CAMPAIGN
HR must do more with less, becoming the driver of responsiveness, agility, and value.
Time to rewire HR
HR leaders face mounting pressure to simplify, cut costs, and deliver value faster. The expectation is clear: do more with less.
The Ulrich Model falls short in today’s world. Traditional HR models were built for stability, not for the pace of change we see today.
It’s time to fundamentally rewire HR, making it the engine of agility, responsiveness, and measurable business value.
Introducing the future HR ecosystem, so called because the world isn’t static – and the HR operating model can’t be either. Our model is adaptive and designed to continuously evolve with your business. Explore the details below, as well as the challenges and disruptors that make now the time to act.
The macro challenges facing HR
Why is now the right time to change your operating model? Market research and lived experiences all point to current models no longer being fit for purpose.
Businesses globally are facing unprecedented levels of change – from rapid AI acceleration and shifting workforce expectations to cost pressure, market volatility, and a constant demand for agility.
Geopolitical and economic uncertainty
62%
of executives cite instability as a top risk to growth.
Rising expectations
and cost control
68%
of global companies say labour costs are outpacing productivity and revenue.
Harnessing emerging technology
62%
of CEOs believe AI will define the next business era.
Constant
motion
42%
of CEOs say their company won’t survive the next decade without change.
The four strategic disruptors
Rather than bolting new capabilities onto outdated structures, our ecosystem rewires HR end‑to‑end to harness these key disruptors, adapting in real time as these challenges intensify and develop.
1. AI
2. Agility
Enabling flexible teams and rapid pivots in response to uncertainty.
3. Data and Analytics
4. Human touch
Amplifying emotional intelligence, creativity, and empathy to drive performance and engagement.
Rewiring HR for business impact
Our new operating model is an adaptive, AI-enabled ecosystem that connects intelligence, experience, and execution to deliver measurable business value.
It’s rewired with reusable AI “skills” that act safely and efficiently, embeds human-in-the-loop oversight for ethics and evolution, and treats AI as a true teammate, with clear roles, measurable impact, and continuous development.
Rather than traditional, rigid models this ecosystem is designed to spark new ways of thinking rather than provide a universal blueprint.
People Value Orchestration
Business value-led decision making
Commercial relationship management
Connective tissue between business and HR
Workforce transformation
Flexible muscle to deliver transformation
Value delivery
Champions of the full employee experience
Intelligence and insights
The strategic brain and nervous system
Exploring the ecosystem
Learn about the model using the slider below to discover the key characteristics of each part of the new HR ecosystem – and see how they connect to deliver value in practice. Stay tuned as we release deep-dive content at the bottom of this page.
How rewired HR delivers commercial value
These shifts to new ways of working are designed for intelligence, not just service. They create an HR function that is faster, more coherent, and more valuable, whichever your business driver:
Agility
Constantly evolving through restructures, acquisitions, and market disruption
Customer intimacy
Focusing HR efforts on creating a strong connection between employees and customers
Rapid growth
Expanding fast across markets, sectors, and channels
Productivity
Operating in high-volume, low-margin environments
The world is shifting in months, not years. Technology is evolving faster than operating models, reshaping what gets done and by whom. CPOs are being asked to fuel growth, innovation and agility with fewer resources, while navigating AI disruption, data overload and workforce complexity.
The reality is clear:
- Leaders need insight in the room, not reports after the fact
- Hand-off-heavy models can’t keep up with the speed of change
- Fragmented channels dilute trust and accountability
- Productivity pressures lead to reactive cost-cutting, not sustainable impact
- While AI is everywhere, most HR functions still treat it as an add-on, not an engine.
The cost of staying put? Slow decisions. Broken journeys. Duplicated effort. Underused platforms. Transformation that lands but doesn’t stick.
This is just the start of the conversation – we have a lot more to unpack, so stay tuned as we explore the intelligence and insights engine in more depth, how the ecosystem works in practice including the implications for roles, skills and capabilities. Finally we will unpack the practical steps you can take to get started.
Rewired HR – Resource hub
Rewired HR: Building an ecosystem for continuous change
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...
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