The Gartner Talent Angle – Details, episodes & analysis

Increased automation and use of tools like robotics and generative AI have fundamentally changed the expert-novice relationships that organizations and knowledge transfer are built on. Professor and author Matt Beane joins the Talent Angle to share his insights on how learning and development (L&D) leaders can play a strategic role in unlocking human ability in the age of intelligent machines. Drawing upon examples across industries and eras, Matt explains why challenge, complexity and connection are key drivers for effective learning in today’s working environment.   Matt Beane is an assistant professor in the technology management program at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Matt does field research on work involving robots and AI to uncover systematic positive exceptions that we use across the broader world of work. He received his Ph.D. from the Sloan School of Management at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the information technologies department. Matt also took a two-year hiatus from his doctoral studies to help found and fund Humatics, an MIT-connected, full-stack IoT startup.   Peter Aykens is the chief of research for Gartner’s HR practice. Aykens is responsible for building and leading research teams within the practice to address clients’ key initiatives. Before his current role, he spent over 25 years at Gartner leading research teams focused on banking and financial services strategy, producing numerous studies that addressed business strategy, channels, marketing, customer experience and product challenges. He holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from St. Olaf College, a master’s degree in international politics from Aberystwyth University (formerly known as the University College of Wales, Aberystwyth), and a master’s degree and a doctorate in political science from Brown University.

Author Tiffani Bova argues organizations don’t see the strong connection between customer experience and employee experience. Despite continued investments in the customer experience, organizations tend to overlook how those changes affect how employees get work done. Tiffani lays out the components of her experience model — people, process, technology and culture — for addressing employee experience challenges and growing the business. She also shares advice for how HR leaders should make the business case for employee experience to other leaders and how organizations can hold themselves accountable through metrics.   Tiffani is the former global growth evangelist at Salesforce and author of the Wall Street Journal bestselling book, “The Experience Mindset: Changing the Way You Think About Growth.” Her previous book “Growth IQ” was also a WSJ bestseller. Prior to working with Salesforce, she was a sales, marketing and customer service executive for startups and Fortune 500 companies. Tiffani is also a former Gartner distinguished analyst and research fellow.   Caroline is a managing vice president in Gartner’s HR practice. Her teams help HR leaders build and execute talent, diversity, rewards, and learning strategies and programs. Caroline has also led Gartner research teams on commercial banking strategy and leadership. She holds a bachelor’s degree in East Asian studies from Columbia University, and a master’s degree in public affairs from Princeton University.

Mid-level managers are sandwiched between pressure from business leaders to retain employees and rising employee expectations for personalized support and communication. In this Talent Angle episode, former Kimberly-Clark CHRO and member of Gartner’s CHRO Global Leadership Board Liz Gottung encourages organizations to rethink their expectations for mid-level managers or risk losing these critical managers to burnout and fatigue. She suggests organizations use technology and rethink role design to free manager capacity for more high-impact work.   After a 35-year career with Kimberly-Clark, Lizanne (Liz) Gottung retired as senior vice president and chief HR officer in 2017. At the time, Kimberly-Clark was a $20 billion global company with nearly 45,000 employees in more than 63 countries. Under her leadership, Kimberly-Clark’s talent strategies were widely recognized for excellence and innovation in HR management, winning multiple global awards for diversity, equity and inclusion; succession and development practices; and Kimberly-Clark’s employer brand. Liz has been a member of the board of directors of the Louisiana Pacific Corporation since 2006 and is chair of the governance and corporate responsibility committee. She joined the board of Sylvamo Corporation in 2021 and chairs the management development and compensation committee. Liz works with a number of non-profit organizations in the Atlanta area, where she lives. She is also a member of Gartner’s CHRO Global Leadership Board.   Peter Aykens is Chief of Research in Gartner's Human Resources practice. Mr. Aykens is responsible for defining research coverage within the practice and building and leading research teams addressing client's key initiatives. In prior roles at the firm, he spent over 25 years leading research teams focused on banking and financial services strategy producing numerous studies that addressed business strategy, channel, marketing, customer experience and product issues in financial services. He holds a B.A. in Political Science from St. Olaf College; a MSc.(Econ) degree in International Politics from the University College of Wales, Aberystwyth; and a MA and Ph.D. in Political Science from Brown University.

In this Talent Angle podcast, workforce expert and “Undercover Millennial” Clint Pulver shares his unique methodology of “undercover” interviews to understand employees’ workplace experiences. He discusses the impact of underperforming managers on employees — from low engagement to increased attrition. Using qualitative findings from his interviews, he argues that managers and leaders should create moments that lead to solutions and develop mentorship opportunities for themselves and members of their teams.

Clint Pulver is a professional keynote speaker and author of “I Love It Here: How Great Leaders Create Organizations Their People Never Want to Leave”. Pulver has worked with corporations to create loyalty through his work and research as the “Undercover Millennial.” He has been featured by BusinessQ Magazine as a “Top 40 Under 40.” In 2020, Pulver won an Emmy Award for his short film “Be a Mr. Jensen,” which tells the story of how a single moment and a particular mentor can change the course of a life.

*This episode is an excerpt taken from our 2021 interview.

While hybrid work, new technologies and evolving skills needs are changing how work gets done, what motivates employees remains constant. Author and psychologist Ron Friedman joins the Gartner Talent Angle to share how the latest findings in behavioral psychology can be applied throughout organizations. Friedman shares insights from his books “Decoding Greatness” and “The Best Place to Work” along with examples and stories from his work as founder of ignite80. He explains how HR leaders can use the method of reverse engineering to achieve success, and he details how an intentional focus on the psychological needs of employees can unlock their highest potential.

Ron Friedman is an award-winning social psychologist and the founder of ignite80, a learning and development company that teaches leaders science-based strategies for building high-performing teams. Friedman has served on the faculty of the University of Rochester, Nazareth College, and Hobart and William Smith Colleges, and is a frequent contributor to the Harvard Business Review, Psychology Today, Fast Company, Forbes, and CNN. Popular accounts of his research have appeared on NPR and in major newspapers, including The New York Times, Financial Times, the Globe and Mail, Washington Post, The Guardian, as well as magazines such as Men’s Health, Entrepreneur, and Success. His first book, The Best Place to Work, was named an Inc. Magazine Best Business Book of the Year. His new book, Decoding Greatness: How the Best in the World Reverse Engineer Success, was selected by Amazon's editors as one of 2021’s best books.

Questions of fairness and equity in the workplace have a renewed urgency, given the transition to hybrid work and the more human relationship between employees and employers. Workplace fairness--either perceived or actual--has real consequences on an organization’s performance and retention. Gartner’s Chief of HR Research Brian Kropp joins the Gartner Talent Angle to discuss strategies that organizations can apply to ensure employees are heard to bolster fairness.

Brian Kropp is Gartner’s Chief of HR Research. He oversees Gartner’s research, tools, services and support for CHROs and their leadership teams. Before joining Gartner, he worked in a variety of roles, conducting different types of economic analyses to drive critical business outcomes. He holds a B.S. and M.S. in Economics from Clemson University and a Ph.D. in Public Policy and Applied Economics from the University of North Carolina.

Peter Aykens is a Practice Vice President in Gartner's Human Resources practice. He is responsible for building and leading research teams within the practice addressing client's key initiatives. In prior roles at Gartner, he spent over 25 years leading research teams focused on banking and financial services strategy producing numerous studies that addressed business strategy, channel, marketing, customer experience and product challenges. He holds a B.A. in Political Science from St. Olaf College; a MSc.(Econ) degree in International Politics from the University College of Wales, Aberystwyth; and a MA and Ph.D. in Political Science from Brown University.

*This episode is an excerpt taken from our 2021 interview.

Ronald Schellekens, PepsiCo CHRO, and Ceree Eberly, former Coca-Cola Company chief people officer, join the Gartner Talent Angle to discuss how HR leaders can serve as role models for the business to manage through sustained uncertainty. Schellekens and Eberly share their perspectives for navigating ongoing changes to the talent landscape and preparing for long-term volatility. They draw on their experiences as HR leaders to share advice for attracting external candidates, developing a strong internal talent market and boosting employee engagement.

Ronald Schellekens is Executive Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer of PepsiCo. Ronald joined PepsiCo in 2018 and oversees the company’s global HR function, which leads talent management and acquisition, leadership development, learning and capability building, compensation and benefits, organizational effectiveness, and HR operations. Ronald and his team also partner with PepsiCo’s Sectors and business units to advance culture, as well as diversity, inclusion and engagement. Prior to joining PepsiCo, Ronald served as Chief Human Resources Officer at Vodafone for 10 years. Ronald holds a Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources and a Master’s degree in Management and Organization from TIAS Business School in the Netherlands and has completed the Program for Management Development (PMD) at Harvard Business School.

Ceree Eberly serves as Chair for the CHRO Global Leadership Board, a network of HR executives working with Gartner to share best practices and influence cutting-edge thinking to guide the next generation of HR leaders. In March 2018, Ceree retired as SVP and Chief People Officer for Coca-Cola after 28 years with the company. She led significant improvements in Coca-Cola’s people and talent processes, leaving a lasting legacy at the organization Ceree is also a member of Women Corporate Directors global organization and has been involved with numerous Human Resources Global Leadership organizations. Ceree has a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Tennessee, graduating with high honors.

Inflation, supply chain risks and a tightening labor market are placing a squeeze on organizations, forcing leaders to make difficult tradeoffs. These macroeconomic conditions create challenges and opportunities for HR leaders to guide their organizations through an environment most leaders haven’t experienced before. Chris Scalia, Hershey CHRO, and Ceree Eberly, former Chief People Officer at the Coca-Cola Company, join the Talent Angle to share how HR leaders can thrive during periods of volatility. Drawing on their experiences as HR leaders, Chris Scalia and Ceree Eberly offer guidance for making tough decisions in an uncertain environment, outline approaches to making enterprise level changes amid disruption and provide tangible advice to help HR leaders model behaviors that make organizations excel.

Chris Scalia is The Hershey Company’s Chief Human Resources Officer and leads Hershey’s human resources function with accountability for Workforce Planning, Listening and Analytics, Total Rewards, Inclusion, Equity, Diversity, Talent Management, HR Service Delivery, and Strategic Business Partnering.  Central to Hershey’s vision of becoming a snacking powerhouse are capabilities brought to life through outstanding talent.  An energized workforce and people-centric culture striving to make a positive impact in communities where we live and work is fundamental to how Hershey leads in the marketplace. Chris has held several leadership roles in legal and HR across the spectrum of manufacturing, labor relations, employment law, business partnering, and all of talent.

Ceree Eberly serves as Chair for the CHRO Global Leadership Board, a network of HR executives working with Gartner to share best practices and influence cutting-edge thinking to guide the next generation of HR leaders. In March 2018, Ceree retired as SVP and Chief People Officer for Coca-Cola after 28 years with the company. She led significant improvements in Coca-Cola’s people and talent processes, leaving a lasting legacy at the organization Ceree is also a member of Women Corporate Directors global organization and has been involved with numerous Human Resources Global Leadership organizations. Ceree has a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Tennessee, graduating with high honors.

Using findings from her two books — “Collective Genius” and “Being the Boss” — Harvard Business School professor Linda Hill reflects on the elements of leadership that produce innovation. She argues for a view of leaders as social architects, tasked with building cultures and capabilities necessary for their teams to do their best and most creative work. For organizations looking to learn from her leadership playbook, she counsels focusing on creative abrasion, creative agility and creative resolution.

*This episode is an excerpt taken from our 2021 interview.

Humans are hardwired to add rather than subtract. Across various contexts ー whether biological, cultural or economic ー we often default towards more. Professor Leidy Klotz, author of “Subtract: The Untapped Science of Less, ” argues we pay a price for the belief that more is better. In this Gartner Talent Angle interview, Klotz makes the case for the untapped potential of less, exploring subtraction as an overlooked strategy to achieve business results.

*This episode is an excerpt taken from our 2021 interview.