Josh Bersin

This week I introduce a big idea: Employee Activation. This idea, which comes from important work we’re doing with Medallia, shows you how to move “beyond engagement” to a whole new world of employee listening and action-taking based on feedback. In the new world of labor shortages, high turnover, unions, and general employee stress, Employee Activation might be the big answer. H...

2024 is off with a bang. The death or decline of DEI strategies, increased activity among unions, and job numbers in December that predict a secular labor shortage for years ahead. In this podcast I give HR and business leaders some advices on “what to do about DEI programs” in this new political environment, and how to think about this ongoing labor shortage. Imagine a world where eve...

In this podcast I walk through the big business and HR stories of 2023 and what they tell us for the year ahead. 2024 looks like a year with a strong economy, continued labor shortages, with employees continuing to take charge. And as you expect, AI will change everything. And there’s one big story that defines everything, but you’ll have to listen to the podcast to hear it. Join me as...

As I look back on the year and think about all the challenges we face in business, I’m reminded of the simple human formula of how we care for each other. This topic, that of “care,” is not something people talk about a lot at work. But in many ways it’s fundamental to business success. This podcast explores that issue. Additional Information Workplace Mental Health Has Bec...

This week I want to give you some insights on AI, the use of LLM’s, and how to think about a “knowledge graph” for your company, and how it applies to HR. Yes, your AI strategy, your employee experience strategy, and your own career as a professional are all dependent on your “Knowledge Graph.”  In HR your knowledge graph includes your understanding of HR practices, v...

We’ve just completed a major study of the 4-day week and the results are surprising: companies of all sizes are seeing real benefits and this podcast explains why. While we’ve all been comfortable with the 5-day week since the early 1920s, it’s now time to let go of that paradigm. Lots to discuss and think about here, but it’s real. Additional Information Our New Research a...

I bet you’re an expert at something. We all are. But how will it feel when a Generative AI becomes deeper and more expert than we are? In this podcast I describe what an “Expert” really is, and why Gen AI has the potential to totally change the market for Experts: not only HR consultants, but lawyers, accountants, scientists, and more. And that means we “Experts” need...

The OpenAI board saga has been fun to read about, but now that it’s settling down what have we learned? In this podcast I recap the last week’s events and give you some perspectives on tech companies, leadership, employee activation, and culture. And by the way, what is the role of the board and where does it fit? And why is Sam Altman so important? As you’ll hear, the big lesson...

In this podcast I tell the story of our new Generative AI platform Galileo , The World’s first AI-Powered Expert Assistant for HR . Not only do I explain the history, but I explain how Generative AI platforms work and how flexible and scalable they can be. As I explain, Galileo is much more than a highly intelligent assistant, it is a platform for many applications in HR. I hope you find thi...

As everyone talks about building a skills-based organization, developing people, and dealing with the tough labor market a looming question remains: How do we evaluate people for performance? A new book about Ray Dalio’s company Bridgewater Associates gives us some interesting insights into one of the most “feedback-rich” cultures on the planet. How much feedback is good and how...

In this podcast I draw the line from cancel culture to Israel to DEI to business performance. And the argument I make is that despite the challenges we face in the political and culture wars, we, in business, have to do away with these behaviors and focus on building a meritocracy, a culture of open, socratic debate, and a focus on “trusted data.” A business, unlike a society, relies o...

In this podcast I review our new Irresistible Leadership research , which discusses the new models of leadership and why leadership development investments are so important. Despite a wide range of offerings in this area, investments in leadership have lagged, so I hope this research gets you motivated to put some time and money into this critical business initiative. Additional Information Irresi...

In this podcast I give you the “under-the-covers” look at our new Systemic HR research, and discuss the evolution of HR, the reason HR has changed, and the urgent need for full-stack HR professionals around the world. This research, which is soon to be launched to our corporate members, has been developed after two years of work and helps CEOs, CFOs, and CHROs understand the new operat...

In this podcast I briefly discuss the Trailblazer HR Technology vendors STRIVR, Seekout, Sana Labs, HiBob, Rippling, and ServiceNow. These are vendors who are pioneering the use of AI or other innovative technologies; they are big and well enough established to be a safe buy; and they are platforms and tools that have been proven in the market. I’ll talk more about other Trailblazer HR Techn...

In this podcast, authored in Paris at Unleash, I discuss the confusion about skills technology and how to rethink your skills strategy. I also discuss AI #Trailblazers Docebo, Arist, & Cornerstone…. and I preview some very important c-level research we launched, “The Dynamic Organization.” Additional Information The Definitive Guide To Building A Dynamic Organization –...

This week I’m kicking off a series of podcasts and articles on the HR Tech “Trailblazers,” vendors who are pioneering the use of AI to revolutionize HR, the workplace, and management. As you’ll hear me explain, AI is going to totally revolutionize the HR and workplace technology market, and some vendors are now showing us the way. In this podcast I highlight Eightfold, Para...

This week we previewed our big research effort in Systemic HR, the evolution of the human resources function. As you’ll hear, this is a story about how Human Resources professionals continue to add value as business, the economy, and the workforce continues to change. We will be releasing much more on this, I hope it gets you motivated to rethink your role, your career, and how your team is...

This week and next we’re going to see some big news from the three biggest companies in HR Technology. In this podcast I explain what Workday announced last week and give you a sneak preview (nothing confidential) about what’s coming from SAP and LinkedIn. The message is pretty clear: Gen AI is not only here but it’s about to add massive value to these systems. There are some thr...

In this podcast I go through the last 100+ years in the evolution of Human Resources. As you’ll see, this profession has exploded with growth, new domains, new job roles, and a massive increase in importance. HR executives are “at the table” with CEOs, CFOs, and CIOs and now must operate in what we call a “Systemic HR” model. This background explains how we got here a...

In this podcast I discuss the ongoing UAW strike and why it feels strangely out of sync with the economy, EV revolution, growth of Tesla, and emergence of AI. And I also give you my experience with the “true costs” of AI, which you have to reflect in your rosy expectations for productivity. Also some great resources below. Additional Resources What Are The Three Generations Of AI In Th...

This week Walter Isaacson’s book came out, so I wanted to give you my thoughts. The book is a fascinating read, and as I finished I left with a new sense of empathy, respect, and admiration for Elon Musk. Not often do individuals take on enormous role models for billions of people, so I wanted to give you a sense of what I learned. Before you judge him, read the book. He, like all of us, is...

In addition to my regular podcasts on HR, leadership, the workforce, and the economy I’m now starting a new podcast series on HR Technology . These podcasts will talk about HR Tech markets, trends, and vendors. And I’ll give you my unwashed perspectives on how different vendors position themselves. In this first episode I give you a deep introduction to Talent Intelligence, and AI-base...

This week I want to talk about the problem of proliferating HR Tech platforms in companies. It’s not a simple problem, but it really is everywhere. The average large company has 80+ HR tools and many global companies have twice that. Why is this taking place and what can you do? And how will AI help? Here are some of the answers, and more resources to help below: Resources HCM Platform Excel...

In this podcast I discuss the continued growth and confusion in the Generative AI market, and explain how the “AI stack” is still immature, making it difficult for application vendors to deliver on the promise quite yet. It means that you, as a business and HR leader, have to focus your imagination on real-world use cases and guide the vendors in the right direction. As with any new te...

We just finished five weeks of in-depth discussions with companies about their Gen AI projects and it’s pretty amazing. Lots of playing around, pilots, experiments, and fears. In this podcast I describe what we’ve learned and give you lots of insights on how these systems work, how they will become “IT projects” pretty quickly, and how the vendor market is still shaking out...