Strategic insights

Board prep for CHROs: How to show up as a strategic business leader

To truly address what keeps boards of directors up at night, CHROs must pivot from reporting on the past to projecting the future—showing direction, identifying risks and demonstrating control over the levers that matter most.

4 surprising finds about how AI is—and isn’t—actually working

Wharton's Peter Cappelli shares eye-opening research on companies that have introduced AI: What was the impact on productivity, headcount and business strategy?

How Danone redeployed 90% of employees affected by workforce changes

“When you embed workforce planning into existing business routines, you don’t need a new process,” said Vincent Favre, organizational design leader at Danone.

Haunted by transformations past: 5 ways leaders can finally move on

The "ghosts" of transformations past may seem frightening but can actually guide HR toward steadier, more sustainable progress, this expert writes.

3 critical lessons from HR Tech 2025 that predict coming trends

HR Tech 2025 showed that the new wave of HR tech promises much, but requires intelligent and patient application, writes conference Chair Steve Boese.

Skills and culture: Which is more important for building a future-ready workforce?

Ferring Pharma's Purvi Tailor explores how the organization is balancing an investment in technical skills and culture as it strives to create a workforce and organization that will thrive in the future.

Reskilling vs. replacement: Making the case for investing in people

Leaders stand on stages proclaiming that employees are their greatest asset in the AI era. Yet a lack of investment in reskilling often tells another story.

Why this org’s purpose-driven work called an HR exec away from retirement

Alight CHRO Donna Dorsey says the organization’s strong purpose to care for its clients' 35 million employees inspired her to rethink her career plan.

HR Tech 2025 recap: Spotlight on the Investor Experience and Pitchfest innovation

Industry analyst George LaRocque of Work Tech, who curated the Investor Experience program and emceed Pitchfest, breaks down the show's defining trends—from the lens of investors and start-ups.

How New York Life’s skills strategy puts the ‘art of the possible’ in employees’ hands

New York Life recently launched an AI-powered platform aimed at helping the workforce explore new opportunities and gig projects, and develop skills for the future.

A critical moment for HR leaders: Previewing the 2025 HR Tech conference

HR Tech kicks off next week in Las Vegas, and Program Chair Steve Boese shares an insider's look at what to expect—and why this year's conference comes at such a pivotal time.

Facing AI, HR needs to shift from ‘reactive to proactive.’ Here’s how

Stefani Steinway, CHRO of Equifax Workforce Solutions, says emerging technology can drive more strategic HR functions but requires HR to have both sharp tech know-how and new mindsets.

This back-to-school season, how childcare benefits can make a difference for working parents

KinderCare Chief People Officer Jessica Harrah shares how employers are leveraging these benefits to support and retain working parents—and how the early education provider is working to meet the needs of its own workforce.

What can HR learn from watching trade negotiations?

International trade and employee relations may seem like two distinct areas, but there is plenty for HR to learn, writes Wharton expert Peter Cappelli.

Rethinking leadership (again): What CHROs need to know

The most potent, data-backed insight from the study is this: Work has become so distributed that leadership itself must be distributed. Four practices from i4cp to support leaders' effectiveness.

Time for a reset: breaking the technology-first transformation trap

The most successful changes are process-led and technology-enabled, not technology-driven. This distinction matters more than you might think, this expert writes.

How this clean energy org ties AI integration to its business purpose

Bloom Energy’s Sonja Wilkerson shares why the company, which powers AI data centers and more, is taking a measured, strategic approach to AI integration.

How global HR experience prepared this exec for a high-growth org

Gaëlle Le Meur, the new chief people officer of berry grower Driscoll's, says her global HR background will be key to HR's strategic role in the high-growth organization.

As the machine-human workforce emerges, it’s time to rethink management

The rise of agentic AI is fueling a new reality: a machine-human workforce. This hybrid environment requires new org structures and leadership capabilities, which HR will play a critical role in building, writes HR tech expert Steve Boese.

Amid the RTO debate, is there value in providing food at work?

The HR leader of ezCater says employer-provided meals at the office are an increasingly innovative employee benefit—and how his firm is leaning into its own benefits strategy to deepen culture.