The Gartner Talent Angle

Author and professor Mauro Guillén joins the Talent Angle to explain how generational labels, such as “baby boomers” or “millennials,” can be counterproductive in the workplace. Guillén offers an alternative vision of a postgenerational society and advocates for a workplace in which individuals are not confined by their age. He urges HR leaders to instill a “perennial” mindset in their organizations to foster intergenerational collaboration and engage diverse talent pools. Mauro F. Guillén is one of the most original thinkers at the Wharton School, where he is a professor of management and vice dean for the MBA for Executives Program. He combines his training as a sociologist at Yale and as a business economist in his native Spain to methodically identify and quantify the most promising opportunities at the intersection of demographic, economic and technological developments. He has received Fulbright and Guggenheim fellowships, was honored with the Aspen Institute’s Faculty Pioneer Award, and was elected to the Macro Organizational Behavior Society and the Sociological Research Association. Peter Aykens is chief of research in Gartner’s human resources practice. He is responsible for defining research coverage within the practice and building and leading research teams that address clients’ 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, channels, marketing, customer experience and product issues in financial services. He holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from St. Olaf College; a master’s degree in international politics from the University College of Wales, Aberystwyth (now known as Aberystwyth University); and a master’s degree and a doctorate in political science from Brown University.

In her book “The Burnout Epidemic: The Rise of Chronic Stress and How We Can Fix It,” Jennifer Moss implores organizations to design burnout strategies that move beyond apps, wellness programs and perks. Instead, she makes the case for a systematic and preventative approach to building an anti-burnout strategy. To do so, organizations must first understand the key drivers of burnout, why conventional approaches fall short and how leaders can build cultures that prioritize workforce resilience and health. Jennifer Moss is an award-winning journalist, author and international public speaker. She is a nationally syndicated radio columnist and writes for Harvard Business Review. Her first book, “Unlocking Happiness at Work,” received the distinguished UK Business Book of the Year Award. Jennifer has been named a Canadian Innovator of the Year, an International Female Entrepreneur of the Year, and was a recipient of the Public Service Award from the Office of President Obama. *This episode is an excerpt taken from our 2022 interview.

Drawing on their professional and academic experience, Ravin Jesuthasan and John Boudreau argue the current work “operating system” is increasingly unable to meet the needs of employees and employers. They join the Talent Angle to discuss their new book, Work Without Jobs: How to Reboot Your Organization’s Work Operating System, and the opportunities for HR to shape a new vision for the future of work. Jesuthasan and Boudreau propose a new work “operating system” based on deconstructed work and deconstructed talent that would ultimately lead to a more human-centric approach to work. In their new vision for the future of work, they emphasize the importance of developing capabilities that will enable organizations to redesign and reinvent work and the employee experience. Ravin Jesuthasan is the global leader of Mercer’s Transformation Services business.  He has led multiple research efforts on the global workforce, the emerging digital economy, the rise of artificial intelligence and the transformation of work. Ravin has led numerous research projects for the World Economic Forum including many of its ground-breaking studies on the transformation of work and the global workforce. He is a regular participant and presenter at the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting in Davos and is a member of the forum’s Steering Committee on Work and Employment. He is the author of the books Transformative HR (Wiley, 2012), Lead The Work: Navigating a World Beyond Employment (Wiley 2015), Reinventing Jobs: A 4-Step Approach to Applying Automation to Work (HBR Press, 2018) and the Wall Street Journal bestseller; Work Without Jobs: How to Reboot Your Organization’s Work Operating System (MIT Press, 2022). Dr. John Boudreau is recognized worldwide as a leading evidence-based visionary on the future of work and organization. Dr. Boudreau is Professor Emeritus of Management and Organization and a Senior Research Scientist with the Center for Effective Organizations, at the Marshall School of Business, University of Southern California. For 40 years, he has conducted breakthrough research on the bridge between work, superior human capital, leadership and sustainable competitive advantage.  His research addresses the future of work and the global HR profession, work automation, HR measurement and analytics, decision-based HR, executive mobility, HR information systems and organizational staffing and development.  Dr. Boudreau helped to establish and then directed the Center for Advanced Human Resource Studies (CAHRS) at Cornell University, where he was a professor for more than 20 years Peter Aykens is chief of research in Gartner’s human resources practice. He is responsible for defining research coverage within the practice and building and leading research teams that address clients’ 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, channels, marketing, customer experience and product issues in financial services. He holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from St. Olaf College; a master’s degree in international politics from the University College of Wales, Aberystwyth (now known as Aberystwyth University); and a master’s degree and a doctorate in political science from Brown University.

In recent years, organizations have started to experiment with skills-based hiring by dropping degree requirements and other credentials in job postings to unlock new talent populations. However, a fully-realized skills-based hiring approach demands deep change in talent processes and hiring manager practices. To this point, most organizations have been unable to weave this method into the fabric of their talent strategy. Joseph Fuller, professor at Harvard Business School, rejoins the Talent Angle to discuss his latest research: “Skills-Based Hiring: The Long Road from Pronouncements to Practice.” Joseph shares data to show the extent to which skills-based hiring commitments have translated to meaningful action, and offers practical guidance to help organizations broaden the aperture of their talent pools. Joseph Fuller is a professor of management practice in general management at Harvard Business School and co-leads the school’s initiative, Managing the Future of Work. He founded the consulting firm Monitor Group, now Monitor Deloitte, and has worked with senior executives and policymakers on a wide variety of issues related to corporate strategy and national competitiveness.   Dion Love is a vice president of research and advisory services at Gartner. Dion is a labor market expert, focusing on global labor market trends and what they mean for organizations’ talent and business strategies, as well as broader social and economic issues. In his work at Gartner, Dion advises clients on key aspects of talent acquisition, including talent acquisition function planning and management, talent needs definition and internal recruiting, employment branding and recruitment marketing, and talent sourcing and selection. He has co-authored more than 12 strategic research studies at Gartner. His work has been featured in the Harvard Business Review and industry publications, as well as Gartner HR Leaders Monthly and Smarter With Gartner.