The Gartner Talent Angle

As the pace and complexity of work continues to increase, employees can feel trapped in a cycle of execution, leaving them without the time or capacity to think strategically about their careers. Dorie Clark, author of “The Long Game: How to Be a Long-Term Thinker in a Short-Term World,” joins the Talent Angle to outline how HR leaders can support employees in reaching bold, fulfilling career goals. Dorie offers recommendations that help employees carve out time to think strategically, prioritize opportunities at work and remain committed to their long-term goals. 

Dorie Clark is a consultant and keynote speaker and teaches executive education at Columbia Business School. She is the Wall Street Journal bestselling author of “The Long Game, Entrepreneurial You, Reinventing You and Stand Out,” which was named the No. 1 Leadership Book of the Year by Inc. magazine. Dorie has been named three times as one of the Top 50 business thinkers in the world by Thinkers50. You can download her Long Game strategic thinking self-assessment at dorieclark.com/thelonggame.

Caroline Walsh 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.

Succession planning is an integral component of an organization's talent management strategy, but HR leaders are often unsure if they’re identifying the best-suited candidates for succession pipelines. 

Martin Gutmann, a professor at the Lucerne School of Business in Switzerland and the author of “The Unseen Leader: How History Can Help Us Rethink Leadership,” offers a solution to succession planning uncertainty by looking to leaders of the past.

Martin describes historical leaders, ranging from well-known figures to those less recognized, and examines the qualities that made them exemplary leaders in their respective eras. He explains the risks of prioritizing individuals who excel at managing crises and potentially overlooking those who preemptively mitigate issues.

Martin Gutmann is an author, speaker and scholar interested in how the past can illuminate today's most pressing challenges. He is a professor at the Lucerne School of Business in Switzerland and the best-selling author of “The Unseen Leader: How History Can Help Us Rethink Leadership.” His writing and thought leadership pieces have been published in various platforms and magazines, such as Forbes, Big Think, Fast Company, and Minutehack. Martin holds a Ph.D. in history from the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University, an Executive MBA from IE Business School in Spain, and higher education teacher’s training from Harvard University and ETH Zurich.

Caroline Walsh 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.

Employers and employees are putting in tremendous effort in trying to make work better. There are now more ways for employees to connect with each other, more opportunities to learn at work and more tools to help work get done than ever before. However, neither employers nor employees are seeing the expected increases in results such as productivity. Jessie Knight, vice president of research in the Gartner HR practice, joins the Talent Angle to discuss how organizations can shift their thinking on how people, skills and tools can work together for the betterment of everyone.

Jessie Knight is a vice president of research in the Gartner HR practice. She leads research teams to identify best practices and new opportunities to address HR executives’ most urgent challenges. Her areas of focus include employee experience, organizational culture, change management and the future of work.

Peter Aykens is the chief of research for Gartner’s HR practice. Peter 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.

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.

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.

Three-fourths of HR leaders agree they will be lagging in organizational success if they do not adopt and implement generative AI (GenAI) in the next 12 to 24 months. However, GenAI’s long-term impact on jobs is yet to be determined, and as a result, organizations must prepare for multiple scenarios as they engage in workforce planning and adopt GenAI to their unique context.   In this episode of the Talent Angle, Helen Poitevin, a distinguished vice president analyst at Gartner, shares a framework to help organizations evaluate the context-specific workforce impact of GenAI by identifying the market and technology drivers that matter for talent decisions. This Gartner model will help HR leaders establish workforce strategies as they align technology and business investments with talent implications.   Helen Poitevin is a distinguished VP analyst with a focus on human capital management (HCM) technologies and advising clients on their HCM technology strategies. In HCM, areas of particular focus include talent analytics, voice of the employee analytics, workforce planning and AI in HCM. Ms. Poitevin also conducts research regarding the future of work with a focus on technology’s effect on how people will work, the gig economy, talent marketplaces and ecosystems, and future talent practices.   Peter Aykens is the chief of research for Gartner’s HR practice. Mr. 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.

In their pursuit of heightened productivity, organizations are leaving little room for failure. However, failures are an inevitable part of the innovation process and often serve as a precursor to breakthroughs. By solely focusing on productivity, organizations may be missing out on valuable opportunities for innovation that could propel them forward. In the worst-case scenarios, a failure-adverse climate can lead employees to hide concerns or problems, which can lead to potentially catastrophic issues.

Amy Edmondson, the Novartis Professor of Leadership and Management at the Harvard Business School and author of "Right Kind of Wrong: The Science of Failing Well," shares her expertise on the Talent Angle podcast, offering insights on how organizations should shift their mindset toward failure and embrace it as a catalyst for growth and improvement.

Amy C. Edmondson, the Novartis Professor of Leadership and Management at Harvard Business School, is a management scholar best known for her research on psychological safety and team learning. She has been recognized by the biannual Thinkers50 global ranking of management thinkers since 2011 and was ranked No. 1 in 2021 and 2023. She is the author of eight books, including her most recent book, Right Kind of Wrong: The Science of Failing Well, and more than 100 academic articles.

Jessica Knight is a vice president of research in the Gartner HR practice. She leads research teams to identify best practices and new opportunities to address HR executives’ most urgent challenges. Her areas of focus include employee experience, organizational culture, change management and the future of work.

Netta Jenkins, author of “The Inclusive Organization,” suggests that while organizations have made advances in DEI in recent years, political polarization and economic uncertainty have threatened to undo that progress. Jenkins joins the Gartner Talent Angle to share her advice on the current state of the DEI movement, and she charts a path forward for HR leaders. She unpacks her three “P” framework — people, practices and products — detailing how each “P” is essential to moving DEI forward within organizations. During the conversation, Jenkins also describes the often unrealistically high expectations put on DEI leaders to transform the organization, despite limited funding and staffing.

Netta Jenkins is a doctoral student and author of “The Inclusive Organization,” listed by Forbes as one of the Top 4 DEI books to read. She is CEO of AeroDEI, a DEI tool that helps organizations measure and quantify the impact of their DEI initiatives through gamifying the experience for employees. Jenkins has been advising corporations and audiences of all kinds for years on the most effective strategies to address inequitable gaps that led to a 300k+ LinkedIn audience and played a key factor in Forbes naming her as one of the Top 7 anti-racism consultants in the world. She has also given a ground-breaking TEDx talk, “Reimagining the Workplace.”

Peter Aykens is chief of research in Gartner’s human resources practice. Peter is responsible for defining research coverage within the practice and building and leading research teams in addressing clients’ key initiatives. In prior roles at the firm, Aykens 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; an MSc. (Econ) degree in international politics from the University College of Wales, Aberystwyth; and an M.A. and Ph.D. in political science from Brown University.

Patrick McLaughlin, PepsiCo Foods North America CHRO, joined the Talent Angle at Evanta’s 2023 Dallas CHRO Executive Summit in June to reflect on what he refers to as “the inversion of the labor market.” For the first time, there are more jobs than people to fill them. HR leaders are charged with retaining and engaging the frontline workforce amid changing employee expectations and a competitive talent landscape. Patrick offers his perspective on current workforce trends, reflects on lessons learned in recent years and identifies opportunities for organizations to improve the employee experience for frontline workers.   Patrick McLaughlin is senior vice president and chief HR officer for PepsiCo Foods North America, an operating division of PepsiCo. He is a 27-year veteran of PepsiCo with a broad range of leadership experience in beverages and foods. Before joining PepsiCo, Patrick worked for Exxon USA based in New Orleans, Louisiana. Patrick holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in organizational communication from Purdue University. Patrick also serves on the board of the Sabra Dipping Company, a joint venture of PepsiCo and the Strauss Group. He is an avid football fan and enjoys travel, gardening and cooking; he and his husband, David Talley, are active in the Dallas and New Orleans communities.   Peter Aykens is the chief of research for Gartner’s HR practice. He 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.

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.