Trend 4: Unleash a new HR era
The Global Talent Trends 2026 series
Redesigning the future of HR to drive enterprise performance
As organisations pursue growth and exponential performance, AI is reshaping how work gets done. For HR this raises the stakes. To remain relevant and help lead enterprise transformation the function must become more strategically embedded as technology changes how work gets done
The future of HR depends on moving beyond incremental improvement. Rather than adding AI to existing processes HR must redesign its own work, operating model and capabilities – then use that experience to help rearchitect work across the enterprise.
Built on insights from nearly 12,000 executives, HR leaders, employees and investors globally, this report examines how HR can become strategically embedded, create greater enterprise value and lead organisation-wide transformation in the human-machine era.
The HR reinvention opportunity
Leading HR functions are shifting from operating the workforce system to engineering how it performs.
This means shifting:
- From operational partnership to embedded strategic HR
- From AI bolt-ons to redesigning HR work from the ground up
- From technology-first automation to outcomes-led work redesign
- From static structures to adaptive HR operating models
- From separate HR and IT agendas to coordinated AI enablement
- From measuring HR activity to owning business outcomes.
From insight to action for a future-fit EVP
This report provides practical guidance to help leaders:
- Define the business outcomes HR needs to drive
- Reframe ROI from cost avoided to value created
- Redesign HR’s own workflows, systems and structures first
- Rearchitect processes around people, outcomes, AI and automation
- Start with the work and mandate before reshaping the org chart
- Strengthen HR-IT alignment to enable enterprise-wide transformation.
Leading organisations are connecting roles, skills, rewards and careers so they can direct investment where it delivers the greatest value.