SHRM26 Debrief · Strategic HR, Organizational Design & Change Management · #3643
Disrupting the HR Operating Model in the Age of AI
with Megan Brody
& David Eberhardt
& David Eberhardt"This is our moment. This is our moment as a profession."
What it was about
Most companies have piloted AI in HR but few are realizing business value because they automated individual tasks instead of redesigning the end-to-end operating model, and there is no single future operating model — companies must deliberately choose their destination on a spectrum from human-led-with-AI-assistance to full AI orchestration.
By the numbers
almost 60%
of CEOs surveyed in PwC's annual global CEO survey said they made an investment in AI, in some cases significant, with none reporting efficiency or revenue improvement from it
Key notes
- Don't just drop an AI agent into an existing linear process (e.g., resume screening) — reimagine the end-to-end workflow, or you'll get marginal time savings without meaningful capacity or headcount change.
- Make governance explicit and codified rather than assumed, because agents cannot operate on ambiguous, judgment-based decision-making the way humans historically have.
- Decide deliberately where your organization sits on three trade-off spectrums — relationship-oriented vs. AI-orchestrated service delivery, multi-channel vs. single connected experience, and human-led-AI-supported vs. AI-executes-humans-govern. because you cannot maximize all sides at once.
The contrarian takeYou cannot have both a high-touch, relationship-based HR service model and a fast, AI-orchestrated one at the same time — trying to blend them fully will confuse the organization and cost a fortune, so companies must choose a bias toward one side rather than pursuing 'the best of both.'
Take this back Monday
Do this for your team
Pick one linear process (e.g. resume screening) and redesign the whole workflow around AI instead of bolting a bot onto one step.
Say this in your next leadership meeting
Almost 60% of CEOs invested in AI with zero efficiency gains, because they automated tasks instead of redesigning the operating model.
Watch out for
- Diving straight into technology implementation without addressing the peripheral organizational pieces (skills, readiness, change management) needed to realize business value.
- Treating AI insertion as task automation at isolated points in a process rather than redesigning the whole workflow, which creates only minor capacity gains (e.g., '20 extra minutes') with no structural change.
- Leaving governance implicit and judgment-based instead of explicit and codified, which agents cannot operate within and which creates inconsistent decisions and liability exposure.
If this landed, see these
↳ Go deeperFrom Jobs to Capabilities: How Organizations Actually Scale Skills-Based Workforce ModelsShows what redesigning the operating model actually looks like when you center it on capabilities, not jobs.⇄ The counterpointChange-Ready or Change-Resistant? How to Assess and Elevate the Mindsets That Drive AgilityArgues the blocker isn't your operating model design, it's mindsets that no redesign fixes alone.✦ The unexpected oneThe Cherry on Top™, Building a Culture of ValueA reminder that no AI-orchestrated operating model replaces treating employees like your best customers.