In Conversation with Josh Bersin, Global Industry Analyst, Founder and CEO, The Josh Bersin Company on Potential Benefits and Challenges of Gen AI in HR
Josh is an analyst and thought leader specializing in the global talent market and the challenges and trends affecting business workforces around the world.
He founded Bersin & Associates in 2001 to provide associated research and advisory services—a business he later sold to Deloitte when it became known as Bersin by Deloitte.
In 2019, he launched The Josh Bersin Academy, the world’s first global development academy for HR and talent professionals, and he is currently the CEO of its sister research and advisory firm, The Josh Bersin Company.
Q- How has the role of HR evolved with the rise of technology and remote work, and what critical skills should HR professionals develop to stay relevant?
HR teams are now responsible for a hybrid work strategy, the AI and automation strategy, and all the related issues around pay, performance management, career growth, culture, and job design.
This has pushed HR into the role as an organizational and business consultant and forces HR teams to become very comfortable with technology, automation, org design, and what we call “dynamic organization” strategies.
This “new world of work” is now here, and companies want HR to partner with senior leaders on all these issues, including skilling, mental health, engagement, and productivity.
Q- Can you share an experience where embracing failure led to a positive outcome, and how you guided through that process?
Yes, one of the largest healthcare providers in the US created an assessment-based career portal, working with their ERP provider, which took more than two years to build. This highly designed, complex system was intended to improve internal mobility and career growth. It was an utter failure.
The assessments were too complex and people simply did not use the system. Now the organization is looking at an AI-based talent marketplace and also focused on gig and project work, essentially learning their lesson and creating a much simpler, easy-to-use system that already shows a payoff.
Q- What innovative DEI strategies have you found most effective, and how can HR leaders ensure these initiatives genuinely transform company culture?
By far the #1 DEI strategy is to focus on DEI for business value, NOT for HR compliance or representation. In other words, if the company is growing or needs people in new locations or skill sets, a diverse recruiting strategy will expand the funnel and enable more people to be hired.
This in turn means managers have to be inclusive, pay must be fair, and pedigrees have to be ignored. In other words, focus DEI on the business problem, not the HR metrics.
Q- What are the potential benefits and challenges of AI in HR, and how can organizations balance technology and the human touch?
As we’ve written about extensively, AI can dramatically improve hiring effectiveness, time and speed to hire, diversity of hiring, and internal mobility. In L&D AI will revolutionize how we build, locate, and use content. In EX AI is enabling people to create portals out of old websites that are quick and easy to use to answer questions.
And, for HR professionals themselves, platforms like our Galileo™ can revolutionize problem-solving, learning, skills analysis, vendor selection, and development of HR programs using AI. Clients using Galileo are saving an hour a day or more on their HR projects.
Q- What advice would you give to those new to the HR field, and what key areas should they focus on to make a meaningful impact?
What I always tell people is that this is a rich, meaningful, complex profession with many domains and areas. You can come to HR with a background in psychology, learning, math, business, or technology – and you’ll find endless opportunities to add value and help employees and companies perform better.
It’s a complex domain with lots to learn, and I encourage all HR professionals to “lean in” and use tools like our Josh Bersin Academy and our research to learn, expand their consulting skills, and ever-improve their opportunities in this fantastic profession.
Thank you, Josh!
