Doug Owen
CHRO
Washoe County School District
Episode 290
Culture-Driven Success: Empowering Employees for AI-Fueled Organizational Transformation.
Current chapter: Built by People podcast features insights from world's top HR leaders
Built By PeopleFebruary 24, 2025 · 12:50
Thesis
“A strong, intentional organizational culture, driven by clear vision and guiding principles, is essential for empowering employees to leverage technology and navigate challenges, ultimately leading to organizational success and a healthier, more engaged workforce.”
Show notes
Most HR leaders come up through the people side of the business. Doug Owen came up through IT — and that background gives him an unusually clear-eyed view of how technology actually gets adopted inside organizations. Hint: the obstacle is almost never the technology itself.
As CHRO at Washoe County School District, Doug oversees HR for a large public institution where culture, technology, and healthcare intersect in ways that most corporate environments never confront. His foundation is intentional: everything starts with vision and purpose, articulated by executive leadership and embedded in guiding principles that govern daily decisions. When he introduced a new human capital management system, the critical moment wasn't the technical deployment — it was helping employees understand not just how to use it, but why, and what becomes possible when you stop managing people like a spreadsheet. That's the art of the possible, he says — helping people imagine a different future before you ask them to change their present.
Doug is also ahead of the curve on benefits navigation as an HR strategy. In an era when health insurance complexity consumes enormous cognitive bandwidth for employees, he's building infrastructure to help workers actually use the coverage they have. The insight is simple but underutilized: a healthier, less financially stressed employee is a more engaged one. HR can influence that outcome without adding a single new benefit — just by making the existing ones more accessible.
- Culture through guiding principles — building the values infrastructure that shapes decisions without mandating them
- The "art of the possible" in tech adoption — helping employees envision a different future before asking for behavioral change
- HR's IT crossover advantage — why technology fluency makes HR leaders more effective strategic partners
- Shifting from transactional to transformative HR — becoming a consulting partner to the business rather than a compliance function
- Benefits navigation as engagement strategy — helping employees use what they already have to reduce stress and increase focus
- Intentional culture building — why culture doesn't happen by default and how to design it on purpose
Built by People is sponsored by Previ, the private pricing network that saves employees an average of $2,200/year on essentials like cell phone and auto insurance — free for companies to launch and maintain.
What you'll take away
- 1Culture starts with vision and purpose, championed by executive leadership, and established through guiding principles.
- 2Leveraging technology in HR requires helping people understand the 'art of the possible' and training them to think beyond traditional methods.
- 3HR should shift from transactional work to transformative roles, acting as a consulting partner to the business, facilitated by AI.
- 4Proactively helping employees navigate complex healthcare systems can lead to a more engaged and healthier workforce.
- 5An intentional culture is crucial; if not actively shaped, one will form that may not align with the organization's mission.
What most organizations get wrong
- •Personnel is often seen as an expenditure; Doug Owen reframes this, asking 'how do we put it to best use?' to highlight HR's strategic value beyond cost.
- •Rather than fearing AI will take jobs, Doug Owen suggests it enables employees to work on 'higher value things,' shifting HR from transactional to transformative.
In Doug's words
“One of the last projects that, that we were working on was implementing a new human capital management system... they said, well, how would you do it? And you got the job. So that was my transition into HR...”
Highlights an unconventional and opportunistic entry into HR, driven by technical expertise.
“I firmly believe in empowering people. To leverage their strengths and accomplish those objectives. And if you have that right culture and the, and the people can, can do that, you end up being very successful in achieving your outcomes.”
Articulates the core belief that empowering people within a strong culture drives success.
“A lot of people, even on the team, were like, there is no way we're We're going to be able to get this done in 3 months. And they did it.”
Illustrates successful, rapid change implementation against internal skepticism.
“I tell people technology can do anything. You want it to do. You just have to be able to think that way and be able to change hearts and minds to be able to leverage the technology.”
Emphasizes the mindset shift required for effective technology adoption in HR.
“I like to tell people, no, I actually want you to work on higher value things. And this is that migration in the HR space from transactional work to really transformative, where we can be a consulting partner to our business, not just run the paperwork in the backend and be an administrative function.”
Clearly outlines the strategic shift HR can make by leveraging AI to move beyond administrative tasks.
“every organization has a culture. If you haven't implemented a very intentional culture, one exists that may or may not match your intended vision and mission.”
A crucial piece of advice highlighting the active role HR leaders must take in shaping culture.
The problems this episode addresses
- •Employees struggling with monthly expenses (Previ sponsor mention).
- •Inefficient, paper-based HR processes (e.g., 8,500 individual meetings for open enrollment).
- •IT teams lacking empathy or human element in their interactions.
- •Resistance to adopting new technology in HR due to ingrained 'old ways' of doing things.
- •Fear among employees that AI will take their jobs.
- •HR being perceived as purely administrative or transactional.
- •Employees getting confused and frustrated navigating complex healthcare systems (insurance, TPA, pharmacy, provider).
- •Sick workforce due to inability to leverage available healthcare resources.
- •Unintentional or misaligned organizational cultures.
In this episode
Built by People podcast features insights from world's top HR leaders
Built by People
Dave: Thanks for sharing your career journey with us. I really appreciate it
In the Elevator With Doug Jones
You believe organizations can effectively build a culture that prioritizes people
WSJD Live: The Need for a Culture
Doug, you touched very briefly on this concept of guiding principles
District 4, Leading Principles
What challenges have you encountered integrating IT knowledge into HR practices
The Challenges of Integrating IT Knowledge into HR Practices
My next question is around fostering a people-centric organization
Fostering a People-Centric Organization
What trends or changes do you foresee in the field of HR that organizations need prepared for
WSJD Live: Future of HR
HR professionals need to prepare for healthcare changes in the workplace
Employment HR Strategy: Healthcare
Doug: Every organization has a culture, and if you haven't implemented one
Doug, any parting advice
Doug, thank you so much for joining us on Built by People podcast
Doug Krupa on Built by People
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Organizations and entities mentioned
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