A short YouTube briefing by Anthony Onesto arguing that the pace and velocity of change in business is accelerating and that HR leaders must act as strategic "captains" to guide organizations. The video summarizes evidence (McKinsey, Gartner, WEF) about increasing disruption and shifting skills, reviews historical accelerations, and offers a practical playbook: champion entrepreneurial culture, invest in continuous learning/upskilling, embrace strategic AI deployment, and prioritize cultural integration in M&A.
Questions this video answers
70% (Gartner projection cited in the video).
44% (WEF Future of Jobs, 2023, as cited in the video).
Over one-third of jobs by 2025 (speaker's claim).
90% of M&A deals fail mainly due to cultural clashes (speaker's claim).
Chapters
Hey everyone, it's Anthony Honesto and this is my latest drop for AI and HR today. Subscribe now. You don't want to miss future articles. In today's business world, change isn't just constant, it's accelerating at an urgent pace. In my experience as a chief people officer and advisor of tech companies, I've been in the thick of quick change. Change is nothing new, though. It's been a constant for a while. But what has changed about change is the acceleration and velocity we see these days. So how do you survive and thrive when the ground beneath your feet shifts faster than ever? The answer lies firmly within the often and understated impact of you, the HR leader. In this video, I will explain why this acceleration is different, support it with data, and then show you how to become the captain in guiding your company through this error of unprecedented velocity of change. Let's look at the numbers. When you look at the numbers specifically, what you find is HR roles becoming more critical than ever. And that's illustrated by the data that we're gonna look at. Disruption is the new constant. A McKinsey study titled Navigating a World of Disruption highlights that companies are facing unprecedented levels of disruption across industries. For example, a significant portion of companies in their analysis across various different sectors, experience at least one major disruption in the past five years. Your organization needs resilience. The need for organizational resilience in Gartner's research and outlined in its report Future of HR Building a Resilient Organization emphasizes that organizations must develop resilience to withstand and adapt to rapid and unpredictable changes. They project that by 2025, 70% of organizations will have experienced at least three significant business disruptions in the past three years. Now lastly, you need skills. Skills for shifting the landscape. The World Economic Forum's Future of Jobs report in 2023 points to a significant shift in the skills required for the workforce. The report estimates that 44% of workers core skills will have changed in the next five years. Let's look at a brief history of change because it's always been part of the human experience. From the agricultural revolution which transformed hunter gatherers into farmers, to the industrial revolution which ushered in factories and mass production. We've constantly adapted. But here's the kicker. The pace has never been this relentless. Imagine the leap from horse drawn carriages to Model T's Took a while. Right? Now think about the quick evolution from flip phones to smartphones, or the sudden emergence of AI that's redefining entire industries overnight. The change has accelerated a force multiplier demanding new organizational agility. HR now becomes the guiding light. So with this acceleration uncertainty, how does HR become the guiding light, the beacon of stability in the storm? It's about being proactive folks, adaptable and deeply invested in your people. We need to foster adaptability at warp speed. In a world where US Steel collapsed because steel mini mills disrupted it and mobile devices disrupted laptops, which previously disrupted PCs, you can't afford to stand still anymore. HR's role is crucial in cultivating an entrepreneurial mindset. This acceleration of change requires encouraging idea generation, situating those ideas within the context of organizational priorities, and identifying champions to build support. It's about getting comfortable with failure as part of the creative process. We need to invest in learning that outpaces change. With tech, talent is in short supply and companies struggle to find it. HR can take charge by investing in retraining programs for skill sets that are in high demand. This strategy isn't about external hires, it's about upskilling your current workforce. Think about establishing partnerships with nearby schools to create a talent pipeline. Think this proactive approach ensures that your workforce evolves as quickly as the market demands. We need to leverage AI as both an accelerator and an anchor. AI and machine learning are undoubtedly accelerating change, displacing over 1/3 of jobs by 2025, not just in manufacturing, but across all sectors. However, HR can wield AI as a powerful tool to manage this change. Conversational AI and chatbots transform HR tasks, making interaction seamless and personalized. Imagine employees chatting with an AI assistant to update their benefits or address inquiries, or working with an AI coach. This hyper personalized driven by AI can free up HR professionals to focus on the truly human centric aspects of their role, emotions, creativity and innovation. AI can handle the repetitive programmable tasks, allowing humans to focus on what they do best. So what's the playbook? Look for the future in hr. To truly become a pillar of stability in this accelerating world, HR leaders need to take concrete steps. First, champion an entrepreneurial culture. Actively encourage employees to identify problems and propose innovative solutions, even if they fall outside their immediate areas of responsibility. Foster a safe environment for experimentation and learning from failures. You must invest. 2. Invest in continuous learning and development. Implement robust upskilling and reskilling programs that focus on future proof skills. Explore partnerships with educational institutions to build a sustainable talent pipeline. 3. Embrace and strategically deploy AI. Don't fear AI. Learn about it and integrate it into HR processes. Focus on automating repetitive tasks to free up HR and employees for more strategic human centric work. 4. Prioritize cultural integration, particularly in mergers and acquisitions. Given that 90% of M& A deals fail mainly due to cultural classes, HR must lead the due diligence on cultural alignment. The unstoppable force folks meets this immovable object. The acceleration of uncertainty is undeniable. But instead of being victims of this rapid change, companies can leverage their HR functions as a powerful force for stability and innovation and competitive advantage. By fostering an entrepreneurial mindset, investing in continuous learning, and strategically embracing AI hr, you can help organizations navigate the current velocity of change and empower them to thrive in whatever accelerated future awaits. It's time for HR to step into this rightful role as a strategic partner in a world spinning faster than ever. That's my quick drop. We'll see you next time.
