Back in 2014, Microsoft veteran Satya Nadella became CEO and tapped Kathleen Hogan, then the organization's chief vice president of worldwide services, to be Microsoft's chief people officer and executive vice president of HR. He quickly handed her a big task.

In 2015, Nadella called for a major transformation of Microsoft's culture: from a "know-it-all," fixed mindset culture to a "learn-it-all" growth culture, Hogan says.

Before Nadella issued this call for action, the sprawling organization operated with siloed departments whose employees often waged internal political battles in a highly competitive atmosphere. This toxic environment resulted in the software behemoth falling behind on key technological innovations like mobile computing, gaming and social media, Hogan previously told HR Executive.