The Josh Bersin Company - podcast cover

The Josh Bersin Company

Josh Bersinjoshbersin.com
Insider Insights on Corporate Talent, Learning, and HR Technology, with analyst perspectives, executive interviews, and in-depth vendor analysis.

Episodes

How To Become An AI Pacesetter: Superworker Explained

In this podcast I explain the four-stages of AI transformation and detail why and how “AI Pacesetters” will far outperform others in their AI business transformations. The Rise of the Superworker research explains this in more detail. The Rise of the Superworker predictions report is available to all users of Galileo , The Josh Bersin Academy , or Corporate Members . (A Galileo Pro membership is only $39 per month, and JBA membership is $49 per month.) If you want to learn more and follow our on...

Jan 17, 202521 min

The Rise Of The Superworker: Delivering On The Promise of AI

How do you deliver on the promise of AI in your team, your company, and your career? Welcome to The Rise of the Superworker, our new research on the organizational adoption of AI. This research explains how organizations and leaders can redesign work, jobs, and customer experiences to deliver on the promise of AI. And as you’ll hear, job opportunities will expand for everyone. AI is not a technology to eliminate jobs, rather its a platform to empower every role. And the result will be orders of ...

Jan 14, 202521 min

PayPal Builds New Manager Capabilities with Precision Development

How do you build precision leadership skills at scale? Kendra Goldbas , Global Head of Learning & Development at PayPal, describes the world-class new manager development program at PayPal, MAPS (Managing at PayPal Successfully). During the pandemic PayPal grew rapidly and needed a world-class leadership development program for remote leaders. The MAPS program, which is based on “learn | practice | teach,” builds managerial skills quickly. The program starts with a 6-week cohort based learni...

Jan 07, 202521 min

Welcome to HR in 2025: The Five Big Challenges Ahead

Welcome to 2025, where I discuss the five big challenges ahead. These include (1) economic uncertainties, bifurcated labor market, (2) the impact of AI on the workforce and the Rise of Superworkers, (3) the new “soup” of issues in employee experience, which lands in HR’s lap, (4) the changing nature of leadership and leadership development, and (5) the urgent need to HR transformation from the inside out. Every CEO, CHRO, and individual HR professional is going to deal with these five challenges...

Jan 01, 202522 min

Galileo™ Speaks! Are You Ready For The AI Onslaught In 2025?

Welcome to 2025. Today I give you a sneak preview of Galileo as a voice assistant , powered by our upcoming mobile app. And I give you a preview of your enormous 2025 role in embracing, adopting, and optimizing the use of AI in your company. I highlight three major themes for the year. First, the use of intelligent agents in your own work throughout HR; second, the new world of “productivity-based job design,” which will create enormous changes in job titles, roles, structures, and skills; third...

Dec 28, 202423 min

A Tumultuous End To 2024, What Has Changed As We Look To 2025?

In this discussion I reflect on the significant events and trends of 2024, highlighting the impact of global conflicts, economic change, labor market dynamics, and the transformative role of AI in organizations. What has changed? I discuss the evolving nature of DEI, the new model of leadership which emerged, and the transformation of HR into a more integrated and essential function within businesses. I also describe the two-edged labor market, with severe labor shortages in hourly and blue coll...

Dec 19, 202428 min

Deel's Hyper-Scale, Game-Changing Approach to Globalization

How has Deel grown from zero to 4,500 employees in 100 countries in less than five years? It’s an amazing story of hyperscale growth and passionate customer focus. In today’s podcast Alex Bouaziz , CEO of Deel, talks with Kathi Enderes about his own journey from environmental engineer to founder of an HR tech company. Alex explains how he started Deel as an EOR (Employer of Record) company, and how the company has expanded into HCM and payroll around the world. He explains the EOR market and wha...

Dec 16, 202420 min

Workday Rising, Precision Talent Acquisition, The Future Role of the CHRO

In this conversation I share insights from my recent trip to Europe, focusing on the Workday Rising event, the current state of talent acquisition, and the evolving role of CHROs in strategic workforce planning. I discuss the importance of systemic talent acquisition, the emergence of “Precision Talent Acquisition” and the entire redefinition of this function. And I also explain why the term “Hiring Manager” is such a terrible concept. Finally I share my amazing conversation with one of the most...

Dec 14, 202424 min

How AI Will Revolutionize The HR Department, In Detail. E205

I know most of you have used ChatGPT, Galileo , or other AI tools in your job, but you haven’t seen anything yet. In this podcast I walk through a complete end-to-end scenario to show you precisely how AI agents will automate, scale, integrate, and vastly improve the process of hiring, onboarding, performance management, internal mobility, and more. As you’ll hear in this scenario, AI agents are going to revolutionize the talent process. Recruiters, HR Business Partners, and CHROs watch out. And...

Dec 10, 202415 min

The End Of The American Dream? How Automation Works To Your Advantage (or Not). E204

What do we do about the American Dream? This week I discuss the explosion of employee and citizen activation (NYC UHG CEO, for example) and how the US economy has not been delivering for 2/3 of the workforce. And in that discussion I challenge HR and business leaders to re-engineer jobs and work around what we call Superworkers, all with a goal of using AI to increase customer service, scale, quality, and value. I try to warn and give examples of what happens when companies use technologies like...

Dec 07, 202416 min

WhatWorks: Sanford Health Develops Mission-Driven Leaders at All Levels

Linda Kirchhevel , Director, Talent & Leadership Development at Sanford Health talks with Kathi Enderes about their leadership development program. Linda discusses how the organization’s frequent mergers caused them to prioritize creating a unique leadership framework centered around the mission of the organization. (Sanford Health is the largest rural healthcare provider in the United States.) The Sanford Leader Framework (“The Sanford Leader”) is applicable to anybody in the organization, ...

Dec 03, 202421 min

How To Accelerate The Productivity Benefits of AI? Four Stages of AI Adoption.

AI tools are rapidly sweeping across our companies in every job function, and most of us see them as “productivity tools.” Well, that’s a very limited view of the future. While AI may make you 15-20% more productive, the big payoff comes when we rethink work entirely and let AI systems take over as “autonomous agents,” albeit with our support. In this podcast I discuss the four levels of AI adoption , and help you think about the important job-redesign work we’ll do in 2025. And I would argue th...

Nov 29, 202419 min

People Analytics: The Next Big Step Has Arrived. Get Ready. E201

Companies have been investing in People Analytics and Industrial Psychology since the late 1800s, going back to Fredrick Taylor (time and motion studies) and Carl Jung (psychological types). The original idea was to scientifically manage work, using data to measure labor, strength, motion, and later engagement, skills, and leadership. All this effort resulted in thousands of books and tools to measure employee engagement, employee experience, productivity, and organization design. Ultimately whe...

Nov 22, 202421 min

Can One AI Agent Do Everything? How To Redesign Jobs for AI? HR Expertise And A Big Future for L&D. E200

This week I summarize my meetings and discussions with clients in NYC and you can see we covered many topics. Here’s the AI summary, which is pretty good. In this conversation, Josh Bersin discusses the evolving landscape of AI platforms, particularly focusing on Microsoft’s positioning and the challenges of creating a universal AI agent. He delves into the complexities of government efficiency, emphasizing the institutional challenges faced in re-engineering government operations. The conversat...

Nov 17, 202419 min

How AI Changes Organizations, Institutions, and Society. E199

In today’s podcast I discuss the organizational, institutional, and societal impacts of AI. And I’m not predicting what “could happen” but rather sharing “what is happening now.” As you’ll hear, AI plays a role in our political issues but an even greater role in our careers, pay, rewards, organization structure, and culture. A recent AI adoption study by McKinsey found that 74% of companies have at least one AI application in place, and 20% have 3 or more. So we’re already seeing the impact. As ...

Nov 13, 202428 min

What's Holding Back People Analytics? Discussion with Paul Rubenstein from Visier. E198

After decades of effort and growth, only around 10% of People Analytics teams deliver strategic business value. Many are still focused on traditional analysis of engagement, retention, leadership pipelines, and other HR measures. In this WhatWorks podcast I talk openly with Paul Rubenstein, the Chief Customer Officer at Visier, about how this market has evolved. And in the conversation you can learn about Visier and the role of integrated, AI-platforms for the important topic of managing corpora...

Nov 11, 202428 min

Diversity, Inclusion, DEI, and Wellbeing In The Trump Era E197

This week I discuss the issue of DEI (must it DIE?), inclusion, and corporate culture in the Trump Era. We just completed a 1.5 hour discussion with 30+ companies on the impact of the 2024 election and regardless of your political position, some people are worried. It’s clear to me that DEI (or whatever you call it) is not going away, but in this podcast I reframe the topic and give you perspectives from some of the largest companies in the world. Additional Information Are Diversity And Inclusi...

Nov 08, 202419 min

The History of Franklin Covey And The Enduring Model Of Leadership E196

In this episode of the WhatWorks podcast, Paul Walker, CEO of FranklinCovey , talks with Kathi Enderes about FranklinCovey’s history, his own journey of 25 years with the company from frontline employee to CEO, and how the company now helps large organizations like Marriott enable transformational change through individual behavior change, execution excellence, creating a culture of trust and performance, and developing new leadership capabilities. FranklinCovey (FC) is one of the only publicly ...

Nov 06, 202422 min

AI Can Do Even More Than You Thought. Why Every Employee Will Have A Digital Assistant. E195

This week I discuss how major new AI use-cases have emerged. Imagine if every employee had a personal AI assistant? It’s going to happen. I also discuss LinkedIn Hiring Assistan t, Galileo , SuccessFactors Joule, AI for performance management, and a big question: what are you going to do with the 35% productivity you gain? Coming back from multiple weeks on the road with clients and vendors, this podcast will expand your thinking and help you build your own business case for AI tools and agents ...

Nov 01, 202422 min

Job Task Re-Engineering With AI: A Massive Opportunity Ahead - E194

In this week’s podcast I discuss the trend (and need) for job task re-engineering: breaking down our jobs into tasks, so we can effectively use AI and Agents to speed things up. As more and more vendors announce AI Agents to assist with work, our best opportunity for massive improvement is to “re-engineer” how we do things, not just “add agents” to our current jobs. As I describe, most companies build job titles in a “mashed potato” approach where we squash a bunch of things into one job descrip...

Oct 25, 202414 min

WhatWorks: Mastercard Evolves To Systemic HR™ - E193

In this episode of the WhatWorks podcast series, Nick Benaquista, SVP, People and Capability Partner, Chief Administration Office and Strategic Growth at Mastercard, shares how Mastercard has transformed HR from a static, siloed, overlapping model towards the product and consulting-oriented model of Systemic HR . Now in year 2 of the ongoing transformation, the company is continuing to change HR roles, jobs, operating models, and skills, and is using technology and AI to elevate the employee exp...

Oct 23, 202421 min

Digital Twins, AI-Powered ERP, Agentic Tools, AI War Against Candidates E192

White collar robots have arrived: digital twins, digital assistants, and AI-powered agents. In this podcast I discuss what I learned about at Unleash, Sana, and Spotify this week. My big message is this: AI in HR is even more powerful than we expected. And AI platforms and tools are transforming HR right this minute – across every domain in HR. Digital Twins in the insurance industry. AI-powered L&D and change management solutions. AI-powered candidates battling it out with AI-powered select...

Oct 19, 202423 min

What Works: Delta Air Lines Unveils Its Skills-First Strategy E191

Delta Air Lines understands the importance of its employees, managers, and leaders, so the company has built one of the airline industry’s most advanced “skills-first” strategies. Built on its investment in SAP technology ( Talent Intelligence Hub ) and a focus from the top, the company fully embraces an agile cross-functional career model, all built around skills . In this episode Tim Gregory, Managing Director of HR Innovation and Technology at Delta, walks Kathi Enderes through the company’s ...

Oct 14, 202419 min

Forgiveness, Growth, And Reinvention In The Age Of AI E190

I just finished a long meeting with 15 senior HR leaders in Silicon Valley, so in the context of AI, I discuss the themes of forgiveness, growth, and leadership these organizations are facing. And these issues are acute right now. 2025 is shaping up to be a “Year of Redesign” throughout business, and as we do this we have to rethink about how we think about people. Are we ready to support, forgive, and help our people adapt? Leadership trust is at an all time low , so we definitely have some wor...

Oct 11, 202420 min

The Launch Of Galileo™ Professional and The Galileo Success Center E189

This week we are so excited to launch Galileo Professional , the personal AI platform designed for HR professionals, consultants, vendors, and investors in the global Human Resources industry. As you’ll hear in my introduction, Galileo Pro is Your Personal AI Assistant for everything HR. For $39 per month you now have access to the most trusted corpus of HR research in the world, including every research study, maturity model, case study, vendor profile, and benchmark we’ve done for 26+ years. T...

Oct 08, 202413 min

What's Coming In 2025, AI Updates, Jobs Number, And Our Big Announcement Next Week E188

In this week’s podcast I give you some insights on HR tech in 2025, perspectives on jobs, and what you’ll be dealing with in 2025. We just had two weeks of HR Tech announcements and next week you’ll see a big one from us! (The biggest product announcement in my career, to be a little hyberbolic!). Topics include: the verticalization of AI, whey OpenAI will compete with Microsoft, how agents will change our jobs, and the implications of the low unemployment rate on pay equity, DEI, talent density...

Oct 05, 202419 min

Flexible Shifts In Hospitality: Aimbridge Uses AI To Schedule Workers E187

Aimbridge manages 1100 hotels around the US and employs more than 45,000 employees. In this podcast, Conrad Riddle, VP of HR Shared Services at Aimbridge Hospitality, discusses how the company empowers employees (“Uberizing the Workforce”) and delivers a flexible, highly engaged workforce with dynamic workforce scheduling. The company leverages UKG Workforce Management to give employees a centralized app that lets an employee manage their schedule dynamically. As you’ll hear, Ambridge employees ...

Oct 02, 202421 min

Live from HR Technology 2024: A Detailed Look At The AI Trailblazers! E186

In this week’s podcast I go through the 30 HR Technology AI Trailblazers in some detail. You’ll hear about all the companies in the Trailblazer Report , as well as some of my personal thoughts on their leadership teams, centers of innovation, and differentiating capabilities. My keynote at HR Tech was 75 minutes long and you can hear it or get access to the materials if you join our corporate membership (or come back to HR Tech 2025 next March !). For those of you in Europe, I will be speaking a...

Sep 27, 202445 min

Workday Illuminate, Salesforce slams Microsoft, Even More Agents, and Why Boeing Teaches Us A Lesson

This podcast details what Workday’s new AI platform, Workday Illuminate , and also describes Workday’s momentum coming out of Rising. I also discuss why Salesforce slams Microsoft, the new tsunami of Agents, including Microsoft, Salesforce (who is charging $2 per conversation), SAP, Workday, UKG, ServiceNow, and others. I also discuss the near-term job disruption we’re seeing from Agents and what you should do to prepare. Then I discuss the strikes at Boeing and why “growth at any cost” is such ...

Sep 20, 202424 min

What Works: How to Build a Fantastic Employee Experience in Industrial Distribution

In our latest WhatWorks podcast, Samantha Garvie , HR Safety and Compliance Director at Rowley’s Wholesale, speaks with Kathi Enderes from The Josh Bersin Company. Rowley’s Wholesale , a Michigan-based distributor of automotive and industrial products, has been in business for over 100 years and is currently in its third generation of ownership. With 125+ employees across three locations, the company utilizes UKG-Ready for its HRIS system, covering benefits, timekeeping, payroll, succession plan...

Sep 18, 202421 min
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