
Shannon Teixeira
People Solutions Leader
Waste Management
Episode 387
Unlocking HR's True Potential: AI Automates Low Value, Empowers Human Strategy
Current chapter: Covering monthly expenses is the number one concern for employees in 2024
November 14, 2024 · 15:56
Thesis
“HR's strategic imperative is to integrate AI to automate low-value work, thereby freeing up time and energy for human-centric innovation and a curated, relational approach to change management, ultimately driving both organizational value and enhanced employee experience.”
Show notes
Exploring HR Leadership, Servant Leadership, and the Future of Work with AI In this episode of the Built by People Podcast, we talk with Shannon Teixeira, People Solutions Leader at Waste Management, a seasoned HR leader. Shannons talks about her non-traditional career path, insights into servant leadership, and the transformative impact of AI on workplaces. The conversation covers essential strategies for organizational effectiveness, the role of AI in reducing low-value work, and the importance of time and energy management for fostering innovation. Shannon emphasizes a customized approach to change, leveraging AI in talent acquisition, and the need for clear objectives and guiding principles to navigate today's dynamic work environment. 00:00 Introduction to the Built by People Podcast 00:59 Introduction to Shannon and her Career Journey 01:59 Early Leadership Experiences 03:24 Adopting AI in HR 04:53 Customizing Employee and Candidate Experience 05:30 Tools and Platforms for Productivity 06:44 Managing Change and Fatigue 09:57 Time and Energy Management 12:04 Creating Innovative Workspaces 14:04 Guiding Principles for Decision Making 15:00 Future of Work and HR's Role 15:53 Conclusion and Gratitude
What you'll take away
- 1HR leaders should embrace a 'portfolio career' mindset, leveraging diverse experiences to focus on organizational design and effectiveness.
- 2Strategic AI adoption in HR aims to automate low-value work, redirecting focus to higher-touch, high-value activities and customized employee experiences, particularly in talent acquisition and onboarding.
- 3Effective change management for AI requires understanding and addressing employee fatigue through tailored, relational approaches and readiness assessments, moving beyond one-size-fits-all methods.
- 4Fostering innovation necessitates creating dedicated 'creative time' by optimizing time utilization (automating tasks, streamlining meetings) and managing intellectual energy within teams.
- 5Prioritization within organizations should be guided by clear objectives and key results (OKRs) combined with established guiding principles to provide a robust decision-making framework.
What most organizations get wrong
- •Shannon advocates for a 'fit for purpose' and 'relational capacity to change' approach over transactional, one-size-fits-all change management, emphasizing personalization and emotional connection.
In Shannon's words
“our role as leaders is to really look at and support the people that are in our care.”
This quote defines servant leadership as a foundational principle for effective leadership.
“we're just at the cusp of what is possible around adopting AI as part of our ecosystem, the way, you know, the way that we work and looking at it from a blended workforce.”
Emphasizes the transformative, early-stage potential of AI for HR and the concept of a blended workforce.
“My approach to change is really a fit for purpose, not necessarily a one-size-fits-all, you know, You know, a lot of times we can transact our approach to change. And really, I like to curate the approach, really like to personalize it and look at a relational capacity to change...”
Advocates for a highly customized and emotionally intelligent approach to change management over generic methods.
“in order to create more innovative outcomes, we need creative time. And time is the thing that, you know, most of us can say is very challenging, that we just don't have enough time to get everything done that we need to.”
Highlights the critical and often overlooked need for dedicated 'creative time' to foster innovation, enabled by AI.
“between having the objectives and key result clarity and using a realm of guiding principles to help us have a decision-making framework, we at least can, you know, pause for a moment, think about, you know, the impact of making that particular decision and make the best choice that we can at the time.”
Outlines a practical, dual-framework approach for effective prioritization and decision-making within organizations.
The problems this episode addresses
- •Organizations struggle with low-value, high-volume HR tasks (e.g., in talent acquisition and onboarding) that consume time better spent on strategic, high-touch activities.
- •Ineffective or generic change management strategies lead to employee fatigue and resistance when adopting new technologies like AI, hindering successful implementation.
- •Lack of dedicated 'creative time' and optimized energy utilization prevents HR teams and employees from engaging in the innovative thinking required to drive organizational progress.
- •Absence of clear prioritization frameworks (like OKRs and guiding principles) causes employees to be overwhelmed by tasks, making it difficult to focus on high-impact work and informed decision-making.
In this episode
Covering monthly expenses is the number one concern for employees in 2024
Built by People
Dave: Shannon Teixeira from Waste Management joins Built By People podcast
Shannon Teixeira on Built By People
I'm curious to get your perspective on how seeing AI shape the future of HR
How AI Will Shape the Future of HR
There's a little bit of resistance to change within every organization
HR Executive Network: Change Management in an AI World
In order to create more innovative outcomes, we need creative time
The Need for Creativity in an Organization
Dave: Shannon, how do you help people prioritize work at work
Shannon Downey on Prioritization and the Future of Work
Topics covered
Organizations and entities mentioned
Full transcript
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