fear. A large percentage of workers are fearful for their jobs and the impact of AI, so I unpacked the topic this week. (Note: this podcast was recorded on a long walk so it’s slightly warbly but I cleaned it up pretty well.) I know you’re all going through change and AI transformation work right now, so let us know if we can help – the issues in this podcast are important ones to deal with as you reorganize, push, and encourage people to move faster in the direction of AI. Some Interesting Reading Why AI Harm To Jobs and Humanity are Vastly Over-Hyped Meta AI Engineer Cites Culture of Fear From “The Information” this week, discussing Meta’s AI team. “In his essay, Blankevoort wrote that “Meta has a culture of fear,” created in part by its performance review system and rolling layoffs. Meta in February laid off 5% of its staff, or about 3,600 people, and said those cuts were based on performance. The company also said at the time that it might use future performance reviews to cut low performers as well.” “Instead of being motivated by our mission, or an aspiration to build something great, many people I’ve talked to are motivated by the fear of getting fired,” Blankevoort wrote. “This attitude runs through the company like a metastatic cancer.” It has led to a culture of “every person for themselves,” as well as “land-grabbing, project-sniping, stealing work,” he added. Important to Your Career Prompting is Programming: We’re All Software Engineers Now!  

One of the most explosive changes in our new world of AI is this: every one of us can now “program” our AI assistants as if we were engineers. In other words, the “prompts” we conceive and use as queries are actually instructions, so we, as non-engineers (I am an engineer, but long ago), can now “program” and direct our AI friends to do what we want. Not only is this an enormous shift in empowerment (yes, you’re a Superworker), it also lets us create, innovate, and share our “creations” with others. It’s not unlike the amazing birth of spreadsheets and macros that started in 1981 with spreadsheets. You, as a business person, can “create things” that solve problems, improve productivity, and ultimately become complex systems for your team. For AI vendors, this shift means you’re no longer just building applications, you’re also building tools – tools for your customers to “fall in love with the problem” and extend your product to meet their personal needs. Galileo®, our AI platform for HR, is fueled with 300+ “prompts” which are essentially mini apps. You can use these prompts to build and extend Galileo to do more and more for your job and your company. The opportunities are endless, and this is just beginning! Additional Information Galileo®, the AI Platform for HR (visit the Success Center for videos) OpenAI’s Prompt Engineering guidelines Google’s Prompt Engineering guidelines  

Max Legardez Coquin is one of the most fascinating entrepreneurs I’ve met. His new company, Maki People, is likely to revolutionize talent acquisition, and then revolutionize much of talent management. In this interview I ask Max to explain his fascinating background and how he sees AI Agents revolutionizing the entire process of screening, assessment, and talent management. Maki People uses a whole new science, which I’d call “conversational skills assessment,” to screen and assess candidates at a scale and accuracy I’ve never seen before. His clients include H&M, Foundever, BNP Paribas, Deloitte, Cap Gemini, Nestle (Nespresso), and many more. In this conversation I ask Max to explain the vision and secrets to his pioneering success, and his view of the new AI Architecture I discussed last week. You should NOT miss this episode. Additional Information How WPP, The World’s Leading Ad Agency, Is Transforming Itself With AI (pod) AI Harm To Jobs and Humanity are Vastly Over-Hyped AI Pacesetters: Six Secrets of The Superworker Company Get Galileo, The AI Agent Designed Exclusively for HR and Leadership  

In this episode I discuss our findings on AI systems architectures, and how they are going to completely change our HR Technology stack. As you’ll hear, I’m not predicting a quick disruption of $50+ billion in corporate software, but over the next decade we will see a quantum shift. (Quantum meaning “from A to B” not a gradual transformation.) Listen in and you’ll see how relevant this is to your own HR Tech and systems decisions, your AI adoption and transformation strategy, and your vendor analysis as you look for tools and platforms. And for those of you driving AI transformation in HR, you’ll hear about how to think of AI as a “creator platform” not just a new set of apps and agents. I also discuss the upcoming Venus release of Galileo (and Galileo for Managers) and how it supports this architecture and extends our AI leadership into management development and leadership support. Takeaways AI is fundamentally changing how we interact with technology. The cloud has enabled rapid application deployment and integration. AI eliminates the need for traditional user interfaces. New AI architectures allow for decentralized processing. Professionals are now empowered to build their own applications. AI tools will become ubiquitous in the workplace, driving an internal creator economy. Learning management will evolve with AI integration. The next generation of AI companies will emerge from current disruptions. Additional Information The L&D Revolution: Docebo Goes AI-Native, Sana Expands, What Do You Do? The Workday Economy – As AI Disrupts, A New Strategy Emerges Yes, HR Organizations Will (Partially) Be Replaced by AI, And That’s Good

This week we finished a series of events in Riyadh, Abu Dhabi, and Dubai and met with more than 100 company HR leaders. In today’s podcast I discuss the business and HR issues these companies face and more significantly give perspectives on the management culture in these fast-growing companies. We discuss AI transformation in detail and I also explain why the “mass layoffs” idea around AI is misleading and incorrect, and give you my perspective on why Human Intelligence is and will always be far more sophisticated and advanced than AI. This was a continuous point of discussion and you’ll hear my explanation. I think it’s important to understand the richness and purposeful nature of business and economic growth in these countries, so listen this to get a perspective on the exciting positive things going on in the region. Two important research studies to read: The Revolution in L&D, and our new Pacesetters in the AI Era: Secrets of Superworker Companies. Note: the US attack on Iran actually took place just as I was flying home, so these perspectives focus on the peaceful economic activities of Saudi Arabia and the UAE, not the political issues between US, Israel, and Iran. Chapters: 00:00 Exploring the Middle East’s Economic Growth 06:28 Cultural Insights and Relationship Dynamics 09:16 AI’s Role in Workforce Transformation 12:47 The Future of Learning and Development 15:40 AI’s Impact on HR and Organizational Structure 21:23 The Evolution of Technology in HR 22:44 The Resilience of the Human Spirit Additional Resources No, Entry Level Jobs Are Not Going Away. Yes, HR Organizations Will (Partially) Be Replaced by AI, And That’s Good Galileo Learn – A Revolutionary Approach To Corporate Learning It’s Time for an L&D Revolution: The AI Era Arrives (Essential research)  

New research shows a level of pessimism we haven’t seen in a long time. While there are many reasons for this (politics, climate, economy, AI fears), we all need to do something about it. In this podcast I share the research and give you five important steps you can take to avoid, reduce, and eliminate pessimism at work. (Optimism, certainty, growth, citizenship, and empathy.) This framework will give you sound information for your own life at work, your role as a leader, and your investments in leadership development and management coaching. I also talk about our research on Trust, and the role trust plays in employee optimism. I also discuss “The Unquenchable Power of The Human Spirit,” an idea I discuss in Irresistible, which will help you move into an optimistic view of life, work, and business. Takeaways The rise of pessimism is a significant trend in the workforce. (64% on average) Realistic optimism is possible in any situation. We can reduce uncertainty through sound leadership. It’s ok to accept things that you cannot change. Citizenship as a company and individual creates positive energy. Growth and development is fuel for positive thinking and engagement. Health, sleep, exercise, nature, and relationships are your personal fuel. Why optimism is central to HR’s role and our job. Research on Pessimism and Employee Engagement MeQuilibrium State of Workforce, Summer 2025 U.S. Employee Engagement Sinks to 10-Year Low (Gallup) Citizenship At Work: Dealing With Politics Inside and Outside The Company (podcast) Corporate Citizenship Redefined: Trust, Inclusion, and Responsibility  

Suzanne McGovern, CHRO of Ipsy, has many years of experience in consulting, HR, DEI, and business growth (PwC, IBM, Splunk) and now leads HR for a billion dollar beauty company. In this thought-proving interview, Suzanne explains how the CHRO role has now become an “outside-in” C-level role and how complex and “mission-centric” the CHRO role can be. Suzanne also believes and explains how consulting experience is so important in the CHRO position, the importance of recruitment, hybrid work, and her perspectives on the role of AI. Additional Information The CHRO Insights 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)  

This week I summarize my Irresistible Keynote and explain the five keys to building an AI-powered Superworker company. And as you’ll hear, they revolve around the value of people, not the value of technology. It’s funny how we think AI is “different” and we personify it. It’s basically a tech platform, and if you think about it that way you’ll be much better off. Additional Information No, Entry Level Jobs Are Not Going Away Why AI Is A Job Creator, Not A Job Destroyer Reinvent your Career: Galileo Learn, the AI Learning Academy for HR The Revolution in L&D    

Anshul Sheopuri, Executive Vice President, People Operations & Insights, Mastercard, talks with Kathi Enderes about the company’s method for using AI in HR. From Build vs Buy decisions and approaches to govern the roll-out of AI to specific examples of use cases, he explains how to use AI strategically across a fast-growing, tech-first company at the forefront of AI innovation—and he gives tips on how to get started. Additional Information Artificial Intelligence in HR: Certificate Course in Galileo Learn The End of HR As We Know It? AI Is Starting To Change Everything. The Rise of the Superworker: Understanding The Deep Impact of AI on Business At the inflection of AI and HR: How we’re equipping employees for the AI era (by Mastercard)

This is a fascinating conversation with Josh Newman, the Global Head of People Strategy & Experience, at WPP. WPP, the world’s leading advertising agency, has around 110,000 employees and a fascinating agency-specific organization around the world. Josh explains the business and operating model for WPP, and how it became an $8.1 Billion market cap business. Over the last year WPP’s board wanted to look at the workforce and find ways to improve productivity (“the Workforce Intelligence Project”). Josh explains how WPP took this sprawling, high-performance company and developed an enterprise-wide “work-design”, using its own AI and help from a new vendor Reejig, to understand what everyone was doing. This effort enabled WPP to radically simplify its job families and prepare the jobs and roles for the company’s new AI platform, WPP Open. (As you’ll hear, WPP went from 60,000 job titles to fewer than 600 as the company streamlines operations for its new AI platform WPP Open.) This is work simplification at massive scale. This kind of work is now essential to every company as we look for ways to embrace AI. And as you’ll hear, the WPP Workforce Intelligence project has helped people find new jobs, advance their careers, and better pinpoint HR investments in the right place. The end result will be a company with higher growth, profitability, innovation, and client service. If you’re a business leader, HR professional, consultant, or CEO you should listen to this discussion. Josh describes precisely how they accomplished this transformation and explains how AI is “preparing WPP for AI.” Chapters 00:00 Introduction to WPP and Its Role in the Future of Work 05:36 Workforce Intelligence and Job Redesign Project 10:23 Leveraging AI for Job Architecture and Efficiency 15:05 Mapping Roles and Tasks for Enhanced Productivity 20:18 The Concept of M-Shaped Workers 25:11 Validating New Job Structures and Roles 30:19 Business-Driven Workforce Intelligence and Its Impact 35:06 Future-Proofing Organizations Through Continuous Learning Additional Information The Rise of the Superworker: Designing You Company for AI The End of HR As We Know It? AI Is Starting To Change Everything. Galileo Learn: The AI Professional Development Academy for Leaders  

Recent comments from Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei claims that we’ll have a “white collar bloodbath” in jobs and 50% of jobs are going away, leading to 20% unemployment. I believe this is completely incorrect, and in this podcast I explain why. Tech leaders may have a distorted perspective because so much of their energies go into pure software development – there’s a much bigger positive effect happening. (The Superworker effect.) Background Why Entry Level Jobs Are Not Going Away The Rise Of The Superworker Axios story

This week I discuss Cornerstone Galaxy, the new, integrated version of Cornerstone, which includes Skyhive, Edcast, Grovo, Tailspin, and other technologies built in. As you’ll hear, Cornerstone is the largest enterprise learning platform company in the world and they’re getting very aggressive with bundling, pricing, and features. At the same time I discuss the role of other competitors such as Docebo, Oracle, Workday, SAP, and the role of Sana and Galileo Learn (our new offering). There’s lots more to discuss, please call us if you’d like help with your LMS | enterprise learning strategy and I urge to read our Revolution in Corporate Learning comprehensive study on how AI can totally reinvent your corporate learning, enablement, and skills strategy. Additional Information The Revolution in Corporate Learning (research report) Galileo Learn – A Revolutionary Approach To Corporate Learning

This is a fascinating and essential podcast about leadership, AI, HR, and business transformation, featuring Tanuj Kapilashrami, the CHRO and Chief Strategy Officer of Standard Chartered. In this conversation, Tanuj talks about the strategic direction of Standard Chartered Bank, her role as Chief Strategy and Talent Officer, and the importance of aligning organizational capabilities with business strategy. She discusses the transformation of work processes, the integration of AI, and the evolving role of HR in the banking sector. Tanuj explains the role of job architecture and the importance of skills in driving organizational success, and she also clearly explains the future role of the CHRO. The CHRO role has risen tremendously in the last two decades. Tanuj is an inspirational example of a CHRO who has taken her experience in all areas of human capital management to become a powerful chief strategy officer, a career transition which will become much more common in the future. You will also hear how Tanuj views the AI transformation and how she puts a clear business focus on the AI strategy, moving far beyond AI as a tool to streamline HR. (Listen to her discussion about AI in performance management and how the “AI Sandpit” works at Standard Chartered.) Listen also to Tanuj’s focus on “plumbing,” as the foundation for business growth and transformation. Takeaways Standard Chartered is a cross-border bank focused on emerging markets. The role of Chief Strategy and Talent Officer is crucial for aligning strategy with capabilities. Transformation should be a core part of the organizational DNA. Skills development must be integrated into work redesign. AI can enhance productivity across various job types. Job architecture needs to evolve with changing business needs. A centralized approach to AI strategy is essential for scalability. HR must embrace technology to remain relevant. Understanding the operational aspects of HR is critical for strategic success. Curiosity and continuous learning are vital for HR leaders. Sound Bites “Transformation is such an abused word.” “Skills come in at a work redesign level.” “Humans will lose out to other humans who use machines.” “AI cannot be empathetic as humans can be.” “Get comfortable as a team playing in the sand pit.” “It’s the plumbing that matters.” Chapters 00:00 Overview of Standard Chartered Bank 02:49 The Role of Chief Strategy and Talent Officer 05:52 Aligning Strategy with Organizational Capabilities 08:46 Transforming Work Processes and Skills 12:07 Navigating Job Architecture and AI Integration 14:56 AI Strategy and Implementation in Banking 17:54 The Future of HR in the Age of AI 21:13 Advice for Aspiring CHROs Additional Information Our New CHRO Insights Research Yes, HR Organizations Will (Partially) Be Replaced by AI, And That’s Good The White Collar Recession Is Real: What Should We Do About It? The Rise of the Superworker: Reinventing Jobs, Careers, and Organizations

Welcome to Galileo Learn, the world’s first AI-native platform for all areas of corporate learning and professional development. And yes, Galileo Learn is also the new, dynamic version of The Josh Bersin Academy, and also your personal professional development coach. As the world’s first AI native platform for learning, Galileo Learn delivers an exciting new learning experience and the most dynamic, productive way to build content in the market. And in an exciting new innovation, Galileo Learn connects directly to Galileo, the world’s AI Assistant for HR and Managers. Read more here: Buy Galileo Learn. Learn more about The Revolution in L&D.

This week I dig into digital twins and AI and why I believe the “pedagogical” approach to corporate learning is going away. While we will always have educational programs in business, the L&D world is going in a wild new, positive direction. This podcast explains the forgetting curve, spaced learning, and what I call “the curiosity cycle” in business. Does this mean “the death of courseware?” In some ways the answer is yes, so listen in. Additional Information Galileo Now Embedded Into ServiceNow and HiBob The Mercury Release of Galileo Signals a New Era for Intelligent Agents The White Collar Recession Is Real: What Should We Do About It? A Revolution In Corporate Learning Begins, Join The Journey

In this episode we hear from Irena Flego Maric, Global Talent Acquisition Leader and HR Technology Strategist at Foundever, one of the largest customer service companies in the world. She describes how the company is transforming its highly demanding recruitment process with next-gen AI. The company uses Maki People’s AI-powered solution to manage massive scale of hiring, sometimes recruiting 2,000 customer service reps over a weekend while handling millions of applications each month. And every candidate is assessed against the job. Foundever uses Maki’s AI to create personalized, skills-based assessments that provide candidates realistic job previews, engaging candidates in the process. As you’ll hear, this kind of “skills-based assessment” creates a highly positive candidate experience, enabling Foundever to find the best candidates at enormous scale. Additional Information Maximizing the Impact of AI in the Age of the Superworker Talent Acquisition at a Crossroads (Academy course) Emerging Trends in Talent Acquisition: Factbook

This week I discuss the total re-engineering of HR and business software and why the “functional application” approach is going to be destroyed by workflow-oriented systems. I apologize for the slightly awkward voice, I recorded this on a long walk this morning! I discuss ServiceNow, Maki People, Galileo, Hubspot, Salesforce, HiBob, Workday, SAP, Paradox, and many other innovative systems. Come to Irresistible 2025 in a few weeks to hear and see more! Additional Information Galileo Now Embedded Into ServiceNow and HiBob The Mercury Release of Galileo Signals a New Era for Intelligent Agents Podcast: The Galileo Inside Strategy Q&A: Get Galileo for ServiceNow Q&A: Get Galileo for HiBob

This week we announce the deep integration of Galileo, the world’s AI Assistant for HR, into ServiceNow (Now Assist) and the fast-growing HCM system HiBob. This means you can now access Galileo in the flow of work. Additional Information Announcement Details The Mercury Release of Galileo Signals a New Era for Intelligent Agents Q&A: Get Galileo for ServiceNow Q&A: Get Galileo for HiBob

This week, in advance of major announcements from us and other vendors, I give you a good overview of the AI Agent market, and discuss the new role of AI governance platforms, AI agent development tools, AI agent vendors, and how AI agents will actually manifest and redefine what we call an “application.” I discuss ServiceNow, Microsoft, SAP, Workday, Paradox, Maki People, and other vendors. My goal today is to “demystify” this space and explain the market, the trends, and why and how your IT department is going to be building a lot of the agents you need. And prepare for our announcements next week! Chapters 00:00 Introduction to AI Agents and Market Trends 02:55 Understanding Intelligent Agents and Their Applications 05:48 The Role of Agents in HR and Business Workflows 09:09 Agent Management and Governance Challenges 11:46 ServiceNow’s Evolution and AI Integration 15:06 The Future of Custom Agent Development 17:55 Upcoming Events and Industry Insights 20:46 The Impact of AI on HR and Workforce Dynamics Additional Information The Mercury Release of Galileo Signals a New Era for Intelligent Agents The End of HR As We Know It (long read on AI’s impact on HR) The Rise of The Superworker: Four Stages of AI Explainer Video Microsoft Launches People Skills In Copilot, Altering The HR Tech Market Irresistible 2025: Join Us (almost full)    

In this episode of the WhatWorks podcast, Dara Engle, CHRO of ORIX USA, speaks with Kathi Enderes to explore the power of systemic HR in transforming a global organization. Discover how Dara navigates the complexities of leading HR in a multinational context, leveraging her extensive experience to drive strategic alignment and transformation. From building resilient cultures to managing change in a fast-paced environment and coaching senior executives, Dara shares invaluable insights and advice for HR leaders and aspiring CHROs. Additional Information Systemic HR: The New Operating Model Designed for the Age of AI

In this week’s podcast I discuss my meetings with many companies in Europe about “how to rapidly implement AI” to improve productivity and scale. And every single company is being asked to do this now, some with very mature and sophisticated plans. So the first question I ask is “how do we implement AI to improve the productivity of the company” and then “how do we also do this within HR?” Well now that we’re a few years into this journey, the land mines and lessons are becoming clear, and I discuss what’s going on in some of the largest companies in the world. And yes, everything you know about HR itself is changing at a rate I’ve never seen before. The second question I discuss is “what is about to happen to Corporate Learning?” And in this case I walk through the large session I had at the L&D Tech conference and how radically L&D is about to be revolutionized. A big research report on this is coming soon, but in the podcast I discuss “the end of the publishing model” in L&D, and all that implies. For those of you still a bit confused by AI and Agents in general, I urge you to Get Galileo, our ready-made AI assistant for HR. You’ll learn everything you need to know about agents and you’ll also have the world’s best “digital HR consultant” at your desk. Come see us at Unleash Vegas or Irresistible over the next few weeks, and next week I’ll cover some more in-depth case studies I want to share. Sound Bites “AI threatens the HR profession as we know it.” “Every employee is going to have their own large language model.” “We need to redesign the work to use AI.” “The AI push is forcing us to clean up our roles.” “AI can change 70 to 80% of the L&D process.” “This is a revolution, not a step change.” Additional Information Microsoft Skills Agent Disrupts the Skills Tech Market The Mercury Release of Galileo Signals a New Era for Intelligent Agents The White Collar Recession Is Real: What Should We Do About It?

This week I discuss this massive shift toward “AI-Native” applications and systems which are radically different from traditional HR Tech, with a particular focus on L&D. I also explain how new AI architectures are so completely different from our traditional types of HR platforms, and how vendors have to be more expansive with their thinking. Vendors here include Sana, Degreed, Docebo, CodeSignal, Arist, Uplimit, Eightfold, and many other pioneers to come. (I recorded this on a walk today so it sounds like I’m outside, but hopefully you enjoy the new ideas here.) I’m going to be diving into this at L&D Technology in UK this week and much more at Unleash Vegas the first week in May. Additional Information The Mercury Release of Galileo Signals a New Era for Intelligent Agents A Revolution In Corporate Learning Begins, Join The Journey

Alfredo Thompson, Chief People Officer at Royal United Hospitals Bath, NHS Foundation Trust, talks with Kathi Enderes about how he is leading an end-to-end transformation of talent acquisition and onboarding for the Trust. Built on principles of customer orientation and systemic HR®, the organization shifted recruitment from a compliance-oriented fulfillment center to a business growth function, using a combination of mindset shift, process redesign, technology enablement, and cross-functional collaboration. The results are outstanding, significantly reducing the healthcare organization’s vacancy rates and increasing employee retention while also improving hiring manager and candidate satisfaction. Additional Information Emerging Trends in Talent Acquisition: Factbook Talent Acquisition at a Crossroads Systemic HR Overview Transforming the NHS, by Sonia Mooney

This week I detail the whole story: how the $360 billion corporate learning market is being blown up by AI. This tidal wave has now arrived, with every major company asking “how can I get rid of a third of my training department and deliver skills faster in the flow of work?” What happens to the Chief Learning Officer? What happens to the LMS? Is Instructional Design going away? What happens to needs analysis? And What are the new jobs in L&D being created? And in this new world, will we even call it “Learning and Development” any more? In this podcast I explain the history, the new role of AI, and the ten top implications for L&D, training professionals, HR teams, and employees around the world. Chapters 00:00 Introduction to AI in Learning and Development 03:01 The Business Landscape and AI’s Role 06:04 The History of Learning and Development 08:53 Challenges in Learning and Development 11:45 The Future of Learning with AI 15:05 Transforming Learning and Development Practices 17:56 The Impact of AI on Corporate L&D Teams 21:11 Redefining what L&D does 24:06 Dynamic Learning Systems and AI Architectures 26:48 A Fundamental Shift in Learning and Development Paradigms 30:10 Don’t Get Caught In The Past Additional Information The Mercury Release of Galileo Signals a New Era for Intelligent Agents A Revolution In Corporate Learning Begins, Join Us On The Journey New Research: Secrets Of The High Performing CHRO Artificial Intelligence in HR (Josh Bersin Academy) The Rise of the Superworker: Delivering On The Promise Of AI

Introducing the Galileo Mercury Release: a new reasoning model, extensive new data and information from Lightcast, the Universal Competency Framework from SHL, and our first “consultant mode” feature, Intelligent Benchmarking. Galileo is now the essential AI tool for HR professionals around the world. Get Galileo Today!

This week the economic environment changed, with new US reciprocal tariffs launched on 180 countries. The net impact, which is hard to predict, is lots of strategy discussions about manufacturing, redeployment of resources, price increases, and possible economic slowdown. In today’s podcast I explain what this means to you, as an HR leader or HR professional. Additional Information The White Collar Recession Is Real: What Should We Do About It? The Rise of the Superworker: Reinventing Jobs, Careers, and Organizations The Organization Design SuperClass (Certificate Program) Systemic HR: The Lean, Mean HR Department

Jörg Dersch, CHRO at XPAY, joins Kathi Enderes to discusses innovation in HR and how CHRO’s can stay ahead. He also shares advice to CEOs about their role in HR issues. He shares his journey into HR leadership and how HR leaders can become true strategic partners in their organizations. From navigating digital transformation to building business acumen, Jörg offers valuable insights into what it takes to succeed in today’s highly-innovative, tech-enabled HR landscape. Jörg’s advice – “You own the company. Operate as if the company is your company” XPay is a fintech company that offers various payment solutions, including international payments APIs, embedded payment solutions, and white-label payment card solutions, aiming to simplify and streamline payment processing for businesses. Additional Information New Research: Secrets Of The High Performing CHRO CHRO Insights Research Report CHRO Insights Benchmarking Survey CHRO Insights Video (Youtube) CHRO Insights Program Overview

What’s the solution to political, economic, and global conflict? It’s not more anger and competition, it’s kindness. In this podcast I try to convince you that Kindness, the act of listening, caring, and helping, is a real secret weapon. Additional Information The World Happiness Report (which proves that trust and social connections matter more than money) Edelman Trust Barometer 2025: Crisis of Grievance Kindness at Work: Our Research and UC Berkeley Research Irresistible: The Seven Secrets of the World’s Most Enduring, Employee-Focused Organizations (my book) The Atlantic Article I mention

Today I wanted to briefly discuss the impact of US Tariffs on manufacturing talent. As many of you know, decisions about where to locate manufacturing are very big and very important. As you’ll hear, much of your company’s response may come down to talent and skills issues, since manufacturing skills are in short supply. I hope this conversation helps you think through the fast-changing economic issues our companies face. Additional Information New Certificate Program: Building A Skills Strategy That Works Job Redesign Around AI: Work Intelligence Tools Arrive Understanding Talent Intelligence: A Primer How To Take A Pragmatic (and winning) Approach To Skills

Today I talk with Vijay Swaminathan, the CEO and co-founder of Draup, one of the most amazing data and insights providers in HR. Vijay and his partner Vamsee Tirukkala were the original founders of Talent Neuron, a pioneer in talent planning. Now, with Draup, they’ve gone an order of magnitude beyond to build a data platform that identifies skills, technologies, competitors, labor market trends, and a myriad of financial and organizational data to help companies benchmark themselves, plan, hire, and prepare for AI transformation. You’ll learn a lot about skills inference, workloads, and much more about the role of data and talent intelligence in all areas of HR. For more information on AI transformation, read some of the links below and sign up for our new Josh Bersin Academy course “Building a Skills Strategy That Works.” Additional Information New Certificate Program: Building A Skills Strategy That Works Job Redesign Around AI: Work Intelligence Tools Arrive Understanding Talent Intelligence: A Primer How To Take A Pragmatic (and winning) Approach To Skills  

In this podcast I describe the massive AI-powered revolution starting in corporate L&D, and give you some history, context, and a mandate for the future. This is based on a massive research program we’ve been doing for the last year and I’m now convinced that this entire $360 Billion market is going to reinvent itself. Vendors mentioned include Sana, Uplimit, Docebo, Arist, CodeSignal, 360Learning, Cornerstone, LinkedIn, Microsoft, as well as Workday, SAP, and Oracle. This is a huge space so I can’t cover them all but we will be launching much more on the Corporate Learning Revolution in the coming months. If you want to experience this revolution, join The Josh Bersin Academy and get Galileo because we’ll be exposing you to all this soon. If you’re a vendor and you want us to know about your fantastic innovations, please reach out here and we’ll talk with you. As you’ll hear in the podcast, I see this as one of the most exciting applications of AI in the coming years, so stay tuned and join us in the revolution! Additional Information Learning in the Age of AI Benchmarking Study A Revolution In Corporate Learning Begins, Join Us On The Journey Please join me at the L&D Technology Conference on April 23 in London Irresistible: The Global Conference for HR Leaders And Their Teams

Tigran Sloyan, CEO of CodeSignal, talks with Kathi Enderes about his company’s mission to transform skills assessment and development with AI. He shares insights from his experience at Google, where he recognized flaws in hiring practices that prioritize resumes over actual skills. Tigran explains how CodeSignal evolved from technical skills assessments to AI-driven personalized learning. He emphasizes the importance of a skills-based approach and using generative AI to make skills development more engaging. And as you’ll hear, it’s now possible to assess an employee’s skills through conversational AI. Additional Information Definitive Guide to Dynamic Organizations Building a Skills Strategy That Works Why Are Some Companies More Dynamic Than Others? Assess and Develop Your Skills in HR: The Global Capability Assessment

Everyone is talking about productivity, layoffs, and job redesign. In this week’s podcast I share much of what we’re learning in AI-based job design, all with a focus on productivity. I discuss the role of Reejig, Gloat, Draup and the shift from “skills-based organization” strategies to “task and activity” redesign. And I also share my experiences with the “chainsaw” model of layoffs. Additional Information Busting Bureaucracy: Are Layoffs The Only Way To Go? How To Create Talent Density The Road To AI-Driven Productivity: Four Stages of Transformation Galileo Professional, The Essential AI Assistant for Everything HR  

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 TomTom’s 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