Is it time to rewire HR? In this episode of The People Agenda podcast host Chris Howard talks to LACErs Kat Bernardes and Alice McCormack who are behind our latest campaign Rewired HR. This campaign explores our new HR operating model built to respond to rapid global change, moving beyond traditional structures to focus on business outcomes, agility, and integrating AI as a core part of the team rather than just a tool. Listen now as Kat and Alice give an overview of the model and why traditional operating model are no longer fit for purpose.
What is the core message of this campaign?
HR must be fundamentally redesigned to operate as an adaptive ecosystem, not a static operating model. The traditional HR models are designed for stability and predictability. These models no longer fit an environment defined by:
- Continuous transformation.
- Rapidly shifting business priorities.
- AI-enabled work.
- Rising employee expectations.
Our campaign aims to show that incremental change is insufficient and that HR must be rewired end-to-end to deliver business outcomes at speed and scale, not just efficient services.
What are the components of the new HR ecosystem?
Our new HR ecosystem consists of several interconnected layers designed to move HR from a service-delivery mindset to a true commercial partnership.
- Intelligence and insights: This serves as the “brain” of HR, using agentic AI, predictive analytics, and business-wide data to inform proactive decisions.
- Value delivery: Teams that use both fixed and flexible resources to deliver high-performance outcomes, such as building great teams or driving productivity.
- Workforce transformation: A flexible, deployable resource pool focused on organisational design, change management, and human-centric design to solve specific business challenges.
- Commercial relationship management: A strategic role focused on understanding the commercial implications of the people agenda and co-owning business outcomes.
- People value orchestration: A unified leadership team that oversees the ecosystem and ensures every investment aligns with a shared business value framework.
Want more detail on the individual layers? Scroll through the slideshow below:
Is AI the main reason HR needs to change?
AI is a major accelerator, but not the root cause of HR’s redesign, even without AI HR would still need to transform. The primary drivers for this change are:
- Continuous business transformation.
- Higher employee expectations.
- HR teams are stretched between BAU and transformation.
AI intensifies these pressures to adapt by:
- Enabling “always-on” service delivery.
- Shifting 60–90% of employee queries to self-service agents.
- Forcing a rethink of shared services and global business services.
Unsure where to start with implementing AI into your business? Our TRUSTED framework can guide you no matter where you are in your implementation journey.
Where should you start with the new HR ecosystem?
Implementation starts with understanding the specific direction of the business rather than adopting a one-size-fits-all template.
- Align with business strategy: Organisations must take a step back to understand where the business is going and what the future requirements for HR will be.
- Fix core experiences: Leaders should start by fixing a single end-to-end employee experience to establish strong foundations.
- Layer intelligence: Once foundations are stable, organisations can implement the intelligence layer and AI components more effectively.
As part of our Rewired series, we will be exploring each area in detail all content will be added to our Rewired hub as it’s released.
Have questions or want to explore more? Join the Rewired HR campaign and get exclusive insights, resources, and event updates designed to help you lead the future of HR transformation. Be first to know as we release new deep-dives into the rewired ecosystem.
